Muhammad an-Nasir
Encyclopedia
Muhammad an-Nasir was the Almohad
caliph from 1198 until his death.
s in the Iberian Peninsula
(Al-Andalus
), he was temporarily relieved from serious threats on that front and able to concentrate on combating and defeating Banu Ghaniya
attempts to seize Ifriqiya
(Tunisia
). Needing, after this, to deal with problems elsewhere in the empire, he appointed Abu Mohammed ben Abi Hafs as governor of Ifriqiya, so unwittingly inaugurating the rule of the Hafsid dynasty there, which lasted until 1574.
He now had to turn his attention back to Iberia, to deal with a crusade proclaimed by Pope Innocent III. This resulted by his defeat by a Christian coalition at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa
(1212). He died the following year, and was succeeded by his young son Yusuf al-Mustansir.
His viziers were:
led to England being placed under an interdict
, by which all forms of worship and other religious practices were banned. John himself was excommunicated
, parts of the country were in revolt and there were threats of a French
invasion.
Writing two decades after the events, Matthew Paris
, a St Albans
chronicler of the early thirteenth century, claims that, in desperation, John sent envoys to An-Nâsir asking for his help. In return John offered to convert to Islam
and turn England into a Muslim state. Among the delegates was Master Robert, a London cleric. An-Nâsir was said to be so disgusted by John's grovelling plea that he sent the envoys away. Historians have cast doubt on this story, due to the lack of other contemporary evidence.
Almohad
The Almohad Dynasty , was a Moroccan Berber-Muslim dynasty founded in the 12th century that established a Berber state in Tinmel in the Atlas Mountains in roughly 1120.The movement was started by Ibn Tumart in the Masmuda tribe, followed by Abd al-Mu'min al-Gumi between 1130 and his...
caliph from 1198 until his death.
Biography
An-Nasir inherited from his father Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur (1198) an empire that was showing signs of instability. Because of his father's victories against the ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s in the Iberian Peninsula
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...
(Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
), he was temporarily relieved from serious threats on that front and able to concentrate on combating and defeating Banu Ghaniya
Banu Ghaniya
The Banu Ghaniya were distant relatives of the Almoravids, who appointed them as governors of the Balearic Islands in 1126. Following the collapse of the Almoravid power at the hand of the Almohads in the 1140s, the Banu Ghaniya continued to govern the Balearic Islands as independent emirs until...
attempts to seize 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....
(Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
). Needing, after this, to deal with problems elsewhere in the empire, he appointed Abu Mohammed ben Abi Hafs as governor of Ifriqiya, so unwittingly inaugurating the rule of the Hafsid dynasty there, which lasted until 1574.
He now had to turn his attention back to Iberia, to deal with a crusade proclaimed by Pope Innocent III. This resulted by his defeat by a Christian coalition at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa
Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa
The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, known in Arab history as the Battle of Al-Uqab , took place on 16 July 1212 and was an important turning point in the Reconquista and in the medieval history of Spain...
(1212). He died the following year, and was succeeded by his young son Yusuf al-Mustansir.
His viziers were:
- Abu Zayd bin Yujan (1198–1199)
- Abu Muhammad bin ash-Shaykh Abi Hafs (1199–1205), the future governor of Ifriqiya (see above).
- Abu Sa`id bin Jam`i (1205–1214)
Relationship with King John of England
In the early 13th-century, King John of England was under pressure after a quarrel with Pope Innocent IIIPope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
led to England being placed under an interdict
Interdict (Roman Catholic Church)
In Roman Catholic canon law, an interdict is an ecclesiastical censure that excludes from certain rites of the Church individuals or groups, who nonetheless do not cease to be members of the Church.-Distinctions in canon law:...
, by which all forms of worship and other religious practices were banned. John himself was excommunicated
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
, parts of the country were in revolt and there were threats of a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
invasion.
Writing two decades after the events, Matthew Paris
Matthew Paris
Matthew Paris was a Benedictine monk, English chronicler, artist in illuminated manuscripts and cartographer, based at St Albans Abbey in Hertfordshire...
, a St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
chronicler of the early thirteenth century, claims that, in desperation, John sent envoys to An-Nâsir asking for his help. In return John offered to convert to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and turn England into a Muslim state. Among the delegates was Master Robert, a London cleric. An-Nâsir was said to be so disgusted by John's grovelling plea that he sent the envoys away. Historians have cast doubt on this story, due to the lack of other contemporary evidence.