Abu Sa'id Uthman II
Encyclopedia
Abu Sa'id Uthman II (أبو سعيد عبد الله عثمان بن يوسف ابو يعقوب [abū sa`īd `uθmān ben Yusef]) (7 December 1276 - August, 1331)(reigned 1310-1331) was the 10th Marinid
sultan. A younger son of Yusef Abu Yaqub
, Abu Sa'id Uthman succeeded his nephew Abu al-Rabi Sulayman
as sultan
of Morocco
in November, 1310, at the age of 33.
and his wife Aicha who was a daughter of an Arab tribal leader (Abu Atia Mhalhal ben Yahya al-Khalti). He was described by his historian as being of a white complexion, average height and well featured.
, a long conflict with Tlemcen
and a severe check from Ferdinand IV
of Castile
, who had in the previous year (1309-10) seized Gibraltar
and laid siege to Marinid-owned Algeciras
.
Pacific and pious, Abu Said Othman refrained from any great enterprises. In 1313, hoping to divest himself of any entanglements on the Iberian
peninsula, he returned the towns of Algeciras
and Ronda
to the Nasrid ruler Nasr
of Granada
.
In 1315, Abu Said Othman faced a rebellion by his son and designated heir, Abu Ali, who esconced himself in Fez
. At first not enthusiastic about a confrontation, the sultan entered into negotiations which would pass the Marinid state over to his son and leave himself as governor of Taza
. But Abu Said Othman gained courage when he heard Abu Ali had fallen ill, and hurried to lay siege to Fez
and secure his son's capitulation. Abu Ali was removed from the line of succession, in favor of another son, Abu al-Hasan 'Ali
. However, Abu Said Othman granted Abu Ali an appanage centered at Sijilmasa
in southern Morocco, which he will rule as a quasi-independent state for the next couple of decades. In 1316, Yahya ibn 'Afzi, governor of Ceuta
, revolted against the Marinid sultan, and managed to maintain Ceuta effectively independent for nearly a dozen years, before returning to the fold.
In 1319, facing a renewed challenge from Castile
, the Nasrid ruler Ismail I
of Granada
appealed to the Marinid sultan for assistance, but Abu Said Othman imposed such onerous conditions that the Granadines decided to handle the matter without him.
In 1320 his son Abu Ali renewed his revolt against his father. From his base in Sijilmasa
, Abu Ali seized control of much of southern Morocco (including Marrakech
), threatening to split the Marinid dominions in two. In 1322, the Marinid sultan Abu Said Othman marched against the south and defeated Abu Ali by the Oum er-Rebia
. But, once again, he reconciled with his son and allowed him to retain Sijilmasa
.
Abu Said Othman built three significant madrasas in Fez
: Fez al-Jedid (1320), Es-Sahrij (1321) and El-Attarîn
(1323).
In 1329, pressed by an invasion from Abdalwadid
sultan Abu Tashufin of Tlemcen
, the Hafsid ruler Abu Bakr of Ifriqiya
appealed to the Marinid sultan Abu Said Othman for assistance, offering his daughter Fatima as a bride for the Marinid heir Abu al-Hassan
. Satisfied by the terms, Abu Said Othman arranged a diversionary raid against Tlemcen
from the west, while dispatching a Marinid fleet to support the Hafsid efforts in the east.
In August 1331, while arranging for the reception of the Tunisian princess, Abu Sa'id Othman fell ill and died in the environs of Taza
. His was succeeded by his son and designated heir Abu al-Hassan
, although his other son Abu Ali retained his quasi-independent appanage in the south.
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...
sultan. A younger son of Yusef Abu Yaqub
Abu Yaqub Yusuf an-Nasr
Abu Yaqub Yusuf an-Nasr was a Marinid ruler of Morocco. Son of Abu Yusuf Ya'qub, whom he succeeded in 1286. He was assassinated in 1307.- History :...
, Abu Sa'id Uthman succeeded his nephew Abu al-Rabi Sulayman
Abu al-Rabi Sulayman
Abu al-Rabi Sulayman was a Marinid ruler of Morocco. Son or grandson of Abu Yaqub Yusuf and brother of Abu Thabit Amir, whom he succeeded in 1308, at the age of 19.- History :Abu al-Rabi Sulayman succeeded his brother Abu Thabit Amir as Marinid sultan in July 1308...
as sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
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...
in November, 1310, at the age of 33.
