Thalaba ibn Salama al-Amili
Encyclopedia
Tha'laba ibn Salama al-Amili (?-?750) was a Arab military commander in Jordan, North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, and briefly ruler of al-Andalus
from August 742 to May 743.
Thalaba ibn Salama went to North Africa with the 'Syrian' expedition of 741, led by Kulthum ibn Iyad al-Qasi
and his nephew Balj ibn Bishr al-Qushayri
, to crush the Great Berber Revolt
in the Maghreb
. Thalaba was the commander of the Jordan
jund and, by explicit credentials of Caliph Hisham, was designated as second successor, should tragedy befall Kulthum or his first successor, Balj.
The Syrian army was defeated and Kulthum killed by the Berber rebels at the Battle of Bagdoura
in October 741. Balj ibn Bishr took what remained of the Syrian regiments (junds), some 10,000 men, to Ceuta
. After protracted negotiations with the Andalusian governor Abd al-Malik ibn Qatan al-Fihri, Syrian forces were ferried over to al-Andalus
in early 742.
After defeating the Berber rebel armies in al-Andalus in the Spring of 642, relations between the Andalusian governor and the Syrian commanders quickly broke down. The Syrian leader Balj ibn Bishr
deposed and executed the old governor and declared himself the new ruler of al-Andalus
.
But rallied by the sons of the late governor, the Andalusian Arabs (now calling themselves baladiyun or baladis) took up arms against the Syrian junds (which they called the shamiyun). Although the Syrians crushed the Andalusians at the Battle of Aqua Portora outside of Cordoba in August, 742, their commander Balj ibn Bishr died the next day from battlefield wounds. As his lieutenant and designated successor, Thalaba ibn Salama al-Amili was immediately acclaimed by the Syrian troops as their head, and consequently governor of al-Andalus
.
Thalaba ibn Salama was of 'Yemenite
' tribal stock, like most Andalusian Arabs, rather than the usual 'Qaysid
' stock of the Syrians.
Thalaba's authority did not extend much beyond Córdoba
, where the Syrian regiments had hunkered down. Sometime in late 642 or early 643, Thalaba marched onto Mérida
, an area of rebel activity, but soon found himself trapped with his small army in the citadel by the Andalusians. Calculating there was no escape, Andalusians carried the siege of Mérida in a leisurely fashion. The siege camp soon took on the character of a fair, attracting numerous onlookers and their families. But one early morning, when the besiegers were preparing for a much-anticipated festival, Thalaba launched an unexpected sally out of Mérida, and quickly overwhelmed the siege camp, taking as much as ten thousand prisoners, including many women and children. Thalaba marched his prisoners to Córdoba, where he is said to have sold many of the high-ranking Andalusian captives as discount-price slaves.
But by this time, peace parties in both camps had made already made appeals to Handhala ibn Safwan al-Kalbi
, the new governor in Ifriqiya
, to settle the matter. In early 743, Handhala dispatched his deputy, Abu al-Khattar al-Husam ibn Darar al-Kalbi
to resolve the quarrel. Being of the same Arab tribal stock as the Andalusians but with a background in the noble circles of Damascus, Abu al-Khattar was expected to play an even-handed role in the Syrian-Andalusian dispute. Abu al-Khattar arrived in Córdoba in March, 743, not long after the battle of Mérida, and took possession of the government with little opposition.
According to chronicler Ibn al-Hakam, Tha'laba ibn Salama sailed to Ifriqiya
shortly after and served briefly there under Handhala ibn Safwan al-Kalbi
in various military commands. Thalaba returned to the east, possibly with Handhala, around the time of the 745 coup of Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib al-Fihri.
Thalaba ibn Salama al-Amili is reported to have subsequently served as Umayyad governor of al-Urdan (Jordan
) in the late 740s. In 750, Thalaba accompanied the Umayyad
Caliph Marwan II
in his flight to Egypt to escape the Abbasids.
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...
from August 742 to May 743.
Thalaba ibn Salama went to North Africa with the 'Syrian' expedition of 741, led by Kulthum ibn Iyad al-Qasi
Kulthum ibn Iyad al-Qasi
Kulthum ibn Iyad al-Qasi was an Umayyad governor of Kairouan, Ifriqiya for only a few months, from February to October, 741....
and his nephew Balj ibn Bishr al-Qushayri
Balj ibn Bishr al-Qushayri
Balj ibn Bishr al-Qushayri ; was a Syrian Arab military commander in North Africa and Iberia, and briefly ruler of al-Andalus in 742....
, to crush the Great Berber Revolt
Berber Revolt
The Great Berber Revolt of 739/740-743 AD took place during the reign of the Umayyad Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik and marked the first successful secession from the Arab caliphate...
in the Maghreb
Maghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
. Thalaba was the commander of the Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
jund and, by explicit credentials of Caliph Hisham, was designated as second successor, should tragedy befall Kulthum or his first successor, Balj.
The Syrian army was defeated and Kulthum killed by the Berber rebels at the Battle of Bagdoura
Battle of Bagdoura
The Battle of Bagdoura was a decisive confrontation in the Berber Revolt in late 741 CE. It was a follow-up to the Battle of the Nobles the previous year, and resulted in a major Berber victory over the Arabs by the Sebou river...
in October 741. Balj ibn Bishr took what remained of the Syrian regiments (junds), some 10,000 men, to 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...
