Hafsid dynasty
Encyclopedia
The Hafsids were a Berber dynasty ruling Ifriqiya
(modern Tunisia
) from 1229 to 1574. Their territories were stretched from east of modern Algeria
to west of modern Libya
during their zenith.
tribe of Morocco
. He was appointed governor of Ifriqiya (present day Tunisia) by Muhammad an-Nasir
, Caliph of the Almohad empire between 1198-1213. The Hafsids as governors on behalf of the Almohads faced constant threats from Banu Ghaniya
who were descendents of Almoravid princes which the Almohads had defeated and replaced as a ruling dynasty.
Hafsids were Ifriqiya governors of Almohads until 1229, when they declared independence. After the split of the Hafsids from the Almohads under Abu Zakariya
(1229-1249), Abu Zakariya
organised the administration in Ifriqiya
(the Roman province
of Africa
in modern Maghreb
; today's Tunisia
, eastern Algeria
and western Libya
) and built Tunis
up as the economic and cultural centre of the empire. At the same time, many Muslims from Andalucia fleeing the Spanish
Reconquista
of Castile
and Aragon
were absorbed. He also conquered Tlemcen
in 1242 and took Abdalwadid
s as his vassal. His successor Muhammad I al-Mustansir
(1249-1277) took the title of Caliph
.
In the 14th century the empire underwent a temporary decline. Although the Hafsids succeeded for a time in subjugating the empire of the Abdalwids of Tlemcen
, between 1347 and 1357 they were twice conquered by the Merinids
of Morocco
. The Abdalwids however could not defeat the Bedouin
; ultimately, the Hafsids were able to regain their empire. During the same period plague epidemics caused a considerable fall in population, further weakening the empire.
Under the Hafsids, commerce with Christian Europe grew significantly, however piracy
against Christian shipping grew as well, particularly during the rule of Abd al-Aziz II (1394-1434). The profits were used for a great building programme and to support art
and culture
. However, piracy also provoked retaliation from Aragon and Venice
, which several times attacked Tunisian coastal cities. Under Utman
(1435-1488) the Hafsids reached their zenith, as the caravan
trade through the Sahara
and with Egypt
was developed, as well as sea trade with Venice and Aragon. The Bedouins and the cities of the empire became largely independent, leaving the Hafsids in control of only Tunis and Constantine
.
In the 16th century the Hafsids became increasingly caught up in the power struggle between Spain
and the Ottoman Empire
-supported Corsairs. Ottomans conquered Tunis in 1534 and held one year. Due to Ottoman threat, Hafsids were vassal of Spain after 1535. Ottomans again conquered Tunis in 1569 and held 4 years. Don Juan of Austria recaptured it in 1573. The latter conquered Tunis in 1574 and the Hafsids accepted becoming a Spanish vassal state to offset the Ottoman threat. Muhammad IV, the last Caliph of the Hafsid was brought to Constantinople
and was subsequently executed due to his collaboration with Spain and the desire of the Ottoman Sultan to take the title of Caliph as he now controlled Mecca and Medina. The Hafsid lineage survived the Ottoman massacre by a branch of the family being taken to the Canary Island of Tenerife by the Spanish.
Ifriqiya
In medieval history, Ifriqiya or Ifriqiyah was the area comprising the coastal regions of what are today western Libya, Tunisia, and eastern Algeria. This area included what had been the Roman province of Africa, whose name it inherited....
(modern Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
) from 1229 to 1574. Their territories were stretched from east of modern Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
to west of modern Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
during their zenith.
History
The dynasty was named after Muhammad bin Abu Hafs a berber from the MasmudaMasmuda
The Masmuda were a Berber tribal confederacy of Morocco and one of the largest in the Maghreb, along with the Zanata and the Sanhaja. They were composed of several sub-tribes: The Berghouatas, Ghumaras , Hintatas , Tinmelel, Hergha, Genfisa, Seksiwa, Gedmiwa, Hezerdja, Urika, Guerouanes, Bni...
tribe of Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. He was appointed governor of Ifriqiya (present day Tunisia) by Muhammad an-Nasir
Muhammad an-Nasir
Muhammad an-Nasir was the Almohad caliph from 1198 until his death.- Biography :...