Biography
His full name is Abdallah Uthman ibn Yusef Abu Yaqub ibn Abdel-Haq. He was the son of Abu Yaqub Yusuf an-NasrAbu Yaqub Yusuf an-Nasr
Abu Yaqub Yusuf an-Nasr was a Marinid ruler of Morocco. Son of Abu Yusuf Ya'qub, whom he succeeded in 1286. He was assassinated in 1307.- History :...
and his wife Aicha who was a daughter of an Arab tribal leader (Abu Atia Mhalhal ben Yahya al-Khalti). He was described by his historian as being of a white complexion, average height and well featured.
Reign
Abu Said Othman inherited Morocco after a tumultuous period, when the Marinids had survived a dangerous rebellion in CeutaCeuta
Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain and an exclave located on the north coast of North Africa surrounded by Morocco. Separated from the Iberian peninsula by the Strait of Gibraltar, Ceuta lies on the border of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta along with the other Spanish...
, a long conflict with 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...
and a severe check from Ferdinand IV
Ferdinand IV of Castile
Ferdinand IV, El Emplazado or "the Summoned," was a king of Castile and León and Galicia...
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...
, who had in the previous year (1309-10) seized Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
and laid siege to Marinid-owned Algeciras
Algeciras
Algeciras is a port city in the south of Spain, and is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar . Port of Algeciras is one of the largest ports in Europe and in the world in three categories: container,...
.
Pacific and pious, Abu Said Othman refrained from any great enterprises. In 1313, hoping to divest himself of any entanglements on the Iberian
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
peninsula, he returned the towns of Algeciras
Algeciras
Algeciras is a port city in the south of Spain, and is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar . Port of Algeciras is one of the largest ports in Europe and in the world in three categories: container,...
and Ronda
Ronda
Ronda is a city in Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about West from the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is approximately 35,000 inhabitants.-History:...
to the Nasrid ruler Nasr
Nasr, Sultan of Granada
Nasr , full name Abu'l-Juyush Nasr, was a son of Muhammed II al-Faqih and the fourth Nasrid ruler of the Moorish Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus on the Iberian Peninsula. Nasr was a child of a Christian concubine....
of Granada
Emirate of Granada
The Emirate of Granada , also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada , was an emirate established in 1238 following the defeat of Muhammad an-Nasir of the Almohad dynasty by an alliance of Christian kingdoms at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212...
.
In 1315, Abu Said Othman faced a rebellion by his son and designated heir, Abu Ali, who esconced himself in Fez
Fes
Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
. At first not enthusiastic about a confrontation, the sultan entered into negotiations which would pass the Marinid state over to his son and leave himself as governor of Taza
Taza
Taza is a city in northern Morocco, which occupies the corridor between the Rif mountians and Middle Atlas mountains, about 120 km east of Fez. It is located at 150 km from Nador, and 210 km from Oujda...
. But Abu Said Othman gained courage when he heard Abu Ali had fallen ill, and hurried to lay siege to Fez
Fes
Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
and secure his son's capitulation. Abu Ali was removed from the line of succession, in favor of another son, Abu al-Hasan 'Ali
Abu al-Hasan 'Ali
Abu Al-Hasan 'Ali ibn 'Othman was a sultan of the Marinid Dynasty who reigned in Morocco and Al-Andalus . The son of Marinid ruler Abu Sa'id Uthman II and an Abyssinian mother, Abu al-Hassan had a dark complexion, and was known as the 'Black Sultan' of Morocco.He succeeded his father Abu Sa'id...
. However, Abu Said Othman granted Abu Ali an appanage centered at Sijilmasa
Sijilmasa
Sijilmasa was a medieval trade entrepôt at the northern edge of the Sahara Desert in Morocco. The ruins of the town lie along the River Ziz in the Tafilalt oasis near the town of Rissani...
in southern Morocco, which he will rule as a quasi-independent state for the next couple of decades. In 1316, Yahya ibn 'Afzi, governor of Ceuta
Ceuta
Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain and an exclave located on the north coast of North Africa surrounded by Morocco. Separated from the Iberian peninsula by the Strait of Gibraltar, Ceuta lies on the border of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta along with the other Spanish...
