Musa ibn Musa ibn Qasi
Encyclopedia
Musa ibn Musa al-Qasawi
(Circa 790 – 26 September 862) was leader of the muwallad
Banu Qasi
clan and ruler of a semi-autonomous principality in the upper Ebro
valley in northern Iberia
in the 9th century.
, who converted to Islam
after the Muslim
conquest of Iberia. His father, Musa ibn Fortun, appears in scattered accounts of the late 8th century, and was apparently assassinated in Musa’s youth. His mother, whose name is unknown, was also mother by another husband of Basque
chieftain Íñigo Arista, Musa’s half-brother.
Musa’s early years are obscure, although he is presumed to have supported the Basques against the French
in the Third Battle of Ronceveaux
, a battle generally credited as giving birth to the nascent Kingdom of Pamplona. Likewise it is claimed that in 839 his son Fortun ibn Musa led a campaign that resulted in a rout of the "king of the Galicians
", "Loderik" or "Luzriq" and he leveled the defenses of Alava
.
and Tudela
, Musa and Íñigo rose in rebellion against emir Abd ar-Rahman II
. This led to a reprisal campaign under the leadership of the emir's son, Mutarrif, and general Abd al-Wahid ibn Yezid Iskenderani. In 842, Musa was in charge of the vanguard of the emir's army marching against Cerdaña, but believing himself mistreated by the commanding general, Musa again rebelled and along with his nephew, García Íñiguez of Pamplona, defeated a Cordoban
army. Musa ibn Musa and Íñigo Arista again joined forces to ambush and capture one of Abd ar-Rahman's commanders in 843
, but the consequence was a massive military response from Cordoba, led by the Emir
in person, resulting in the defeat of the allies and the taking of slaves in the vicinity of Pamplona
. A second retaliatory expedition in 844
inflicted a further defeat, in which Musa's half-brother Fortún Íñiguez, the premier soldier of Pamplona, was killed and Musa and Íñigo barely escaped, while hundreds of the Pamplona nobility defected to the Cordoban side. Musa submitted and in November led his troops to Seville
, helping to rout a viking
raiding party. However, he again rebelled the next year. When Muhammad
, son of Abd ar-Rahman, took Tudela, Musa submitted, and his son Lubb ibn Musa, along with nephew Galindo Íñiguez, went to the emir’s court. In 846 Musa again was forced to submit, this time to the emir's son Hisham, but Abd ar-Rahman was again forced to launch punitive campaigns against Musa in 847, and in 850 when Musa and Íñigo again joined in rebellion, Musa's son Ismail ibn Musa playing a critical role in the uprising.
, naming Musa Wāli
of Zaragoza
and governor of the March
. The next decade marked the height of his power. He would control Zaragoza, Tudela, Huesca
and Toledo
, forming what was, in effect, a Taifa
state stretching from Najera
to Zaragoza and Calatayud
, and viewed as equivalent to the emirate of Cordoba and the kingdom of Asturias
, Musa being referred to as “The Third King of Spain”.
In 854, Toledo rebelled, supported by Ordoño I of Asturias
and García Íñiguez, and the emir Muhammad launched a punitive campaign which ended in a battle at the Guadacelete river, Musa apparently participating on Cordoba’s behalf. The next year Musa led a Cordoban attack on Alava, and in 856 he launched an independent expedition against Barcelona
and Tarrasa. Apparently in 859, Musa’s son Lope ibn Musa ibn Qasi was appointed Wali of Toledo, and the same year, Musa permitted a viking force to pass through his lands to attack Pamplona, where they captured Musa’s nephew and former ally García Íñiguez, and ransomed him for either 70,000 or 90,000 gold dinars
. This further soured relations between the kinsmen, and García joined with Ordoño in an assault on Musa’s lands, which led to a second battle at Albelda. The Christian
s divided their forces, besieging the town and pursuing Musa’a army to a refuge on Mount Laturce. They dealt Musa a crushing defeat, killing his son-in-law, an otherwise unknown Basque prince García, and forcing Musa to flee. This victory would be remembered in Christian sources in the form of the legendary Battle of Clavijo
.
