Anbasa ibn Suhaym Al-Kalbi

Anbasa ibn Suhaym al-Kalbi (Arabic : عنبسة بن سحيم الكلبي) was the Muslim wali (governor) of al-Andalus, also known as Moorish Hispania, from 721 to 726 CE.

Named in August of 721 to be the successor to Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abd Allah al-Gafiqi, Anbasa, during the following three years, dispatched several military expeditions into Septimania, but he was unable to subdue Carcasonne or Nimes since his soldiers were more concerned with looting the easy targets of the countryside than in mounting sieges against amply-defended walled cities.

Immediately after his appointment, Anbasa doubled taxes on the Christians and confiscated Jewish property. These actions, of course, caused widespread displeasure, scattered acts of disobedience, as well as some open revolts. In 722, a Visigothic nobleman, Pelayo, publicly defied the Muslim attempt to extract taxes and tribute and retreated into the mountains of Asturias where he gathered a band of rebellious followers. A Muslim patrol was sent to search for Pelayo and his men, and it was ambushed at the Battle of Covadonga at great loss of life.

Word of a great victory (and a rumor that the victory had been the result of divine intervention) spread throughout occupied Hispania. This rallied more and more disaffected Christians and Jews to the cause of the rebels in the mountains. Duke Pedro, who governed Cantabria as a vassal of the Muslims, changed sides in 722; the following year, the Basques revolted, and, in 724, Aragón joined the cause as well. In retrospect, these events are viewed as the beginning of the Reconquista, the 770-year effort to wrest control of Hispania from the Muslim invaders.

Coincidentally, a dynastic struggle arose among the Muslims. It was sparked by the death of Caliph Yazid II and the succession of his brother, Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik. Finally, in 725, Anbasa assumed personal control in Spain, asserting his independence of the caliph, and he resumed his campaigns in Septimania, conquering Narbonne, Carcasonne, and Nimes. Thousands of refugees spilled into the Kingdom of the Franks.

In 726, Anbasa returned to attack the Franks, but he died in combat. He was succeeded as wali by Udrra ben Abd Allah al-Fihrí, who, after a few months, was replaced by Yahya ben Salama al-Kalbí. Yahya recognized the injustices of the policies of Anbasa, especially with respect to the collection of taxes and the confiscation of property, so he reverted the tax rates to the levels existing in 722 and undertook a restitution of illegally-seized property.

ee also

* History of the Jews under Muslim rule
* List of Caliphs