, Caliph of the Almohad empire between 1198-1213. The Hafsids as governors on behalf of the Almohads faced constant threats from Banu Ghaniya
Banu Ghaniya
The Banu Ghaniya were distant relatives of the Almoravids, who appointed them as governors of the Balearic Islands in 1126. Following the collapse of the Almoravid power at the hand of the Almohads in the 1140s, the Banu Ghaniya continued to govern the Balearic Islands as independent emirs until...
who were descendents of Almoravid princes which the Almohads had defeated and replaced as a ruling dynasty.
Hafsids were Ifriqiya governors of Almohads until 1229, when they declared independence. After the split of the Hafsids from the Almohads under Abu Zakariya
Abu Zakariya
Abu Zakariya Yahya was the founder and first ruler of the Hafsid dynasty in Ifriqiya.He was the Almohad governor of Gabès and then of Tunis by 1229. He seized the opportunity offered by disturbances in the Almohad Empire to declare himself independent late in 1229...
(1229-1249), Abu Zakariya
Abu Zakariya
Abu Zakariya Yahya was the founder and first ruler of the Hafsid dynasty in Ifriqiya.He was the Almohad governor of Gabès and then of Tunis by 1229. He seized the opportunity offered by disturbances in the Almohad Empire to declare himself independent late in 1229...
organised the administration in Ifriqiya
Ifriqiya
In medieval history, Ifriqiya or Ifriqiyah was the area comprising the coastal regions of what are today western Libya, Tunisia, and eastern Algeria. This area included what had been the Roman province of Africa, whose name it inherited....
(the Roman province
Roman province
In Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and, until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of Italy...
of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
in modern Maghreb
Maghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
; today's Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, eastern Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
and western Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
) and built Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
up as the economic and cultural centre of the empire. At the same time, many Muslims from Andalucia fleeing the Spanish
Spain in the Middle Ages
After the disorders of the passage of the Vandals and Alans down the Mediterranean coast of Hispania from 408, the history of Medieval Spain begins with the Iberian kingdom of the Arianist Visigoths , who were converted to Catholicism with their king Reccared in 587...
Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
of Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
and Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
were absorbed. He also conquered Tlemcen
Tlemcen
Tlemcen is a town in Northwestern Algeria, and the capital of the province of the same name. It is located inland in the center of a region known for its olive plantations and vineyards...
in 1242 and took Abdalwadid
Abdalwadid
Zayyanids or Abd al-Wadids , or Banu Zayan, is the name of a Berber zenata dynasty in North Africa. The Zayyanids, whose capital was Tlemcen existed from 1235 to 1556...
s as his vassal. His successor Muhammad I al-Mustansir
Muhammad I al-Mustansir
Muhammad I al-Mustansir was the second ruler of the Hafsid dynasty in Ifriqiya and the first to claim the title of Khalif. Al-Mustansir concluded a peace agreement to end the Eighth Crusade launched by Louis IX, King of France, in 1270...
(1249-1277) took the title of Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
.
In the 14th century the empire underwent a temporary decline. Although the Hafsids succeeded for a time in subjugating the empire of the Abdalwids of Tlemcen
Tlemcen
Tlemcen is a town in Northwestern Algeria, and the capital of the province of the same name. It is located inland in the center of a region known for its olive plantations and vineyards...
, between 1347 and 1357 they were twice conquered by the Merinids
Marinid
The Marinid dynasty or Benemerine dynasty was a Zenata Berber dynasty of Morocco. The Marinid dynasty overtook the Almohads in controlling Morocco in 1244. They controlled most of the Maghreb from the mid-14th century to the 15th century and supported the Kingdom of Granada in Al-Andalus in the...
of Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. The Abdalwids however could not defeat the Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
; ultimately, the Hafsids were able to regain their empire. During the same period plague epidemics caused a considerable fall in population, further weakening the empire.
Under the Hafsids, commerce with Christian Europe grew significantly, however piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
against Christian shipping grew as well, particularly during the rule of Abd al-Aziz II (1394-1434). The profits were used for a great building programme and to support art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
. However, piracy also provoked retaliation from Aragon and Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, which several times attacked Tunisian coastal cities. Under Utman
Uthman (Hafsid)
Uthman was an Hafsid Caliph of Ifriqiya. His rule marked the zenith of the Hafsid kingdom.He successfully brought on his grandfather Abd al-Aziz II's politics but in the long run he could avoid neither power struggles inside the Hafsid family nor the revolt of the southern Arab tribes.Initially...
