Subh (; circa 940 – circa 999), also known as Aurora in the Basque Country, or as Sobeya, Sobha, or Ṣabīḥa Malikat Qurṭuba ('Sabiha, Queen of Córdoba'), was the wife of Caliph

al-Hakam II Al-Hakam II, also known as Abū al-ʿĀṣ al-Mustanṣir bi-Llāh al-Hakam b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān (; 13 January 915 – 1 October 976), was the Caliph of Córdoba. He was the second Umayyad Caliph of Córdoba in Al-Andalus, and son of Abd-al-R ...

of Córdoba (r. 961–976), and the regent of the

Caliphate 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 ...

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 ...

during the minority of her son, Caliph

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 ...

Life

Early life

Subh was originally from

Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...

by the name ''Aurora'', who was brought as a slave – a ''Jāriya'' – to be a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

in the

harem A harem is a domestic space that is reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic Domestic worker, servants, and other un ...

of the Caliph in Córdoba. Her origin has alternatively been identified as

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

from the

Gascony Gascony (; ) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part of the combined Province of Guyenne and Gascon ...

region.

Concubine

In the Caliph's harem of Cordoba, Subh became the favorite concubine and then the wife of the Caliph al-Hakam. She was described as not only beautiful, but also as intelligent and analytical.Mernissi, Fatima; Mary Jo Lakeland (2003). The forgotten queens of Islam. Oxford University Press. . She was knowledgeable in music, poetry, and Arabic literature. When she had a son with al-Hakam, she became an

Umm walad In the Muslim world, the title of ''umm al-walad'' () was given to a Concubinage in Islam, slave-concubine who had given birth to a child acknowledged by her master as his. These women were regarded as property and could be sold by their owners, ...

and thus automatically freed at the death of her enslaver. In the later years of his reign, the Caliph lost interest of the routine management of political affairs, and reportedly left it to Subh. To fill this task, she expressed the need for a secretary, and in 966, Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir (also known as Almanzor) was appointed to this post. There were rumors that Almanzor became her lover and that this was the reason why she was to give him such influence in the affairs of state, and their alleged relationship became the subject of satirical poems and libelous rhymes. The Caliph reportedly alluded to the matter once when he remarked that Almanzor apparently was remarkable influence in the minds of the harem, but apparently the Caliph never saw a reason to take any action. Whether they actually were lovers or not have never been confirmed, but it is a fact that Almazor became a trusted collaborator to whom she trusted completely in her political work.

Queen mother of Hisham II

In 976, Caliph al-Hakam died and was succeeded by his and Subh's son, the ten-year-old Caliph

, under the regency of General Ghalib al-Nasiri, al-Mushafi (the chief administrator of the late caliph), and Subh as well as Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir, who became the administrator of the properties left to Subh by al-Hakam. Reportedly, Subh provided Almanzor with the necessary funds to give him control of the army, by which he could secure the stability necessary for her son, a minor, to be secured as Caliph with her as regent, after which she gave him much power in her government. Subh also named Almanzor ''

hajib Hajib or hadjib (, ) was a court official, equivalent to a chamberlain, in the early Muslim world, which evolved to fulfil various functions, often serving as chief ministers or enjoying dictatorial powers. The post appeared under the Umayyad Ca ...

'' hief of viziers Almanzor had become the de facto ruler of Córdoba by 978, pushing both Subh and Hisham to the sidelines. The 13th-century historian Al-Murakushi described the situation: "The stature of Ibn 'Amir continued to grow until he made the acquaintance of Sayyida Subh, the mother of Hisham, the son of al-Hakam. He took charge of her business affairs and managed her lands. In this way he earned her appreciation. Things continued like this until the death of al-Hakam. Hisham was still young, and there was fear of trouble. Ibn 'Amir provided Subh with the security and calm necessary for her son to be able to reign. Ibn 'Amir was very competent and circumstances worked in his favour. Subh made available the necessary funds, and he was able to win over the army. There then followed a train of circumstances that allowed him to rise even higher, until he became practically the sole manager of the affairs of state." The collaboration between Subh and Almanzor reportedly worked completely well, friendly and close until 986, but as Almanzor's power and the caliph's isolation grew, Subh became extremely concerned, and their alliance and effective rule began to disintegrate in 996, when a conflict arouse between them, because Almanzor was so ambitious, he angered Subh and her other allies, putting him in front of her and her allies. This conflict, causing Subh to an unsuccessful attempt to depose Almanzor from his position by introducing other male favorites as his rivals. During two years of bloody rivalry only for their own power, they created divisions in the center of the caliphate. Her second and last attempt to depose him in 998 resulted in his complete accession of all power, and ended her rule.

In popular culture

Subh appeared as a character in the 2003 Syrian television series ''Córdoba's Spring'', played by Nesreen Tafesh. The series was written by Walid Saif.

References

Sources

*{{cite journal, last1=Prado-Vilar, first1=Francisco, date=1997, title=Circular Visions of Fertility and Punishment: Caliphal Ivory Caskets from al-Andalus, journal=Muqarnas, volume=14, pages=19–41, doi=10.1163/22118993-90000368, jstor=1523234 10th-century people from al-Andalus 10th-century women regents Basque women Basque Muslims Women from al-Andalus People from the Caliphate of Córdoba 10th-century slaves Slaves in al-Andalus Slave concubines 940s births 999 deaths 10th-century regents