Izraq ibn Mantel ibn Salim . Musa attacked Guadalajara
, but received several wounds, being unable to mount a horse. He withdrew to Tudela, where he died 26 September 862.
to have married a daughter of his half-brother Íñigo Arista. She was not his only wife, as he also married a cousin Maymuna , daughter of his father's brother, who was mother of his younger son Ismael. No source reports the mother of his other sons: Lubb, Mutarrif and Fortun. He had at least two daughters; Auria , wife of Basque prince García who was killed at Mount Laturce, by him having a son Musa ibn Garsiya; and another daughter, "the most beautiful girl in Al Andalus", married to Izraq ibn Mantel.
(Circa 790 – 26 September 862) was leader of the muwallad
Muladi
The Muladi were Muslims of ethnic Iberian descent or of mixed Arab, Berber and European origin, who lived in Al-Andalus during the Middle Ages. They were also called "Musalima" .-Etymology:...
Banu Qasi
Banu Qasi
The Banu Qasi, Banu Kasi, Beni Casi or Banu Musa were a Basque Muladi dynasty that ruled the upper Ebro valley in the 9th century, before being displaced in the first quarter of the 10th century.-Dynastic beginnings:...
clan and ruler of a semi-autonomous principality in the upper Ebro
Ebro
The Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....
valley in northern Iberia
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...
in the 9th century.
Rise
Musa ibn Musa was great-grandson of CassiusCount Cassius
Count Cassius , also Count Casius, kumis Kasi or kumis Qasi, was a Hispano-Roman or Visigothic nobleman that originated the Banu Qasi dynasty....
, who converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
after the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
conquest of Iberia. His father, Musa ibn Fortun, appears in scattered accounts of the late 8th century, and was apparently assassinated in Musa’s youth. His mother, whose name is unknown, was also mother by another husband of Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
chieftain Íñigo Arista, Musa’s half-brother.
Musa’s early years are obscure, although he is presumed to have supported the Basques against the 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...
in the Third Battle of Ronceveaux
Battle of Roncevaux Pass
The Battle of Roncevaux Pass was a battle in 778 in which Roland, prefect of the Breton March and commander of the rear guard of Charlemagne's army, was defeated by the Basques...
, a battle generally credited as giving birth to the nascent Kingdom of Pamplona. Likewise it is claimed that in 839 his son Fortun ibn Musa led a campaign that resulted in a rout of the "king of the Galicians
Kingdom of Galicia
The Kingdom of Galicia was a political entity located in southwestern Europe, which at its territorial zenith occupied the entire northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Founded by Suebic king Hermeric in the year 409, the Galician capital was established in Braga, being the first kingdom which...
", "Loderik" or "Luzriq" and he leveled the defenses of Alava
Álava
Álava is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Álava. Its capital city is Vitoria-Gasteiz which is also the capital of the autonomous community...
.
Rebellion
It is in 840/1 that we first hear of Musa ibn Musa himself. In response to attacks on the lands of his half-brother, Íñigo Arista, and the expulsion of kinsman Abd al-Yabbar ibn Qasi by the brothers Abd Allah and Amir ibn Kalayb, governors respectively of ZaragozaZaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
and Tudela
Tudela, Navarre
Tudela is a municipality in Spain, the second city of the autonomous community of Navarre. Its population is around 35,000. Tudela is sited in the Ebro valley. Fast trains running on two-track electrified railways serve the city and two freeways join close to it...
, Musa and Íñigo rose in rebellion against emir Abd ar-Rahman II
Abd ar-Rahman II
Abd ar-Rahman II was Umayyad Emir of Córdoba in the Al-Andalus from 822 until his death.He was born in Toledo, the son of Emir Al-Hakam I...
. This led to a reprisal campaign under the leadership of the emir's son, Mutarrif, and general Abd al-Wahid ibn Yezid Iskenderani. In 842, Musa was in charge of the vanguard of the emir's army marching against Cerdaña, but believing himself mistreated by the commanding general, Musa again rebelled and along with his nephew, García Íñiguez of Pamplona, defeated a Cordoban
Caliphate of Córdoba
The Caliphate of Córdoba ruled the Iberian peninsula and part of North Africa, from the city of Córdoba, from 929 to 1031. This period was characterized by remarkable success in trade and culture; many of the masterpieces of Islamic Iberia were constructed in this period, including the famous...
army. Musa ibn Musa and Íñigo Arista again joined forces to ambush and capture one of Abd ar-Rahman's commanders in 843
843
Year 843 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* The Treaty of Verdun divides the Carolingian Empire between the 3 sons of Louis the Pious .* Kenneth I , King of the Scots, also becomes King of the Picts, thus becoming the first...
