Muhammad II al-Mahdi () was the fourth
Caliph of Córdoba
A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...
of the
Umayyad dynasty 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 ...
(
Moorish
The term Moor is an exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages.
Moors are not a single, distinct or self-defi ...
Iberia
The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...
). After disbanding his army of 7,000 troops, he became the source of opposition to many of his subjects. Al-Mahdi sought to defend his title as Caliph after the rise of Suleiman II as a political opponent. After a turbulent rule, in which many warring factions rose to power in an attempt to supplant al-Mahdi, he was eventually deposed. After his death, many Muslim historians accused him of destroying the sanctity of the Amirid Harem.
Sources
Umayyad caliphs of Córdoba
11th-century caliphs of Córdoba
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