Abd Ar-Rahman III

The first Arab caliph in Spain (929–961). In his face there is a happy combination of a talented commander with a gifted ruler who was able, without resorting to brutal measures, to turn a messy heap of shattered small estates into a powerful and flourishing state.

If then, for almost a century, Spain stood among the most civilized states in the world, both in terms of material well-being and highly developed culture, then it owes this to Abd al-Rahman.

Having entered the management of the country in 912 as a young man, he clearly defined the direction of his activity - to achieve lasting unification and expansion of the state. Depending on this goal, he undertook a number of campaigns, and one cannot help but be surprised at his ability to act simultaneously against rebels in the south, west and east, and against Asturians in the north and even against the Fatimids in Africa - and evenly expand his possessions in all directions . The decisive course of action and the confident speed shown by Abd al-Rahman III, personally leading the troops, had such an effect on the owners of individual castles and fortresses that only in exceptional cases were attempts to resist. The treatment of the population of the conquered regions was always extremely gentle, fair and friendly.

In his troops there was a separate corps of 10,000-15,000 people, consisting of prisoners of war bought from neighbors, the so-called "Slavs" ( Sakaliba ). This name does not show that the captives belonged exclusively to the Slavic tribes; in those days, the Franks , the Lombards , and the southern Italians were called Slavs in Spain. It has been preserved since the time when the majority of prisoners of war, whom they brought to the west, especially the Germans, were of truly Slavic origin. Abd al-Rahman believed in the devotion of the "Slavs" and preferred them not only to African and other hired troops, but also to Arabs and Berbers .

The Slavic corps initially helped establish order in the state, and then, like the Janissaries in Turkey, the Mamelukes in Egypt, and partly archers in Russia, were disastrous for their continued existence. Thanks to the reasonable conciliatory policy of Abd al-Rahman, all external differences between subjects of different nationalities and confessions were smoothed out. The upper class of Muslim conquerors was dissolved in the mass of natives and a new nationality was formed, known as the Moors . These conditions created a very favorable soil for the rapid flowering of Arab-Spanish culture.

In 929, Abd al-Rahman adopted the title of caliph and the title of An-Nasyr (savior).

Abd al-Rahman also cared about the development of culture and the strengthening of political power, patronizing the development of agriculture, crafts, trade, literature and education. Streamlined finances, encouraged the construction. Under him, large monuments of art were created in the capital and in other cities. Cordoba has become one of the most beautiful cities in the world; in this city there were about half a million inhabitants, many mosques, baths, palaces and gardens. The Madina Az-Zahra country residence was built, many palaces and mosques, and the construction of the Cordoba mosque began . The reign of Abd ar-Rahman III is the climax of the heyday of al-Andalus and the Cordoban Umayyads .

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• Anonymous authors . Spanish Medieval Chronicles: The Chronicle of Cardeny I. The Chronicle of Cardeny II. Annals of Toledo I. Annals of Toledo II. Annals of Toledo III. (unspecified) . www.kuprienko.info (A. Skromnitsky) (August 24, 2011). Date of treatment November 17, 2012. Archived December 4, 2012.