Taifa of Toledo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Taifa of Toledo
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| 1018 (de facto)–1085 | |||||||||
Taifa Kingdom of Toledo, c. 1037.
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| Capital | Toledo | ||||||||
| Common languages | Arabic | ||||||||
| Religion | Islam, Christianism (Mozarabic Rite), Judaism | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| Emir | |||||||||
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• c. 1036–1043
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Ismail al-Zahir | ||||||||
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• 1043–1075
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Yahya I al-Ma'mun | ||||||||
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• 1075–1085
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Yahya al-Qadir | ||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||
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• Established
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1018 (de facto) | ||||||||
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• incorporated to the taifa of Badajoz
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1080–1081 | ||||||||
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• Disestablished
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1085 | ||||||||
| Currency | Dirham and Dinar | ||||||||
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| Today part of | Spain | ||||||||
The Taifa of Toledo (Arabic: طائفة طليطلة) was a Muslim kingdom in the middle of what is now Spain. It was one of many small kingdoms called taifas that appeared in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. This kingdom was ruled by the Dhulnunid family. They were a group of Hawwara Berbers, who were people from North Africa.
The Taifa of Toledo started around 1018. This happened when the big Caliphate of Córdoba broke apart into smaller pieces. The Dhulnunids were already strong in areas like Santaver, Cuenca, Huete, and Uclés. They then took control of the city of Toledo, which became their capital. Toledo was an important city in the middle part of Muslim Spain, known as Al-Andalus. Later, the kingdom grew to include the land of Calatrava. The Taifa of Toledo lasted until 1085, when Christian forces conquered Toledo.
Contents
History of Toledo
Toledo had been a very important city for a long time. It was the capital of the Visigothic Kingdom before the Muslim conquest of Iberia in the 8th century. Even after the Umayyad capital was set up in Córdoba, Toledo remained a key city. It was the capital of the "Middle March," which was a border region. This meant it had some freedom from Cordoba's rule, even though it sometimes rebelled.
When the Caliphate of Córdoba became weak in the early 11th century, civil wars broke out. This allowed Toledo to become even more independent. Local leaders took charge of the city. These leaders eventually offered control of Toledo to Abd al-Rahman ibn Dil-Nun, who was the lord of Santaver. Around 1035, he sent his son, Ismail al-Zahir, to take over Toledo.
The Dhulnunid Family
The Banu Dil-Nun family, also known as Banu Zenun, belonged to the Berber tribe Hawwara. They came to the Iberian Peninsula during the Muslim conquest. They settled in the Santaver area between the 8th and 10th centuries. During this time, the Banu Dil-Nun often rebelled against the main Muslim rulers.
They gained more freedom as the Caliphate became weaker in the early 1000s. Abd al-Rahman ibn Dil-Nun became the lord of Santaver, Huete, Uclés, and Cuenca. He was given the title "Nasir al-Dawla." In 1018, Abd al-Rahman put his son Ismail in charge of Uclés. That same year, Ismail kicked out the governor of Toledo and made the city independent.
By 1036, Ismail al-Zahir was officially recognized as the king of the Taifa of Toledo.
How Big Was the Taifa of Toledo?
At its largest, the Taifa of Toledo controlled a large area. This land is now part of several Spanish provinces. These include Toledo, Ciudad Real, and Cuenca. It also included the northern part of Albacete, parts of Cáceres, and Guadalajara. Its land stretched up to the border with the taifa of Zaragoza near Medinaceli. It also included Madrid up to the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains.
Decline and Fall of the Taifa
The Taifa of Toledo did not fall all at once. It slowly lost its power over many years. Ismail al-Zahir ruled until 1043, fighting to keep his kingdom independent from Cordoba. After him, Al-Mamun became king. He sometimes asked for help from Christian kings, like Ferdinand I of León and Castile, against other Muslim rulers.
For example, Al-Mamun asked Ferdinand for help against Al-Mustain I of the taifa of Zaragoza. Twenty years later, Ferdinand himself attacked Toledo. Toledo had to pay money to Ferdinand to avoid being conquered. In 1061, the ruler of the taifa of Valencia was attacked by Ferdinand. He asked Al-Mamun for help. But Al-Mamun used this chance to take over Valencia in 1064, with the Christian king's approval.
Both the Taifa of Toledo and the taifa of Seville wanted to control the important city of Cordoba. Seville eventually captured Cordoba in 1070. The new King of León, Alfonso VI, was smart. He played the Muslim rulers against each other to benefit his own kingdom. With help from al-Mu'tamid of Seville, he defeated a ruler from Granada. At the same time, he helped Al-Mamun of Toledo conquer the taifa of Córdoba in 1075.
At this point, Al-Mamun was a very powerful ruler in southern Iberia. His lands included Toledo, Cordoba, and Valencia. However, he was poisoned in the same year. His grandson, Al-Qadir of Toledo, took over as king.
Al-Qadir faced many problems. He removed people who supported the Castilian Christians from Toledo. This caused a rebellion in Valencia, which then declared itself independent. The lands of Cordoba were lost in 1077. Al-Qadir also lost the southernmost parts of his kingdom. He was attacked by Al-Mutawakkil from the taifa of Badajoz.
Because of these attacks, Al-Qadir had to ask Castile for help again. This made many of his own people unhappy. Al-Mutawakkil took over Toledo in 1080, and Al-Qadir had to flee to Cuenca. He managed to get his throne back the next year. But part of the deal was that the Castilian kingdom would take over Toledo. In return, Al-Qadir would keep ruling Valencia.
Many people in Toledo were tired of the constant wars. They accepted King Alfonso's entry into Toledo. There was a pretend siege to make it look like Toledo fought back, so the Muslim world wouldn't see it as a surrender. However, some people wanted to fight Alfonso. They tried to form an alliance with rulers from Zaragoza, Seville, and Badajoz. Alfonso responded by attacking his enemies. After four years, Toledo officially and peacefully became Christian on May 6, 1085.
Rulers of the Taifa
- Ismail al-Zahir - around 1036–1043
- Yahya I al-Ma'mun - 1043–1075
- Yahya al-Qadir (also ruled Valencia later) - 1075–1080, died 1092
- To Badajoz - 1080–1081
- Yahya al-Qadir (returned to power) - 1081–1085, died 1092
See also
In Spanish: Taifa de Toledo para niños
- List of Sunni Muslim dynasties
- Ibrahim ibn Said al-Sahli
