Abd al-Rahman III inherited a shrinking emirate and declared himself caliph
When Abd al-Rahman III took the throne in Córdoba in 912, his authority barely reached past the city's outskirts. Within two decades he had crushed rebels across al-Andalus, and in 929 he proclaimed himself caliph, a rival to both Baghdad and the new Fatimid power in North Africa. His half-century reign was remembered for its religious tolerance.
He was born in Córdoba on 18 December 890, though some sources say 889 or 891. His father, Muhammad, was the emir Abdallah's eldest son, and his mother, Muzna, was a Christian concubine; his paternal grandmother was also Christian, a princess of Pamplona, which made him a half-nephew of Queen Toda of Pamplona. A chronicler recorded his fair skin and blue eyes. His father was killed by a jealous brother, and the boy grew up in his mother's harem, educated rigorously by an aunt known as the Lady.
Emir Abdallah plainly favoured this grandson, letting him live in his own tower, sit on the throne at festivals, and finally handing him the ring of power. When Abdallah died, four of his sons were passed over, and Abd al-Rahman, aged about 21 or 22, succeeded on 16 October 912 without incident. He inherited a state near collapse, with the Christian kingdom of Asturias pushing south and the Fatimids in Ifriqiya courting Muslim loyalties.
He moved fast. Annual campaigns brought rebel lords to heel, starting with the fortress of Écija on 1 January 913 and the provinces of Jaén and Granada that spring. The long revolt of Umar ibn Hafsun, who died in 917, and his sons took years more to end. To balance the feuding Arabs, Berbers and local converts, he brought slaves of Eastern European origin, the saqalibah, into his court. He avoided war with the northern Christian kingdoms for his first 20 years; later clashes at Valdejunquera and Simancas eventually gave way to their rulers paying him homage.
Backing Berber allies against the Fatimids in North Africa earned him the title Defender of God's Faith. His Jewish financier, Hasdai ibn Shaprut, boasted that trade alone brought the ruler 100,000 florins a year and that foreign kings hurried to send gifts. Abd al-Rahman built the palace-city of Medina Azahara and died in 961.
Source: Abd al-Rahman III