(1435-1488) the Hafsids reached their zenith, as the caravan
Caravan (travellers)
A caravan is a group of people traveling together, often on a trade expedition. Caravans were used mainly in desert areas and throughout the Silk Road, where traveling in groups aided in defence against bandits as well as helped to improve economies of scale in trade.In historical times, caravans...
trade through the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
and with Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
was developed, as well as sea trade with Venice and Aragon. The Bedouins and the cities of the empire became largely independent, leaving the Hafsids in control of only Tunis and Constantine
Constantine, Algeria
Constantine is the capital of Constantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. It was the capital of the same-named French département until 1962. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of Rhumel river...
.
In the 16th century the Hafsids became increasingly caught up in the power struggle between Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
-supported Corsairs. Ottomans conquered Tunis in 1534 and held one year. Due to Ottoman threat, Hafsids were vassal of Spain after 1535. Ottomans again conquered Tunis in 1569 and held 4 years. Don Juan of Austria recaptured it in 1573. The latter conquered Tunis in 1574 and the Hafsids accepted becoming a Spanish vassal state to offset the Ottoman threat. Muhammad IV, the last Caliph of the Hafsid was brought to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
and was subsequently executed due to his collaboration with Spain and the desire of the Ottoman Sultan to take the title of Caliph as he now controlled Mecca and Medina. The Hafsid lineage survived the Ottoman massacre by a branch of the family being taken to the Canary Island of Tenerife by the Spanish.
Hafsid rulers
- Abd al-Wahid (1207-1216)
- Abd-Allah (1224-1229)
- Abu ZakariyaAbu ZakariyaAbu Zakariya Yahya was the founder and first ruler of the Hafsid dynasty in Ifriqiya.He was the Almohad governor of Gabès and then of Tunis by 1229. He seized the opportunity offered by disturbances in the Almohad Empire to declare himself independent late in 1229...
(1229-1249) - Muhammad I al-MustansirMuhammad I al-MustansirMuhammad I al-Mustansir was the second ruler of the Hafsid dynasty in Ifriqiya and the first to claim the title of Khalif. Al-Mustansir concluded a peace agreement to end the Eighth Crusade launched by Louis IX, King of France, in 1270...
(1249-1277) - Yahya II al-Watiq (1277-1279)
- Ibrahim I (1279-1283)
- Abd al-Aziz I (1283)
- Ibn Abi Umara (1283-1284)
- Abu Hafs Umar I (1284-1295)
- Muhammad I (1295-1309)
- Abu Bakr I (1309)
- Aba al-Baqa Khalid an-Nasir (1309-1311)
- Aba Yahya Zakariya al-Lihyani (1311-1317)
- Muhammad II (1317-1318)
- Abu Bakr II (1318-1346)
- Abu Hafs Umar II (1346-1349)
- Ahmad I (1349)
- Ibrahim II (1350-1369)
- Abu al-Baqa Khalid (1369-1371)
- Ahmad IIAbu al-Abbas Ahmad IIAbu al-Abbas Ahmad II was an Hafsid Caliph of Ifriqiya. He restored the Hafsid kingdom to full power after a period of disarray which followed the invasion of Ifriqiya led by Abu Inan Faris of the Marinid dynasty.- Sources :...
(1371-1394) - Abd al-Aziz II (1394-1434)
- Muhammad III (1434-1436)
- UthmanUthman (Hafsid)Uthman was an Hafsid Caliph of Ifriqiya. His rule marked the zenith of the Hafsid kingdom.He successfully brought on his grandfather Abd al-Aziz II's politics but in the long run he could avoid neither power struggles inside the Hafsid family nor the revolt of the southern Arab tribes.Initially...
(1436-1488) - Abu Zakariya Yahya (1488-1489)
- Abd al-Mu'min (Hafsid) (1489-1490)
- Abu Yahya Zakariya (1490-1494)
- Muhammad IV (1494–1526)
- Muhammad V (1526-1543)
- Ahmad III (1543–1569)
- Ottomans Conquered (1569-1573)
- Muhammad VI (1573-1574)