Sa'dun al-Ruayni () was Governor, or

Wali A wali (''wali'' ar, وَلِيّ, '; plural , '), the Arabic word which has been variously translated "master", "authority", "custodian", "protector", is most commonly used by Muslims to indicate an Islamic saint, otherwise referred to by t ...

, of

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...

from 792 to 801 and the penultimate Muslim ruler of the city.Roger Collins, ''The Arab Conquest of Spain, 710–797'' (Basil Blackwell, 1989). He was appointed successor to Matruh ben Sulayman al-Arabi in circa 792 by the

Emir of Córdoba 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 cerem ...

Hisham Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik ( ar, هشام بن عبد الملك, Hishām ibn ʿAbd al-Malik; 691 – 6 February 743) was the tenth Umayyad caliph, ruling from 724 until his death in 743. Early life Hisham was born in Damascus, the administra ...

. However, in 796 he led a revolt against the Emir; in April 797 he travelled to Aachen and offered

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Em ...

the city's loyalty in exchange for the empire's help against Córdoba. Charlemagne summoned an assembly in

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. The city is on t ...

in the spring of the 800 which agreed to send an expedition led by his son

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (german: Ludwig der Fromme; french: Louis le Pieux; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aqui ...

to Barcelona. The army included several notable commanders including

Rostany Rostaing (Latin Rostagnus), commonly known as Rostany in Catalan, was the first Count of Girona (785-801), ruling over the earliest-established of the Catalan Counties which formed the ''Marca Hispanica''. A Frankish noble, he was elevated to Cou ...

, Count of

Girona Girona (officially and in Catalan , Spanish: ''Gerona'' ) is a city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 103,369 in 2020. Girona is the capit ...

;

Ademar Ademar is a masculine Germanic name, ultimately derived from ''Audamar'', as is the German form Otmar. It was in use in medieval France, Latinized as ''Adamarus'', and in modern times has been popular in French, Spanish and Portuguese-speaking co ...

, Count of Narbonne; and

William of Gellone William of Gellone ( 755 – 28 May 812 or 814), the medieval William of Orange, was the second Duke of Toulouse from 790 until 811. In 804, he founded the abbey of Gellone. He was canonized a saint in 1066 by Pope Alexander II.

, Count of

(cousin of

). However, on arriving at Barcelona, Sa'dun, who had in the meantime been reconciled to the Caliphate, refused to open the city gates. The Frankish forces then began a long siege in the autumn of 800. Sa'dun attempted to escape in order to raise help from

Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to: * Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain * Córdoba, Argentina, 2nd largest city in the country and capital of Córdoba Province Córdoba or Cordoba may ...

, but was captured by the besieging army. He was replaced as governor by Harun of Barcelona, however the siege was successful and Harun surrendered the city and its starving population on Saturday, April 3, 801. Louis I entered the city on the following day (April 4, 801). Sa'dun was brought before Charlemagne in the summer of 801 and condemned to exile.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadun Al Ruayni Walis of Barcelona 8th-century Arabs 9th-century Arabs