The city of Córdoba 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 ...

, under the rule of

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire (, ; ) was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a membe ...

Caliph 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 ...

Hisham II al-Hakam, was besieged by

Berbers Berbers, or the Berber peoples, also known as Amazigh or Imazighen, are a diverse grouping of distinct ethnic groups indigenous to North Africa who predate the arrival of Arab migrations to the Maghreb, Arabs in the Maghreb. Their main connec ...

from November 1009/late 1010 until May 1013, with the city beyond the Roman walls completely destroyed. The siege, the massacres and the sackings that followed have been linked to the decline and end of Umayyad rule.

Background

Muhammad II of Córdoba rise to the

Umayyad state of Córdoba The Emirate of Córdoba, and from 929, the Caliphate of Córdoba, was an Arab Islamic state ruled by the Umayyad dynasty from 756 to 1031. Its territory comprised most of the Iberian Peninsula (known to Muslims as al-Andalus), the Balearic Islan ...

throne after overthrowning

Hisham II Hisham II or Abu'l-Walid Hisham II al-Mu'ayyad bi-llah (, Abū'l-Walīd Hishām al-Muʾayyad bi-ʾllāh; 966 – 1044) (son of Al-Hakam II and Subh of Córdoba) was the third Umayyad Caliph of Spain, in Al-Andalus from 976 to 1009, and from 1 ...

provoked

Abd al-Rahman Sanchuelo Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi (9834 March 1009), nicknamed Sanchol ('little Sancho', Sanchuelo to later historians), was the ʿĀmirid '' hajib'' (chief minister) of the Caliphate of Córdoba under Caliph Hisham II from October 1008, at a time when ...

, he marched on Córdoba to restore order but was defeated and executed by Muhammad followers. Muhammad then turned on the

, supported by Córdoban population , the berbers were oppressed and their homes were pillaged , they weren't allowed to be armed in the city, which made them an easy target for attack

having been expulsed from Córdoba , and in order to support their cause , they choose an Umayyad member called

Sulayman ibn al-Hakam Sulayman ibn al-Hakam or Sulayman al-Musta'in bi-llah (; died 1016) was the fifth Caliph of Córdoba, ruling from 1009 to 1010, and from 1013 to 1016 in Al-Andalus. In 1009, after Muhammad II ibn Hisham had led a revolt against caliph Hisham ...

as their candidate for the caliphate throne, Sulayman rose in rebellion and with the backing of

and Castilians with the leadership of count

Sancho García of Castile The name Sancho () is an Iberian name of Basque origin (Santxo, Santzo, Santso, Antzo, Sans). Sancho stems from the Latin name Sanctius. Feminine forms of the name are Sancha, Sancia, and Sanchia (), and the common patronymic is Sánchez and ...

had defeated Muhammad and the Córdobans at the Battle of Qantish where he entered Córdoba and proclaimed himself with the title "al-Musta'in" on 9 November 1009 , Muhammad retreated to Toledo where he got supported by two frankish counts , he confronted Sulayman at the Battle of Aqbat al-Bakr where the latter got defeated and retreated to southern Andalucia. Muhammad entered Córdoba but he turned to chase the retreated Berbers , the two parties meet at the Battle of Guadiaro where Sulayman was victorious and al-Mahdi had to retreat to Córdoba.

Siege

After retreating , Muhammad started to fortify the city walls and towers and fix what was destroyed , he made trenches along the city , he was forced to use the city people on this work , however they got tired of him and his hajib Wadih al-Siqlabi killed him and restored

Berbers however refused

and did not recognize him , 4 months after the Battle of Guadiaro the Siege of Córdoba that will last from the late 1010 till 1013 has just started. From 1011 to 1013, the Berbers engaged in raids on the countryside as well as maintaining a blockade of Córdoba from a base at the Medina Azahara. Historian Elizabeth Nash reports that, "Berber mercenaries from North Africa stationed in Córdoba rebelled and sacked Medina Azahara, hauled down its columns, horseshoe arches and soaring vaults, demolished its elaborate water channels, bathhouses and aqueducts, plundered the ruins, then set fire to them.". In November 1011 Wadih al-Siqlabi tried to make peace with the berbers but he was executed by his allies for that matter while trying to flee, due to the lack of food the people of Córdoba were forced to eat human bodies and blood of slaughtered animals, they risked their lives by going out the trenchs at night to gather food, in 1013 the garrison of Córdoba tried a last sortie that failed resulting in the city surrender. Berbers entered the city and got their revenge, they massacred the Arab citizens of Córdoba , many officials, learned men and jews were killed , Prominent jews like

Samuel ibn Naghrillah Shmuel ibn Naghrillah (; ), mainly known as Shmuel HaNagid () and Isma'il ibn Naghrilla (993–1056), was a Jewish statesman, military commander, scholar, linguist and poet in medieval al-Andalus. He served as grand vizier of the Taifa of Granada ...

were forced to flee the city

didnt retrain in the pillage and destruction of the city and what left was put on fire.

was murdered resulting in

restoration to the throne.

Aftermath

Córdoba was placed under

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

rule, ibn adhari says :"this Sulayman marked the beginning of the berber dynasty", Sulayman and the Berbers settled in Madinat al-Zahra to avoid frictions with the Córdobans Supporters of Sulayman got cities and lands as rewards , the

Zirids The Zirid dynasty (), Banu Ziri (), was a Sanhaja Berber dynasty from what is now Algeria which ruled the central Maghreb from 972 to 1014 and Ifriqiya (eastern Maghreb) from 972 to 1148. Descendants of Ziri ibn Manad, a military leader of th ...

with Zawi ibn Ziri took Elvira and reigned in

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 ...

Banu Ifran The Banu Ifran (, ''Banu Yafran'') or Ifranids, were a Zenata Berber people, Berber tribe prominent in the history of pre-Islamic and early Islamic North Africa. In the 8th century, they established a Emirate of Tlemcen, kingdom in the central Ma ...

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 ...

, Banu Khazrun in

Arcos de la Frontera Arcos de la Frontera () is a town and municipality in the Sierra de Cádiz comarca, province of Cádiz (province), Cádiz, in Andalusia, Spain. Location Arcos de la Frontera is 64 km N-E of Cádiz and 35 km E-N-E of Jerez de la Front ...

, Banu Birzal in Carmona , Banu Dammar in

Morón de la Frontera Morón de la Frontera () is a Spanish town in Province of Seville, Seville province, Andalusia, South-East of Seville. Situated in the south of the province, it is the center of the region that bears the same name and is the head of one of the 85 ...

, Hammudid in Malaga,

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 ...

and

Maghrawa The Maghrawa or Meghrawa () were a large Berber tribal confederation in North Africa. They are the largest branch of the Zenata confederation. Their traditional territories around the time of Muslim expansion into the Maghreb in the 7th century ...

in Jaén leading to the foundation of

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 ...

age.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Siege and fall of Cordoba Medieval anti-Jewish pogroms 1009 in Europe 1010 in Europe 1011 in Europe 1012 in Europe 1013 in Europe 11th century in al-Andalus Looting in Spain Antisemitism in Spain Military history of Córdoba, Spain Massacres in Spain Sieges of the Middle Ages Anti-Jewish pogroms in Europe

Background

Siege

Aftermath

See also

References