Mohammed I ibn Nasr was a
NasridThe Nasrid dynasty or Banuu Nasri was the last Arab and Muslim dynasty in Spain. The Nasrid dynasty rose to power after the defeat of the Almohad dynasty in 1212 at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa...
ruler of
GranadaGranada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain.- Overview :The city of Granada is placed at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, Beiro, Darro and Genil, at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
in Iberia and founder of the last Muslim dynasty in Spain in 1238. The Nasrid dynasty was the last Muslim dynasty in Spain, founded by Muhammed I ibn Al-Ahamar and lasting until
BoabdilAbu 'abd-Allah Muhammad XII , known as Boabdil , was the twenty-second and last Nasrid ruler of Granada in Iberia. He was also called el chico, the little, or el zogoybi, the unfortunate...
surrendered to the
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
Kingdom in 1492. The Nasrids constructed the
AlhambraThe Alhambra , the complete form of which was Calat Alhambra , is a palace and fortress complex of the Moorish rulers of Granada in southern Spain , occupying a hilly terrace on the...
palaces.
Mohammed ibn Nasr was born in the Arjona region of the Andalusian province of Jaen in 1191.
In 1212 a united army of Spanish and European soldiers defeated the
AlmohadThe Almohad Dynasty , was a Berber, Muslim dynasty that was founded in the 12th century, which conquered all of northern Africa as far as Libya, together with Al-Andalus .Between 1130 and his death in 1163, Abd al-Mu'min al-Kumi, the only one Berber from Nedroma among the Masmudas...
army at the
Battle of Las Navas de TolosaThe Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa took place on 16 July 1212 and was an important turning point in the Reconquista and in the medieval history of Spain...
, an event which marked the beginning of the end of the Muslim presence of Spain.
In 1231, Mohammed ibn Nasr seized the governship of
ArjonaArjona is a town and municipality located in the Bolívar Department, northern Colombia....
and one year later, began a quest for control of other Spanish territories.
Mohammed I ibn Nasr was a
NasridThe Nasrid dynasty or Banuu Nasri was the last Arab and Muslim dynasty in Spain. The Nasrid dynasty rose to power after the defeat of the Almohad dynasty in 1212 at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa...
ruler of
GranadaGranada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain.- Overview :The city of Granada is placed at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, Beiro, Darro and Genil, at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
in Iberia and founder of the last Muslim dynasty in Spain in 1238. The Nasrid dynasty was the last Muslim dynasty in Spain, founded by Muhammed I ibn Al-Ahamar and lasting until
BoabdilAbu 'abd-Allah Muhammad XII , known as Boabdil , was the twenty-second and last Nasrid ruler of Granada in Iberia. He was also called el chico, the little, or el zogoybi, the unfortunate...
surrendered to the
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
Kingdom in 1492. The Nasrids constructed the
AlhambraThe Alhambra , the complete form of which was Calat Alhambra , is a palace and fortress complex of the Moorish rulers of Granada in southern Spain , occupying a hilly terrace on the...
palaces.
Mohammed ibn Nasr was born in the Arjona region of the Andalusian province of Jaen in 1191.
In 1212 a united army of Spanish and European soldiers defeated the
AlmohadThe Almohad Dynasty , was a Berber, Muslim dynasty that was founded in the 12th century, which conquered all of northern Africa as far as Libya, together with Al-Andalus .Between 1130 and his death in 1163, Abd al-Mu'min al-Kumi, the only one Berber from Nedroma among the Masmudas...
army at the
Battle of Las Navas de TolosaThe Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa took place on 16 July 1212 and was an important turning point in the Reconquista and in the medieval history of Spain...
, an event which marked the beginning of the end of the Muslim presence of Spain.
In 1231, Mohammed ibn Nasr seized the governship of
ArjonaArjona is a town and municipality located in the Bolívar Department, northern Colombia....
and one year later, began a quest for control of other Spanish territories. He captured
GuadixGuadix, a city of southern Spain, in the province of Granada; on the left bank of the river Guadix, a sub-tributary of the Guadiana Menor, and on the Madrid-Valdepeñas-Almería railway. Pop. 20,042 inhabitants.-Description:...
in 1232,
GranadaGranada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain.- Overview :The city of Granada is placed at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, Beiro, Darro and Genil, at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
(soon to be his capital) in 1237,
AlmeriaAlmería is the capital of the province of Almería, Spain. It is located in southeastern Spain on the Mediterranean Sea.-History:The name "Almería" stems from Andalusian Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to the "The Mirror of the Sea".The city was founded by caliph Abd ar-Rahman...
