Abu ʿAmr ʿAbbad II al-Muʿtadid (; died 28 February 1069), a member of the
Abbadid dynasty, was the second independent emir of
Seville
Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...
(reigned 1042–1069) in
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...
. His father,
Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn Abbad, had established the
Taifa of Seville
The Taifa of Seville ( ''Ta'ifat-u Ishbiliyyah'') was an Arab kingdom which was ruled by the Abbadid dynasty. It was established in 1023 and lasted until 1091, in what is today southern Spain and Portugal. It gained independence from the Calipha ...
, and Abbad became its emir when Abu al-Qasim died in 1042. He initially had amicable relations with his neighbour
Ferdinand I, Count of Castile and King of León, and tolerated the Christian faith in his own lands. Among other acts of friendship, he authorized the transfer of
Saint Isidore's relics from Seville to the
Basilica of San Isidoro in
León.
Al-Muʿtadid expanded his territory by conquering numerous Islamic
taifa
The taifas (from ''ṭā'ifa'', plural ''ṭawā'if'', meaning "party, band, faction") were the independent Muslim principalities and kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal and Spain), referred to by Muslims as al-Andalus, that em ...
s (independent principalities),
including those of
Mértola (1044–45),
Huelva (1051),
Algeciras
Algeciras () is a city and a municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of G ...
(1055),
Ronda
Ronda () is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia.
Its population is about 35,000. Ronda is known for its cliffside location and a deep canyon that ca ...
(1065) and
Arcos (1069). In 1053, he invited a number of minor Berber princes from the south to his palace in Seville, suffocating them to death by treating them to an open steam bath, having first sealed up all of the openings in the bathhouse.
He also fought against the
Zirids of
Granada
Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...
and the Aftasids of
Badajoz
Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portugal, Portuguese Portugal–Spain border, border, on the left bank of the river ...
, but with no conclusive results. In 1063, when Ferdinand I appeared with an army on the outskirts of Seville, Al-Muʿtadid was forced to acknowledge his suzerainty and to pay him tribute.
Al-Muʿtadid died in 1069 and was succeeded by his son,
al-Mu'tamid ibn Abbad.
References
Sources
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Abbadid dynasty
Year of birth unknown
1069 deaths
11th-century monarchs in Al-Andalus
11th-century Arab people
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