, but the consequence was a massive military response from Cordoba, led by the Emir
Emir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
in person, resulting in the defeat of the allies and the taking of slaves in the vicinity of Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
. A second retaliatory expedition in 844
844
Year 844 was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Rhodri Mawr becomes king of Gwynedd....
inflicted a further defeat, in which Musa's half-brother Fortún Íñiguez, the premier soldier of Pamplona, was killed and Musa and Íñigo barely escaped, while hundreds of the Pamplona nobility defected to the Cordoban side. Musa submitted and in November led his troops to Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, helping to rout a viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
raiding party. However, he again rebelled the next year. When Muhammad
Muhammad I of Córdoba
Muhammad I was the Umayyad emir of Córdoba from 852 to 886 in the Al-Andalus .-Biography:Muhammad was born in Córdoba...
, son of Abd ar-Rahman, took Tudela, Musa submitted, and his son Lubb ibn Musa, along with nephew Galindo Íñiguez, went to the emir’s court. In 846 Musa again was forced to submit, this time to the emir's son Hisham, but Abd ar-Rahman was again forced to launch punitive campaigns against Musa in 847, and in 850 when Musa and Íñigo again joined in rebellion, Musa's son Ismail ibn Musa playing a critical role in the uprising.
Third King of Spain
The Islamic year 237 (851/2) proved critical for Musa ibn Musa. In this year his half-brother and repeated ally in rebellion, Íñigo Arista, died, as did the emir, Abd er-Rahman II. Musa also gained a great victory in a two-day battle, defeating Basque or Gascon forces near Albelda. The next year, Musa’s control over his territories and his links to the emirate were formalized, the new emir, MuhammadMuhammad I of Córdoba
Muhammad I was the Umayyad emir of Córdoba from 852 to 886 in the Al-Andalus .-Biography:Muhammad was born in Córdoba...
, naming Musa Wāli
Wali
Walī , is an Arabic word meaning "custodian", "protector", "sponsor", or authority as denoted by its definition "crown". "Wali" is someone who has "Walayah" over somebody else. For example, in Fiqh the father is wali of his children. In Islam, the phrase ولي الله walīyu 'llāh...
of Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
and governor of the March
Marca Hispanica
The Marca Hispanica , also known as Spanish March or March of Barcelona was a buffer zone beyond the province of Septimania, created by Charlemagne in 795 as a defensive barrier between the Umayyad Moors of Al-Andalus and the Frankish Kingdom....
. The next decade marked the height of his power. He would control Zaragoza, Tudela, Huesca
Huesca
Huesca is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the autonomous community of Aragon. It is also the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the comarca of Hoya de Huesca....
and Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
, forming what was, in effect, a Taifa
Taifa
In the history of the Iberian Peninsula, a taifa was an independent Muslim-ruled principality, usually an emirate or petty kingdom, though there was one oligarchy, of which a number formed in the Al-Andalus after the final collapse of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba in 1031.-Rise:The origins of...
state stretching from Najera
Nájera
Nájera is a small town located in the "Rioja Alta" region of La Rioja, Spain on the river Najerilla. Nájera is a stopping point on the Way of St James.-History:...
to Zaragoza and Calatayud
Calatayud
Calatayud is a city and municipality in the province of Zaragoza in Aragón, Spain lying on the river Jalón, in the midst of the Sistema Ibérico mountain range. It is the second-largest city in the province after the capital, Zaragoza, and the largest town in Aragón other than the three provincial...
, and viewed as equivalent to the emirate of Cordoba and the kingdom of Asturias
Kingdom of Asturias
The Kingdom of Asturias was a Kingdom in the Iberian peninsula founded in 718 by Visigothic nobles under the leadership of Pelagius of Asturias. It was the first Christian political entity established following the collapse of the Visigothic kingdom after Islamic conquest of Hispania...