in 1238 and
MalagaMálaga is a city in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. It is the second most populous city of Andalusia, the sixth largest in Spain and 43rd-most populous municipality in the European Union, with a population of 566,447 in 2008...
in 1239. He had at least three brothers, Yusuf and Faraj and Isma`il, the latter of whom became the governor of
MalagaMálaga is a city in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. It is the second most populous city of Andalusia, the sixth largest in Spain and 43rd-most populous municipality in the European Union, with a population of 566,447 in 2008...
during Mohammed's reign (until 1257). He also enjoyed the support of a powerful Andalusian family who later became political rivals, the Ashqilula. Abu'l-Hasan 'Ali ibn Ashqilula al-Tujibi assisted Mohammed's rise to power in Arjona in 1232. Mohammed forged this alliance through marriage, by becoming either the father in law or brother in law of the Ashqilula chieftain. The alliance continued with other marriages:
- Abu'l-Hasan 'Ali's daughter Fatima married Yusuf ibn Nasr, a brother of Mohammed.
- Abu'l-Hasan 'Ali's son Abu Ishaq Ibrahim married the Nasrid princess Mu'mina, one of Mohammed's daughters.
When Isma'il died, Mohammed ibn Al-Ahamar raised his nephews Mohammed and Abu Said Faraj, the latter of whom would become governor of Malaga in his father's place.
Ferdinand III of CastileSaint Ferdinand III , was the King of Castile from 1217 and King of Galicia and Leon from 1230. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguela of Castile. Through his second marriage he was also Count of Aumale. He finished the work done by his maternal grandfather Alfonso VIII and...
captured
Cordoba||-||-||}Córdoba is a city in Andalusia, southern Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. Located at 37.88° North, 4.77° West, on the Guadalquivir river, it was founded in ancient Roman times as Corduba by Claudius Marcellus...
in 1236. The ruler of Granada, Mohammed ibn Nasr, approached Fernando to propose that in return for cooperating in the conquest of Muslim Seville, Granada would be granted independence. Fernando agreed and took Seville. On returning to Granada, ibn Nasr announced "there is no victor but Allah" which can be seen inscribed all over the Alhambra palace. As agreed Mohammed ibn Al-Ahamar continued to pay the required tribute to
Ferdinand III of CastileSaint Ferdinand III , was the King of Castile from 1217 and King of Galicia and Leon from 1230. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguela of Castile. Through his second marriage he was also Count of Aumale. He finished the work done by his maternal grandfather Alfonso VIII and...
in exchange for the independence of Granada. Other losses to Castile occurred;
MurciaMurcia is a city in south-eastern Spain, capital of the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia, located along the river Segura. Its current population is 433,850 , ranking seventh in Spain, and the population of the metropolitan area is 743,326, ranking ninth out of the largest metropolitan...
in 1243,
ArjonaArjona is a town and municipality located in the Bolívar Department, northern Colombia....
in 1244 and the entire Jaen province in 1245.
The last eight years of his reign saw Granada plunged into civil war, pitting Mohammed against one of the powerful clans that had supported him, the Ashqilula. In 1257, Mohammed declared his sons Muhammad al-Faqih and Yusuf his heirs. Mohammed ibn Nasr had at least four sons: Nasr, Yusuf, Faraj and Muhammed II al-Faqih. The latter would succeed him at his death on January 22, 1273.
When Castile invaded Granada, Mohammed rode out to meet his adversaries. At noon, he suddenly fell ill. He was placed on a litter, and taken back towards Granada but his illness increased to such a degree that his men pitched his tent in the Vega. In a few hours he died, vomiting blood and in violent convulsions. His body was embalmed, enclosed in a silver coffin, and buried in a cemetery on the southern hillside of the Alhambra. Struggles with the Ashqilula clan continued into the reign of his son Muhammed II al-Faqih.
Further reading
- A History of Islamic Spain by W. Montgomery Watt; Edinburgh University Press, 1965 (Chapter 10 THE LAST OF ISLAMIC SPAIN 1. The Nasrids of Granada)
- Islamic Spain 1250 to 1500 by Leonard Patrick Harvey; University of Chicago Press, 1992 (Chapter 2 THE RISE OF THE BANU'L-AHMAR)
- This article incorporates text from The University of Adelaide Library Electronic Texts Collection.