The Nasirids of Granada

The Last Islamic Kingdom in Western Europe and
the rise of the Nasirids

The last Islamic Kingdom in Western Europe, the Nasirid kingdom of Granada, has always fascinated historians and, since the Romantic period, has inspired European interest in the Orient. Forced onto the defensive at an early stage, and always having to struggle for it’s continued existence, the kingdom not only successfully held its own for 250 years, but also became the last bastion of sophisticated Andalusian-Arab culture, despite infighting and various attacks from the outside world.

The Nasirid family, who until this time had been insignificant provincal princes, took advantage of the fall of the Almohads in Spain after 1229, when a series of local rulers and governors again started to set up small, albeit very short-lived kingdoms. Aone of these was Muhammad ibn Yusuf ibn Nasr, from Arjona, in the province of Jaen, who, as head of the Banu l-Ahmar, could trace his ancestry directly to one of the Prophet Muhammad’s comrades-in-arms. On April 18, 1232, he proclaimed himself Muhammad I, Sultan of Arjona, thereby rapidly extending his rule to Jaen, Guadix, and Baza, and in May of 1237, he conquered Granada, making it the capital of his kingdom.

Moorish ruler,
detail of a ceiling painting on leather
in the Sala de la Justica in the Alhambra


Through a tactically adept policy of alliances with the Christian kingdoms as well as the Merinids in Morocco, Muhammad I extended his kingdom, forcing some towns to submit to him, and conquering others. Displaying astute judgement of the existing power relationships, he accepted King Fernando III of Castile as his sovereign and in 1248 even helped him, as his vassal, to conquer Seville. While still on the throne himself, Muhammad I named his sons as his successors, to ensure the continued existence of his kingdom in the face of the Christian Reconquista. By the time he died in January of 1273, he had eliminated his enemies and rivals within his kingdom and brought the power of the rebellious nobility under his control.

Power and government were further consolidated in Granada under Muhammad II (1273-1302), the eldest son of the kingdom’s founder, Muhammad II first terminated the policy of alliances with the Christians, and then entered into a pact with the Merinids of Morocco, who also has bases in Andalusia and ruled jointly in several cities in southern Spain. His original objective was to unite all Muslims in Spain and North Africa in battle against the Reconquista.

However, this alliance with the Merinids fell apart during the fight for Malaga, which, after a prolonged siege, reverted to the Nasrids in 1279, after an interim period under Merinid vassals. Muhammad II was thus faced with a major alliance between the Merinids and the Christian kings, but was able to counteract it by skillfully exploiting the internal quarrels among his enemies. After 1290, he created an alliance with the Christian kingdoms against the Merinids. The Christian king, Alfonso XI, successfully drove the Merinids from the south coast and forced them to relinquish all their bases in Spain.

Muhammad II was a politically astute and farsighted as his father and entered into various alliances to stregthen the kingdom of Granada. He had also extended the region under his control to parts of Castile. Muhammad II was succeeded by his intellectual but politically inept son, Muhammad III (1302-1309). The father’s achievements were all but lost when, in 1304, Muhammad III and his troops occupied the Moroccan port of Ceuta, used by the Merinids as a springboard to Spain, and which the king therefore wanted to conquer. The enterprise ended in disaster, because the kingdom of Granada was suddenly surrounded on three sides by an alliance between the Merinids, Aragon, and Castile. Muhammad III was thus deposed and replaced by his younger brother, Nasr (1309-1314), who tried to save the situation by making major concessions to his opponents, especially the Merinids.

His successor, Ismail I (1314-1325), made another alliance with the Merinids. In 1319, with the help of Moroccan Berber contingents, he won an important victory over Castile in the battle of the Vega, which temporarily halted the advance of the Christians. However, after Ismail’s assassination, Granada was once again forced on the defensive and had to accept heavy land losses under the rule of the child sultan Muhammad IV (1325-1333).







Source: Islam, Art and Architecture
edited by Markus Hattstein and Peter Delius
Konemann Publishing

Table......