, revolted against the Marinid sultan, and managed to maintain Ceuta effectively independent for nearly a dozen years, before returning to the fold.
In 1319, facing a renewed challenge from 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...
, the Nasrid ruler Ismail I
Ismail I, Sultan of Granada
Ismail I was the grandson of Muhammed II al-Faqih and the fifth Nasrid ruler of the Moorish Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus on the Iberian Peninsula in 1314–1325....
of Granada
Emirate of Granada
The Emirate of Granada , also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada , was an emirate established in 1238 following the defeat of Muhammad an-Nasir of the Almohad dynasty by an alliance of Christian kingdoms at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212...
appealed to the Marinid sultan for assistance, but Abu Said Othman imposed such onerous conditions that the Granadines decided to handle the matter without him.
In 1320 his son Abu Ali renewed his revolt against his father. From his base in Sijilmasa
Sijilmasa
Sijilmasa was a medieval trade entrepôt at the northern edge of the Sahara Desert in Morocco. The ruins of the town lie along the River Ziz in the Tafilalt oasis near the town of Rissani...
, Abu Ali seized control of much of southern Morocco (including Marrakech
Marrakech
Marrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history...
), threatening to split the Marinid dominions in two. In 1322, the Marinid sultan Abu Said Othman marched against the south and defeated Abu Ali by the Oum er-Rebia
Oum Er-Rbia River
Oum Er-Rbia , is a river in central Morocco. The river is 555 km long and is the longest in the country. With an average water debit of 105 m3/s, Oum Er-Rbia is the second largest river in Morocco after the Sebou River. It takes source in the Middle Atlas and passes through the city of Khénifra and...
. But, once again, he reconciled with his son and allowed him to retain Sijilmasa
Sijilmasa
Sijilmasa was a medieval trade entrepôt at the northern edge of the Sahara Desert in Morocco. The ruins of the town lie along the River Ziz in the Tafilalt oasis near the town of Rissani...
.
Abu Said Othman built three significant madrasas in Fez
Fes
Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
: Fez al-Jedid (1320), Es-Sahrij (1321) and El-Attarîn
Al-Attarine Madrasa
The Al-Attarine Madrasa is a madrasa in Fes, Morocco, near the Al-Qarawiyyin. It was built by the Marinid sultan Uthman II Abu Said in 1323-5. The madrasa takes its name from the Souk al-Attarine, the spice and perfume market.-External links:...
(1323).
In 1329, pressed by an invasion from 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...
sultan Abu Tashufin 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...
, the Hafsid ruler Abu Bakr of 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....
appealed to the Marinid sultan Abu Said Othman for assistance, offering his daughter Fatima as a bride for the Marinid heir Abu al-Hassan
Abu al-Hasan 'Ali
Abu Al-Hasan 'Ali ibn 'Othman was a sultan of the Marinid Dynasty who reigned in Morocco and Al-Andalus . The son of Marinid ruler Abu Sa'id Uthman II and an Abyssinian mother, Abu al-Hassan had a dark complexion, and was known as the 'Black Sultan' of Morocco.He succeeded his father Abu Sa'id...
. Satisfied by the terms, Abu Said Othman arranged a diversionary raid against 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...
from the west, while dispatching a Marinid fleet to support the Hafsid efforts in the east.
In August 1331, while arranging for the reception of the Tunisian princess, Abu Sa'id Othman fell ill and died in the environs of Taza
Taza
Taza is a city in northern Morocco, which occupies the corridor between the Rif mountians and Middle Atlas mountains, about 120 km east of Fez. It is located at 150 km from Nador, and 210 km from Oujda...
. His was succeeded by his son and designated heir Abu al-Hassan
Abu al-Hasan 'Ali
Abu Al-Hasan 'Ali ibn 'Othman was a sultan of the Marinid Dynasty who reigned in Morocco and Al-Andalus . The son of Marinid ruler Abu Sa'id Uthman II and an Abyssinian mother, Abu al-Hassan had a dark complexion, and was known as the 'Black Sultan' of Morocco.He succeeded his father Abu Sa'id...
, although his other son Abu Ali retained his quasi-independent appanage in the south.