Aben Humeya facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aben Humeya
Born	1520
Died	1569

Aben Humeya (1520–1569) was a leader of the Morisco people. The Moriscos were Muslims in Spain who were forced to convert to Christianity. Aben Humeya led a big rebellion against Philip II of Spain. This revolt happened in the Alpujarras mountains, near the city of Granada. His original name was Fernando de Válor.

Early Life of Aben Humeya

Aben Humeya was born Fernando de Válor. His family were Moriscos. They believed they were related to an old royal family called the Umayyad dynasty. The name Aben Humeya comes from the Arabic Ibn Umayya. This means "Son of Umayya," showing his link to that royal family.

Before the rebellion, Aben Humeya worked in the city council of Granada.

The Morisco Revolt (1568–1571)

King Philip II of Spain made new rules for the Moriscos. These rules were very strict. Moriscos had to stop using their Arabic names. They could not wear their traditional clothes anymore. They were even told not to speak Arabic. Their children also had to be educated by Christian priests. Many Moriscos felt these rules were unfair.

This made the Morisco people very angry. They decided to fight back. Two leaders, Ferag ben Ferag and Diego López Ben Aboo, planned the revolt. They got help from local bandits. They also asked the kings of Morocco for support.

On Christmas Eve in 1568, Morisco leaders met secretly. They chose Fernando de Válor as their king. They gave him the new name Aben Humeya. He also made important alliances to make his group stronger.

Aben Humeya led his fighters in the Alpujarra mountains. They used a fighting style called guerrilla warfare. This means small groups used surprise attacks. At first, there were about 4,000 fighters. Soon, their numbers grew to about 25,000. They fought against the Spanish forces.

Downfall and End of the Revolt

Aben Humeya faced problems within his own group. Some people, like Diego Alguacil, did not trust him. Aben Humeya also had disagreements with his Turkish and African allies. He moved them away from his main camp. He put his cousin, Aben Aboo, in charge of them.

On October 20, 1569, Aben Humeya was killed. This happened because of a plot by the Turkish leaders and Aben Aboo. After Aben Humeya's death, Aben Aboo became the new leader of the Moriscos. He was called Mulley Abdalla. But Aben Aboo was also later killed by his own men.

The deaths of Aben Humeya and Aben Aboo weakened the rebellion. Then, a large army arrived. About 20,000 soldiers came under the command of John of Austria. He was King Philip's half-brother. This strong army helped to stop the fighting.

After the revolt ended, many Moriscos were forced to leave their homes. Almost everyone in the Alpujarras region was moved to other parts of Spain. About 270 villages were emptied. New settlers from Northern Spain moved into these villages. Other villages were left empty. This caused a lot of damage to the silk industry in the area.

King Philip II ordered about 80,000 Moriscos to be moved. He hoped this would make them mix with the Christian population. This event eventually led to the complete Expulsion of the Moriscos from Spain.

See also

In Spanish: Abén Humeya para niños