After the Battle of Poitiers (732), Yusuf ibn Abd al-Rahman was appointed governor of Narbonne according to the Chronicle of Moissac, where he was in command of military operations. During four years he is said to have raided and pillaged the Lower Rhone, and in 735 he took Arles.[2]
Between 716 and 756, al-Andalus was ruled by governors sent from Damascus or appointed on the recommendation of the Umayyad regional governors of Ifriqiya to which it belonged administratively.[3] Like many of his predecessors, Yusuf struggled to control infighting between the Berbers (the bulk of his power base) and the Arabs, and also had to deal with perennial feuding between 'Adnani and Qahtani Arab tribes comprising his forces.[4]
Governor of al-Andalus
After the instability of the Berber Revolt in al-Andalus, an arrangement was concluded between different Arab factions to alternate in office. However, after taking over and completing his term, he refused to give up the reins of power, ruling unchallenged for nine years, while in Damascus the Umayyads were definitively overthrown in 750. It has been pointed out that he actually ruled as king (malik), and not as governor (wali). After becoming ruler, al-Fihri conducted a census,[5] as part of which Bishop Hostegesis prepared a list of tax and jizya payers. The bishop then made annual visits to make sure the taxes were collected properly.[6]
Yusuf had just broken an attempted revolt in Zaragoza (755) when he launched a campaign against the Basques of Pamplona in 755, but the detachment sent was annihilated.[7] This was the moment chosen by the Umayyad prince Abd al-Rahman ibn Mu'awiya ibn Hisham, who had fled Syria some years before to escape from the Abbasids, to disembark on the southern coast of present-day Spain. He went on to capture important southern strongholds such as Málaga and Seville.
On Abd al-Rahman's arrival, Andalusian forces were divided, with both commanders claiming the allegiance of both Berbers and the Syrian junds. Generally, Yemeni units within the latter joined the Umayyad contender, while their Mudar and Qays rivals remained loyal to Yusuf.[8] After attempting a failed compromise with Abd al-Rahman by which the Umayyad survivor would succeed him, Yusuf al-Fihri was defeated at the Battle of Musarah[9] just outside Córdoba in March 756[10] by Abd al-Rahman, who thus became the first independent Emir of Córdoba.
Still Yusuf managed to flee the battlefield north and make his way towards Toledo, possibly first attempting to recapture Seville, but failing. Yusuf may have been killed on his retreat to Toledo, while other accounts locate him in that stronghold still for two or three years, where he was eventually killed by some of his own men.[11]
^Al-Sulami, Mishal Fahm (2004). The West and Islam: Western Liberal Democracy Versus the System of Shura. London: Routledge. ISBN0-415-31634-0, p. 207.
^Payne, Robert (1959). The Holy Sword: the story of Islam from Muhammad to the present. New York: Harper.
yusuf, rahman, fihri, arabic, يوسف, بن, عبد, الرحمن, الفهري, umayyad, governor, narbonne, septimania, governor, andalus, from, ruling, independently, following, collapse, umayyad, caliphate, descendant, uqba, nafi, founder, kairouan, governor, andalusin, offic. Yusuf ibn Abd al Rahman al Fihri Arabic يوسف بن عبد الرحمن الفهري was an Umayyad governor of Narbonne in Septimania and the governor of al Andalus from 747 to 756 ruling independently following the collapse of the Umayyad Caliphate in 750 He was a descendant of Uqba ibn Nafi the founder of Kairouan 1 Yusuf ibn Abd al Rahman al FihriGovernor of Al AndalusIn office January 747 May 756Preceded byAbd al Rahman ibn Katir al LahmiSucceeded byAbd al Rahman IPersonal detailsBorn711 ADDied759 ADToledo SpainParentAbd al Rahman ibn Habib al Fihri father Contents 1 Governor in Narbonne 2 Governor of al Andalus 3 See also 4 ReferencesGovernor in Narbonne EditAfter the Battle of Poitiers 732 Yusuf ibn Abd al Rahman was appointed governor of Narbonne according to the Chronicle of Moissac where he was in command