- Taifa of Seville
Infobox Former Country
native_name = "طائفة أشبيليّة" "Reino Taifa de Sevilla"
conventional_long_name = Taifa Kingdom of Seville
common_name = Kingdom of Seville
national_motto =
continent = Europe
region = Mediterranean
country = Spain
era = Middle Ages
government_type = Monarchy
year_start = 1023
year_end = 1091
event_start = Downfall of Caliphate of Cordoba
event_end = Death of last king Al-Mu'tamid and defeat after Almoravid Troops
p1 = Caliphate_of_Cordoba
flag_p1 =
s2 = Almoravid_dynasty
flag_s2 =
image_map_caption = The Kingdom of Seville at its greatest extent in green, c. 1080. (1078) year of annexion.
capital =Seville
common_languages = Arabic, Mozarabic , Hebrew
religion = Islam, Roman Catholicism, Judaism
currency =Dirham and DinarThe
Taifa of Seville (Arabic: طائفة أشبيليّة, "Ta'ifa Ishbiliya" )was a short lived kingdom in what is now southernSpain andPortugal . The kingdom originated in1023 and lasted until1091 . It was under the rule of the ArabAbbadid family. The first king of Seville was Abu al-Qasim (1023-1042). He wasqadi ofSeville and declared independence of the province of Seville fromCaliphate of Cordoba after its downfall in1031 , becoming king of Seville as Abbad I. The second king was his son Abbad II Al-Mu'tadid (1042-1069) and last king in the dinasty was the king Al-Mu'tamid (1062-1091).The kingdom started as a small, weakly defended territory comprising parts of current Spanish provinces of
Seville ,Huelva andCadiz , but quickly emerged as the most powerful Taifa kingdom of the time, after its rulers began pursuing a policy of expansion. After several military campaigns, the kingdom achieved dominance over all of WesternAndalucia andMurcia . Nevertheless, the Abbad family was still subject to taxation by the King of Castile, to whom they werevassal s. The drain of these taxes weakened the kingdom's power, and the country was conquered, in 1091, by theAlmoravids , after theAlmoravids ravaged the city of Seville and Al-Mu'tamid ordered his sons to give up the royal fortress (earlyAlcazar of Seville ) for saving their lifes. He died as prisoner assassinated in 1095 in Africa. After his death of King Al-Mu'tamid the kingdom was totally ruled by theAlmoravids . Al-Mu'tamid had strongs relations with the northern kingdoms of Iberia, as Castile but he finally supported the military movements of theAlmoravids . The Almoravids did not respected the andalusi king and his court, and he was then made prisoner by the almoravid chief, to whom he had lent support.Besides the intrigues and the conquerings eagerness of the kings, many artists of the time moved to the court of Seville, as the
Almeria poet Ibn al-Abbâr, author of epistoles, and the poet Abû `Âmir ibn Maslama and Abû l-Walîd al-Himyarî, that made a compilation of the literary works of both ones.Al-Mutadid also was a very remarkable poet, learned by the poet Abu Bakr ibn Ammar. On the other hand, he had a very cruel personality. His son Al-Mu'tamid was even more dedicated to poetry than his father. He was friend of the poet Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn al-`Ammâr, who was famous at that time after defeating the Castilian king Alfonso VI in a
chess contest.Al-Mu'tamid sons,
al-Rašid yal-Râdî were also very interested on arts, but had any interests on politics, and after the death of the king Al-Mu'tamid, the Taifa of Seville was ruled by the Almoravids.Al-Mu'tamid was lover of the future queen Itimad (Rumayqiyya). A brief tale on the queen Rumayqiyya appears on the book "'Libro de los ejemplos del Conde Lucanor y de Patronio" (Book of the examples of Count Lucanor and Patronio), as the tale XXX, "De lo que aconteció al rey Abenabed de Sevilla con su mujer, Ramaiquía" (Tell of the story who happened to the king Abenabed of Seville with her wife, Ramaiquía).
ymbols
There are chronicles of that time that tells Almoravids fought under a white flag, while Andalusies soldiers as those of King Al-Mu'tamid fought under different green flags with islamic texts written on them. This is supposed to be the origin of the
Andalucia flag, current used as the autonomous region flag, calledArbonaida or Arbondaira.ee also
*
Taifa
*Seville
*History of Islam
*History of Spain
*Al-Andalus External links
* [http://medspains.stanford.edu/demo/seville/index.html Brief history of Seville]
* [http://www.balagan.org.uk/war/iberia/0711/chronology1008.htm War upon Iberia]
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