Abu Muhammad Ziyadat Allah I ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Aghlab ( ar, زيادة الله الأول) (died June 10, 838) was the
Emir
Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...
in
Ifriqiya from 817 until his death in 838.
Abu Muhammad Ziyadat Allah I succeeded his brother
Abdallah I (812–817) to the Emirate of Ifriqiya. During his rule the relationship between the ruling dynasty on the one hand and the jurists and
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
troops on the other remained strained. When Ziyadat Allah I attempted to disband the Arab units in 824, it led to a great revolt at
Tunis
''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois
, population_note =
, population_urban =
, population_metro = 2658816
, population_density_km2 =
, timezone1 = CET
, utc_offset1 ...
, which was only put down in 836 with the help of the
Berbers.
Ziyadat had already begun campaigns in Italy in an attempt to divert the restless Arab troops, and so in 827 there began the
gradual conquest of
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
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, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
from the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
, under the jurist
Asad ibn al-Furat
Asad Ibn Al-Furat ( ar, أسد بن الفرات; c.759 – c.828) was a jurist and theologian in Ifriqiya, who played an important role in the Arab conquest of Sicily.
His family, originally from Harran in Mesopotamia, emigrated with him to ...
. Although initially repulsed by the Byzantines, they managed to conquer
Palermo in 831. Power struggles on the Italian mainland afforded further opportunity for conquest and plunder - a call for aid from the
Duke of Naples enabled them to establish a foothold in southern Italy and begin extensive raids against the
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
.
The economic health of the kingdom, in spite of the political unrest, enabled a substantial building programme. The
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
of
Uqba ibn Nafi
ʿUqba ibn Nāfiʿ ibn ʿAbd al-Qays al-Fihrī al-Qurashī ( ar, عقبة بن نافع بن عبد القيس الفهري القرشي, ʿUqba ibn Nāfiʿ ibn ʿAbd al-Qays al-Fihrī), also simply known as Uqba ibn Nafi, was an Arab general ser ...
in
Kairuan
Kairouan (, ), also spelled El Qayrawān or Kairwan ( ar, ٱلْقَيْرَوَان, al-Qayrawān , aeb, script=Latn, Qeirwān ), is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was founded by th ...
was renovated and refurnished, and more city defenses were erected. Ziyadat Allah I wasn't the first of the Aghlabids to convert to
mu'tazilism
Muʿtazila ( ar, المعتزلة ', English: "Those Who Withdraw, or Stand Apart", and who called themselves ''Ahl al-ʿAdl wa al-Tawḥīd'', English: "Party of ivineJustice and Oneness f God); was an Islamic group that appeared in early Islamic ...
, but he appointed, with his
mu'tazilite
Muʿtazila ( ar, المعتزلة ', English: "Those Who Withdraw, or Stand Apart", and who called themselves ''Ahl al-ʿAdl wa al-Tawḥīd'', English: "Party of ivineJustice and Oneness f God); was an Islamic group that appeared in early Islamic ...
qadi
A qāḍī ( ar, قاضي, Qāḍī; otherwise transliterated as qazi, cadi, kadi, or kazi) is the magistrate or judge of a '' sharīʿa'' court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and mino ...
of
Qairawan
Kairouan (, ), also spelled El Qayrawān or Kairwan ( ar, ٱلْقَيْرَوَان, al-Qayrawān , aeb, script=Latn, Qeirwān ), is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was founded by th ...
Abu Muhriz al Kilabi (appointed by Ibrahim I in 806),
Assad ibn al Furat, considered one of the most important
sunni leaders of his time in
Ifriqya. The majority of the Aghlabid rulers stayed loyal to mu'tazilism until their end in 909 (except during the rule of Muhammad I), even after it was rejected by the
Abbasids in 848.
After the death of Ziyadat Allah I his brother
Abu Iqal
Abu Iqal al-Aghlab ibn Ibrahim () was the fourth Aghlabid
The Aghlabids ( ar, الأغالبة) were an Arab dynasty of emirs from the Najdi tribe of Banu Tamim, who ruled Ifriqiya and parts of Southern Italy, Sicily, and possibly Sard ...
(838–841) became Emir.
Portrayal
Ziyadat Allah, a character played by
Kal Naga
Khaled Muhammad Samy Abol Naga ( ar, خالد سامي أبو النجا; born November 2, 1966), credited as Khaled Abol Naga ( ar, خالد أبو النجا) and by the mononym Kal Naga, is an Egyptian actor, director and producer. He is r ...
, in the
5th season of the
historical fantasy
Historical fantasy is a category of fantasy and genre of historical fiction that incorporates fantastic elements (such as magic) into a more "realistic" narrative. There is much crossover with other subgenres of fantasy; those classed as Arthu ...
television series ''
Vikings
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and ...
'' is loosely based on Ziyadat Allah I.
Sources
*
{{s-end
838 deaths
Aghlabid emirs of Ifriqiya
Arab people of the Arab–Byzantine wars
Year of birth unknown
Mu'tazilism