Yusuf I of Morocco
(Abu Yacub Yusuf Ben Abd al-Mumin; Marrakech, 1139-Santarem, Portugal, 1184) Second Almohad emir (1163-1184).Yusuf I completed the occupation of al-Andalus undertaken by his father Abd al-Mumin with the conquest of the kingdom of Valencia and Murcia, in the year 1172.
Educated in an exquisite way from a very young age, Yusuf was appointed by his father governor of Seville, a city where the young Berber prince studied and surrounded himself with writers, philosophers and scientists, reaching one of the best libraries in the world until then, almost the same as the one he brought together in his day the Cordovan caliph al-Hakam II.
Before dying, Abd al-Mumin made Yusuf come to Marrakech with the intention of appointing him emir, a decision full of dangers because the young prince had to compete for the position with powerful relatives of the royal house that they had not sworn loyalty to him very willingly.Indeed, Yusuf I could not fully assume the title of prince of the believers (al-Muslim) until five years after his accession to the throne.
Although he followed in his father's footsteps in military and religious-cultural matters, he was much less decisive in the direction of government affairs and in dealing with urgent problems.In addition, in Marrakech he continued with his love for arts and science in capital letters, bringing to court the best minds, especially philosophers, highlighting the three most important of al-Andalus and in general of all Islam: Abentofail , Avempace and Averroes.
Although the Almohad influence in al-Andalus was quite consolidated, the country was still far from under control.Several kings still existed, the same as happened when the Almoravids arrived in 1090, who had chosen to maintain their independence at all costs.Among these "rebels" was the most powerful of all, Muhammad ibn Said ibn Mardanish (the famous Wolf King of the Castilian chronicles), who controlled much of the eastern territory of al-Andalus, including Murcia.
From Marrakech, Yusuf I sent a first contingent against Ibn Mardanish, in the year 1165, which crashed before the implacable defense and counteroffensive of the cunning Valencian king.The war between the two lasted for several years, until 1171, the date on which Yusuf I crossed the strait and settled in his beloved Seville, where he established his headquarters against Ibn Mardanish and his Christian allies.The fight did not end until the death of the Valencian monarch, in the year 1172.Demonstrating a political intelligence similar to that of his father, Yusuf I bought the future loyalty of the Valencian's relatives, allowing them to hold important positions in the territories they previously occupied.
Free from serious Muslim opposition on the Peninsula, Yusuf I focused all his efforts on the Christian kingdoms that threatened his power from the north.Counting on the alliance of the Leonese monarch Ferdinand II from the year 1168, the Almohad armies of Yusuf I engaged in a clear fight against the Castilians and Portuguese, kingdoms that were involved in an expansive territorial policy.The Portuguese campaign for Extremadura caused havoc, capturing important Almohad cities and fortresses (Trujillo, Évora, Montánchez, Serpa, Badajoz and Béjar).
These disastrous events forced Yusuf I to send an important army that reconquered these positions, helped by the Leonese king, but which failed in the attempt to take Toledo, Huete and Tarragona.With relative success in his campaigns, the Andalusian question was momentarily resolved due to the attrition of all the contenders that forced the establishment of a long tacit truce.
In the year 1176, Yusuf I returned to Marrakech and then to the Sous region, where a serious revolt against his power had begun, incubated in the heat of his prolonged absence from Africa.While he was busy with such punishment tasks, alarming news about the delicate situation of al-Andalus kept reaching him: Portugal attacked Béjar in 1178 and threatened the coast, including Ceuta, on the African continent; Alfonso VIII of Castile entered al-Andalus until he reached the very gates of Córdoba in the year 1182, after having empowered by Cuenca, in the year 1177; while his traditional ally Fernando II of León had signed a truce with Castile, in 1183, promising to break his good relations with the Almohads.
Without thinking twice, in 1184 Yusuf I hastily prepared a great army to begin a campaign against the peninsular Christian monarchs with which he landed in Algeciras.From Seville, Yusuf I hurried to Santarem, in the Portuguese Algarve, a region very well defended by a Portuguese-Castilian coalition.The Almohad army laid siege to the city, eventually retreating in panic after Yusuf I died of a wound received in his tent, leaving Muslim Spain once again in a precarious situation, especially when the Christian kings were preparing plans.more ambitious for al-Andalus.
The death of Yusuf I was kept secret for some time to avoid dynastic discord.He was buried with all honors in Tinmal, together with his father, in the town where the first embryo of the dynasty emerged.During his almost five years of stay in al-Andalus, Yusuf I undertook the construction of several public works in Seville and satisfied intellectual concerns.Its walls were rebuilt, building ditches for the conduction of water, as well as the Aljama mosque, inaugurated in 1182, and the fortresses of La Buhaira.The first works of the famous Giralda were also started.
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