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Al-Hakam I
| Al-Hákam I | |
|---|---|
| Emir of Córdoba | |
 Dirham of Al-Hákam I | |
| Reign | 796–822 |
| Predecessor | Hisham I |
| Successor | Abd al-Rahman II |
| Born | 770 Córdoba, Emirate of Córdoba |
| Died | May 21, 822 (aged 52) Córdoba, Emirate of Córdoba |
| House | Umayyad dynasty |
Abū al-‘Āṣ al-Hakam b. Hišām (in Arabic: أبو العاص الحكم بن هشام), called al-Murtazî (المرتضى), better known as Alhakén I, Al-Hákam I or Alhaquén I (Córdoba, 770 – ibidem, May 21, 822), was the third independent Emir of Córdoba, from June 12, 796 until his death.
According to the chronicler Ibn Hazm, he was the most bloodthirsty and despotic of the Umayyad emirs.
Biography
The son of Hisham I, he succeeded him at the age of 26.Vallvé Bermejo 2003, p. 9 His reign was one of the most turbulent of the Umayyad dynasty, as he had to confront the ambitions of his uncles Sulaimán and Abd Allah (Abdalá).Vallvé Bermejo 2003, p. 9 The more active of the two was Abd Allah who, from the Valencian region where he had landed, tried to win the Arab chiefs of the Ebro Valley over to his cause and even went to seek help at the court of Charlemagne in the year 797 against his nephew. In 802 or 803, Abd Allah ended up establishing contact with his nephew, Al-Hákam, who authorized him to reside in Valencia in exchange for an annual pension. His brother Sulaymán, likewise operating from the eastern coast where he in turn had settled in the year 798, tried to attack Córdoba but was defeated and killed in 800 or 801.[1]
He also had to face the uprisings of the Muwallads of Toledo (Day of the Ditch of Toledo), Mérida and Córdoba, which were brutally suppressed.Vallvé Bermejo 2003, p. 10 His heavy-handed policy and the increase of the crushing tax burden on the Christians provoked the uprising of the Cordobans of the suburb of Secunda, on the other side of the Guadalquivir River.Vallvé Bermejo 2003, p. 10 The rioters were on the verge of storming the Alcázar, but a skillful and swift maneuver by the palace guard prevented it and allowed the Emir to gain control of the situation.Vallvé Bermejo 2003, p. 10 The ensuing massacre of the rebels and the sacking of the suburb lasted three days; the energetic Emir ordered the crucifixion of three hundred notables.Vallvé Bermejo 2003, p. 10 All the inhabitants of the suburb, which was razed, were deported.Vallvé Bermejo 2003, p. 10 Some twenty thousand families emigrated from the peninsula and some of them settled in North Africa; in Fez they settled in their own quarter, with the mosque of the Andalusians.Vallvé Bermejo 2003, p. 10 Others devoted themselves for some time to piracy, landed in Sicily, occupied Alexandria for ten years and finally conquered the island of Crete, where they founded the Emirate of Crete, under a Cordoban dynasty, which remained independent until the year 961, when the island was reconquered by the Byzantine Empire.Vallvé Bermejo 2003, p. 10
The revolts and displays of discontent were provoked not only by the increase in tax exactions but also by his conduct. He was accused of impiety and of being more concerned with wine than with prayer. One of the disturbances that took place in the capital, in which the prefect of the city nearly perished, ended with one of the agitators being crucified upside down.Manzano Moreno 2018, p. 145
The difficulties of the emirate allowed the Frankish Monarch Louis the Pious to advance southward, invading a large part of Catalonia and establishing there the so-called Hispanic March. After seizing Girona, the Franks advanced and took Caseres, Cardona and Vic, and between 801 and 802 Barcelona.[2]Vallvé Bermejo 2003, p. 10 In the west, though only for a short time, the Asturians managed to occupy Lisbon.Vallvé Bermejo 2003, p. 10 The Franks signed a peace treaty with Al-Hákam by which they committed not to extend their borders beyond the Llobregat River.
His army was strengthened by a large number of Berbers, and he also recruited Christian mercenaries of various origins. He had a palace guard of more than two thousand men of Slavic origin, called "the mutes" because they knew neither Arabic nor Romance.Vallvé Bermejo 2003, p. 10 They were quartered in two barracks adjoining the alcázar and were commanded by the Christian Count Rabí, son of Theodulf.Vallvé Bermejo 2003, p. 10
At his death, at the age of 52 or 53, he left nineteen sons and twenty-one daughters.Vallvé Bermejo 2003, p. 10 He was succeeded by his son Abd al-Rahman II.Vallvé Bermejo 2003, p. 10
Portrait of the Emir
The chroniclers portray the third Emir of Córdoba as follows:
Al-Hákam I was olive-skinned, tall and slender, with a well-shaped nose, though slightly upturned, and he did not dye his hair. He personally attended to all matters, whether important or not; he trusted no one, even men in his confidence, and he did not allow them to commit unjust acts, but if this did happen, he quickly redressed the injustice; he was brave, daring and fearsome in his anger; resolute and decisive, but he was also lavish in his gifts and very generous. He was moreover a good orator and an inspired poet. He smoothed the way for his successors and won over the alfaquíes and men of learning.
It was said of him that he was as given to drink as he was little inclined to pious customs, and in the great mosque, during the Friday prayer, anonymous voices would rise up shouting at him: Drunkard, come and pray!.[citation needed]
References
- ↑ "Copia archivada" (in español). Retrieved February 10, 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ See José Repollés Aguilar, Historia de España. Barcelona: Ediciones Petronio S. A., 1973, p. 123.
External links
Bibliography
- Manzano Moreno, Eduardo (2018) [2010]. Épocas medievales. Vol. 2 de la Historia de España, dirigida por Josep Fontana y Ramón Villares (in español). Segunda reimpresión en rústica. Barcelona-Madrid: Crítica/Marcial Pons. ISBN 978-84-9892-808-2.
- Vallvé Bermejo, Joaquín (2003). Abderramán III: califa de España y Occidente (in español). Barcelona: Ariel. ISBN 84-344-6682-1.