, Musa being referred to as “The Third King of Spain”.
In 854, Toledo rebelled, supported by Ordoño I of Asturias
Kingdom of Asturias
The Kingdom of Asturias was a Kingdom in the Iberian peninsula founded in 718 by Visigothic nobles under the leadership of Pelagius of Asturias. It was the first Christian political entity established following the collapse of the Visigothic kingdom after Islamic conquest of Hispania...
and García Íñiguez, and the emir Muhammad launched a punitive campaign which ended in a battle at the Guadacelete river, Musa apparently participating on Cordoba’s behalf. The next year Musa led a Cordoban attack on Alava, and in 856 he launched an independent expedition against Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and Tarrasa. Apparently in 859, Musa’s son Lope ibn Musa ibn Qasi was appointed Wali of Toledo, and the same year, Musa permitted a viking force to pass through his lands to attack Pamplona, where they captured Musa’s nephew and former ally García Íñiguez, and ransomed him for either 70,000 or 90,000 gold dinars
Gold Dinar
The gold dinar is a gold coin first issued in 77 AH by Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan. The name is derived from denarius, a Roman currency...
. This further soured relations between the kinsmen, and García joined with Ordoño in an assault on Musa’s lands, which led to a second battle at Albelda. The Christian
Christian
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 divided their forces, besieging the town and pursuing Musa’a army to a refuge on Mount Laturce. They dealt Musa a crushing defeat, killing his son-in-law, an otherwise unknown Basque prince García, and forcing Musa to flee. This victory would be remembered in Christian sources in the form of the legendary Battle of Clavijo
Battle of Clavijo
The Battle of Clavijo was a legendary battle, supposedly fought in 844 near Clavijo between the Christians led by Ramiro I of Asturias and the Muslims led by the Emir of Córdoba. Saint James the Great, known to Spaniards as Santiago Matamoros , is reputed to have aided the vastly outnumbered...
.
Decline and Death
The Christian victory at Albeda led to the end of Musa’s autonomy. In 860, emir Muhammad removed Musa as wali and governor, and personally led an army through Musa’a lands on a month-long punitive campaign against Pamplona which resulted in the capture of prince Fortún Garcés of Pamplona. In 861 Muhammad required Musa to play a subservient role in a campaign against Barcelona. The next year, 862, saw Musa trying to re-exert his power, directing a military show of force against his son-in-law, the BerberBerber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
Izraq ibn Mantel ibn Salim . Musa attacked Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
, but received several wounds, being unable to mount a horse. He withdrew to Tudela, where he died 26 September 862.
Family
Musa ibn Musa is reported by the Códice de RodaRoda Codex
The Roda Codex is a medieval manuscript which represents a unique source for details of the 9th century Kingdom of Navarre and neighbouring principalities, now Madrid, Real Academia de la Historia, cód...
to have married a daughter of his half-brother Íñigo Arista. She was not his only wife, as he also married a cousin Maymuna , daughter of his father's brother, who was mother of his younger son Ismael. No source reports the mother of his other sons: Lubb, Mutarrif and Fortun. He had at least two daughters; Auria , wife of Basque prince García who was killed at Mount Laturce, by him having a son Musa ibn Garsiya; and another daughter, "the most beautiful girl in Al Andalus", married to Izraq ibn Mantel.
Legacy
The death of Musa led to a decade long disappearance of the family from the political scene, but they returned to rule over a shrinking territory for another half-century. However, their position between the growing powers of the caliphate to the south and the Christian principalities to the north proved untenable, and after three generations of varied success, the leaders of the family, Musa’s great-great grandsons, were displaced, exiled or killed by the end of the 920s and the last vestiges of Musa's principality disappeared. His pseudo-autonomy from a Cordoba unable to maintain direct control foreshadowed the muwallad rebels of the early 10th century, and the later Taifa kingdoms.Sources
- Cañada Juste, Alberto, "Los Banu Qasi (714-924)", Príncipe de Viana, 41: 5-96 (1980).
- Ibn Hazm, Jamharat ansab al-'Arab
- Levi-Provençal, Histoire de l'Espagne Musulmane