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| Caliph of Córdoba |
| The Caliph of Córdoba ruled Islamic Spain (Al-Andalus)
and North Africa from the city of Córdoba, from 929 to 1031. The title
Caliph was claimed by Abd-ar-Rahman III on January 16,
929; he was previously known as the Emir of Córdoba . All Caliphs
of Córdoba were members of the Ummayad dynasty; the same dynasty had
held the title Emir of Córdoba and ruled over roughly the same territory
since 756. |
| Abd-ar-Rahman I became Emir of Córdoba 6 years after his dynasty,
the Ummayad, had lost the position of Caliph (held in Damascus) in 750.
Abd-ar-Rahman I was on the run from persecutors for 6 years before
arriving in Spain. Intent on regaining a position of power, he defeated
the existing Islamic rulers of the area, and united various local
fiefdoms into an emirate. |
| Rulers of the Emirate were content to use the title emir or sultan
until the 10th century, when Abd-ar-Rahman III was faced with the threat
of invasion by the Fatimids, a rival Islamic empire based in Cairo.
Partially to help in his fight against the invading Fatimids, who
claimed the Caliphate in opposition to the generally recognized
Abbasidian Caliph of Baghdad, Rahman III claimed the title of Caliph
himself. This move helped Rahman III gain prestige with his subjects,
and the title was retained even after the Fatimids were repulsed. |
| For 100 years, the Caliph of Córdoba ruled over Al-Andalus and North
Africa. This period was characterized by remarkable success in trade and
culture; many of the masterpieces of Islamic Spain were constructed in
this period. However, the territories controlled by the Caliph of
Córdoba decreased over time. |
| The last Caliph of Córdoba was Hisham III. At his death in 1031 the
territories he controlled, which had by then shrunk mainly to
possessions on the Iberian Peninsula, fractured into a number of
independent taifas. These fiefdoms continued until they were
gradually pushed out by Christian forces during the Reconquista, unable
to effectively resist as independent factions. |
| Umayyad Emirs of Córdoba |
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Abd-ar-rahman I, 756-788
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Hisham I, 788-796
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al-Hakam I, 796-822
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Abd-ar-rahman II, 822-852
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Muhammad I, 852-886
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al-Mundhir, 886-888
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Abdallah ibn Muhammad, 888-912
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Abd-ar-rahman III, 912-929
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| Umayyad Caliph of Córdoba |
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Abd-ar-rahman III, as caliph, 929-961
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Al-Hakam II, 961-976
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Hisham II, 976-1008
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Mohammed II, 1008-1009
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Suleiman, 1009-1010
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Hisham II, restored, 1010-1012
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Suleiman, restored, 1012-1017
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Abd-ar-Rahman IV, 1021-1022
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Abd-ar-Rahman V, 1022-1023
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Muhammad III, 1023-1024
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Hisham III, 1027-1031
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