Abû ‘Umar ibn Sa’îd ( ar, أبو عمر بن سعيد) (died c. 1287) was son of

Abû 'Uthmân Sa'îd ibn Hakam al Qurashi Abû ‘Uthman Sa’îd ibn Hakam al Qurashi (30 December 1204 – 9 January 1282) ( ar, أبو عثمان سعيد بن الحكم القرشي) was the first Ra’îs of Manûrqa (modern Menorca) from 1234 to 1282. Early life Sa’îd ibn H ...

and last ra’îs of Manûrqa (1282–1287). In his first year in government, King Peter III of Aragon and his fleet stopped by Manurqa on their way to the city of

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I *Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...

(

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

). Bugron, the Lord of Constantine, had secretly plotted with Peter to convert to Christianity and surrender the city to the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of ...

. According to

Ramon Muntaner Ramon Muntaner () (1265 – 1336) was a Catalan mercenary and writer who wrote the ''Crònica'', a chronicle of his life, including his adventures as a commander in the Catalan Company. He was born at Peralada. Biography The Catalan Compa ...

’s ''Cronica'', Abû ‘Umar sent messengers to North Africa letting know of this plot. The consequences were that Bugron was executed and Peter’s surprise invasion was discovered. Years later, Peter and King James II of Majorca, (Menorca’s

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

lord) came into a dispute. Peter’s son King Alfons III of Aragon set out from

Salou Salou () is a municipality of the '' comarca'' of Tarragonès, in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, Spain. The city is approximately 10 km from Tarragona and Reus on the Costa Daurada and 112 km from Barcelona. Founded by the Gre ...

on 22 November 1286 with an invasion force against Manûrqa. This was both to avenge Abû ‘Umar ibn Sa’îd and James II. He arrived on 5 January 1287. Abû ‘Umar ibn Sa’îd prepared himself with

mercenary A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any ...

troops from North Africa. The first battle took place on 17 January. Alfons won this battle and Abû ‘Umar ibn Sa’îd and a few of his followers fled to the fortress near

Madina al Jazira Ciutadella de Menorca () or simply Ciutadella is a town and a municipality in the western end of Menorca, one of the Balearic Islands (Spain). It is one of the two primary cities in the island, along with Maó. History It was founded by the C ...

, nowadays known as the fortress of Santa Àgueda. On 21 January, Abû ‘Umar ibn Sa’îd, seeing himself outnumbered, signed his surrender with the treaty of San Agayz. He was allowed to leave the island towards North Africa, with two hundred of his followers, the remains of his father, his library and fifty swords. Alfons chartered him a ship manned by a Genoese, which according to Muntaner, encountered a storm off the North African coast and was destroyed. There were no survivors.

Notes

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

Chief, leader.

Sources

*Ramón Muntaner
Chronicle
tr. Lady Goodenough (available in PDF format). {{DEFAULTSORT:Abu Umar Ibn SaId History of Menorca Oriental islands of Al-Andalus 13th-century Al-Andalus people 1287 deaths Year of birth unknown