. After protracted negotiations with the Andalusian governor Abd al-Malik ibn Qatan al-Fihri, Syrian forces were ferried over to 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...
in early 742.
After defeating the Berber rebel armies in al-Andalus in the Spring of 642, relations between the Andalusian governor and the Syrian commanders quickly broke down. The Syrian leader Balj ibn Bishr
Balj ibn Bishr al-Qushayri
Balj ibn Bishr al-Qushayri ; was a Syrian Arab military commander in North Africa and Iberia, and briefly ruler of al-Andalus in 742....
deposed and executed the old governor and declared himself the new ruler of 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...
.
But rallied by the sons of the late governor, the Andalusian Arabs (now calling themselves baladiyun or baladis) took up arms against the Syrian junds (which they called the shamiyun). Although the Syrians crushed the Andalusians at the Battle of Aqua Portora outside of Cordoba in August, 742, their commander Balj ibn Bishr died the next day from battlefield wounds. As his lieutenant and designated successor, Thalaba ibn Salama al-Amili was immediately acclaimed by the Syrian troops as their head, and consequently governor of 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...
.
Thalaba ibn Salama was of 'Yemenite
Yemenite
Yemenite may refer to:*Yemenite, a person from Yemen*Yemeni Arabic, dialect of the Arabic language*Yemenite step, an Israeli folk dance step originating from Yemen*Yemenite Jews...
' tribal stock, like most Andalusian Arabs, rather than the usual 'Qaysid
Qais
Qais , also spelled Qays or Kais, were an Arabian tribe branched from the Mudhar Adnani groups.-Main branches of Qais:The main branches of the Qais tribes are the Banu Sulaym, Hawazin and the Banu Ghatafan. These three main groups remained in the Eastern Hejaz until the 7th century...
' stock of the Syrians.
Thalaba's authority did not extend much beyond Córdoba
Córdoba, Spain
-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
, where the Syrian regiments had hunkered down. Sometime in late 642 or early 643, Thalaba marched onto Mérida
Merida
Places of the world named Mérida or Merida include:*Mérida, Spain, capital city of the Spanish Community of Extremadura*Mérida, Yucatán, capital city of the Mexican state of Yucatán*Merida, Leyte, a municipality in Leyte province in the Philippines...
, an area of rebel activity, but soon found himself trapped with his small army in the citadel by the Andalusians. Calculating there was no escape, Andalusians carried the siege of Mérida in a leisurely fashion. The siege camp soon took on the character of a fair, attracting numerous onlookers and their families. But one early morning, when the besiegers were preparing for a much-anticipated festival, Thalaba launched an unexpected sally out of Mérida, and quickly overwhelmed the siege camp, taking as much as ten thousand prisoners, including many women and children. Thalaba marched his prisoners to Córdoba, where he is said to have sold many of the high-ranking Andalusian captives as discount-price slaves.
But by this time, peace parties in both camps had made already made appeals to Handhala ibn Safwan al-Kalbi
Handhala ibn Safwan al-Kalbi
Handhala ibn Safwan al-Kalbi was an Umayyad governor of Egypt from 721 to 724 and again 737 to 741, and subsequently governor of Ifriqiya from 741 to 745.-Governor in Egypt:...
, the new governor in 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....
, to settle the matter. In early 743, Handhala dispatched his deputy, Abu al-Khattar al-Husam ibn Darar al-Kalbi
Abu l-Hattar al Husam ibn Darar al-Kalbi
Abu l-Hattar al Husam ibn Darar al-Kalbi was Umayyad governor of Al Andalus from May 743 until August 745. He was succeeded by Tuwaba ibn Salama al-Gudami....
to resolve the quarrel. Being of the same Arab tribal stock as the Andalusians but with a background in the noble circles of Damascus, Abu al-Khattar was expected to play an even-handed role in the Syrian-Andalusian dispute. Abu al-Khattar arrived in Córdoba in March, 743, not long after the battle of Mérida, and took possession of the government with little opposition.
According to chronicler Ibn al-Hakam, Tha'laba ibn Salama sailed to 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....
shortly after and served briefly there under Handhala ibn Safwan al-Kalbi
Handhala ibn Safwan al-Kalbi
Handhala ibn Safwan al-Kalbi was an Umayyad governor of Egypt from 721 to 724 and again 737 to 741, and subsequently governor of Ifriqiya from 741 to 745.-Governor in Egypt:...
in various military commands. Thalaba returned to the east, possibly with Handhala, around the time of the 745 coup of Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib al-Fihri.
Thalaba ibn Salama al-Amili is reported to have subsequently served as Umayyad governor of al-Urdan (Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
) in the late 740s. In 750, Thalaba accompanied the Umayyad
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, whose name derives from Umayya ibn Abd Shams, the great-grandfather of the first Umayyad caliph. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the...
Caliph Marwan II
Marwan II
Marwan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan or Marwan II was an Umayyad caliph who ruled from 744 until 750 when he was killed. He was the last Umayyad ruler to rule from Damascus.In A.H. 114 Caliph Hisham appointed Marwan governor of Armenia and Azerbaijan. In A.H...
in his flight to Egypt to escape the Abbasids.