of military operations During four years he is said to have raided and pillaged the Lower Rhone and in 735 he took Arles 2 Between 716 and 756 al Andalus was ruled by governors sent from Damascus or appointed on the recommendation of the Umayyad regional governors of Ifriqiya to which it belonged administratively 3 Like many of his predecessors Yusuf struggled to control infighting between the Berbers the bulk of his power base and the Arabs and also had to deal with perennial feuding between Adnani and Qahtani Arab tribes comprising his forces 4 Governor of al Andalus EditAfter the instability of the Berber Revolt in al Andalus an arrangement was concluded between different Arab factions to alternate in office However after taking over and completing his term he refused to give up the reins of power ruling unchallenged for nine years while in Damascus the Umayyads were definitively overthrown in 750 It has been pointed out that he actually ruled as king malik and not as governor wali After becoming ruler al Fihri conducted a census 5 as part of which Bishop Hostegesis prepared a list of tax and jizya payers The bishop then made annual visits to make sure the taxes were collected properly 6 Yusuf had just broken an attempted revolt in Zaragoza 755 when he launched a campaign against the Basques of Pamplona in 755 but the detachment sent was annihilated 7 This was the moment chosen by the Umayyad prince Abd al Rahman ibn Mu awiya ibn Hisham who had fled Syria some years before to escape from the Abbasids to disembark on the southern coast of present day Spain He went on to capture important southern strongholds such as Malaga and Seville On Abd al Rahman s arrival Andalusian forces were divided with both commanders claiming the allegiance of both Berbers and the Syrian junds Generally Yemeni units within the latter joined the Umayyad contender while their Mudar and Qays rivals remained loyal to Yusuf 8 After attempting a failed compromise with Abd al Rahman by which the Umayyad survivor would succeed him Yusuf al Fihri was defeated at the Battle of Musarah 9 just outside Cordoba in March 756 10 by Abd al Rahman who thus became the first independent Emir of Cordoba Still Yusuf managed to flee the battlefield north and make his way towards Toledo possibly first attempting to recapture Seville but failing Yusuf may have been killed on his retreat to Toledo while other accounts locate him in that stronghold still for two or three years where he was eventually killed by some of his own men 11 See also EditUmayyad conquest of Hispania Septimania Battle of Avignon Battle of Narbonne 737 Timeline of the Muslim presence in the Iberian peninsulaReferences Edit Hitti Philip Khuri 1970 History of the Arabs from the Earliest Times to the Present Macmillan ISBN 978 0 333 09871 4 p 504 Collins Roger 1989 The Arab Conquest of Spain 710 797 Oxford UK Cambridge USA Blackwell p 91 ISBN 0 631 19405 3 Abun Nasr Jamil M 1987 A History of the Maghrib in the Islamic Period Cambridge Cambridge University Press ISBN 0 521 33767 4 p 71 Gerli E Michael amp Armistead Samuel G 2003 Medieval Iberia An Encyclopedia Taylor amp Francis ISBN 9780415939188 p 4 Wolf Kenneth Baxter 2000 Conquerors and Chroniclers of Early Medieval Spain Liverpool University Press ISBN 0 85323 554 6 p 156 Imamuddin S M 1981 Muslim Spain 711 1492 A D A Sociological Study Brill Academic Publishers ISBN 90 04 06131 2 p 58 Trask R Larry 1996 The History of Basque London Routledge ISBN 0 415 13116 2 p 12 Collins Roger 1989 p 122 Al Sulami Mishal Fahm 2004 The West and Islam Western Liberal Democracy Versus the System of Shura London Routledge ISBN 0 415 31634 0 p 207 Payne Robert 1959 The Holy Sword the story of Islam from Muhammad to the present New York Harper Collins Roger 1989 p 132 Preceded byAbd al Rahman ibn Katir al Lahmi Governor of Al Andalus747 756 Succeeded byAbd al Rahman Ias Emir of Cordoba Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Yusuf ibn Abd al Rahman al Fihri amp oldid 1090107547, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
