Munzir I Al Mansour

Munzir began his military career as a simple soldier, but soon gained authority among colleagues in the campaigns of Almanzor and rose to the rank of general, which later earned him the posts of governor of Tudela , who he held until 1009 , and the emir of Zaragoza, whom the caliph granted him in 1013 Suleiman al-Mustain .

Munzir later intervened in the civil war in Cordoba and supported the Umayyad faction led by Muhammad al-Mahdi II ( 1009 ), Suleiman al-Mustain (1013-1016) and, finally, Abd ar-Rahman IV ( 1018 ). In support of the latter, Munzir, together with the emir of Almeria Hairan, conducted a campaign against Cordoba and removed the current caliph.

With the weakening of central authority in Al-Andalus, Munzir declared independence, creating the independent typhus of Zaragoza in 1018 . In collaboration with the governor of Huesca, Ibn Sumadi, he marked the beginning of a period of active public work in Zaragoza, the expansion of the Great Mosque of Zaragoza, and the involvement of many intellectuals and court poets in taifu, such as Ibn Darrah, the court panegyric of Almanzor, and Saeed al-Baghdadi.

Munzir I al-Mansur was considered a skilled politician, subtle diplomat, strategist and good warrior. Zaragoza flourished during his reign and strengthened its borders through alliances with the Christian rulers of the peninsula.

With regard to foreign policy, the main opponent of Munzir I al-Mansur was King of Navarre Sancho III . To counter active foreign policy, Sancho Munzir joined the alliance between Count of Barcelona Berenguer I Ramon and Count of Castile Sancho Garcia . A prenuptial agreement was drawn up between Berenguer and the daughter of Count Castile Sancha in Zaragoza in 1016 . Given the young age of the bride and groom, the wedding took place later, in 1021 . Munzir’s mediation in the wedding between the heir of Barcelona and the daughter of the Castilian count brought him a 14-year-old peace with these two Christian states and strengthened the position of the typhus in the fight against Sancho Navarre.

Munzir I al-Mansur died in 1023 and was succeeded by the son of Yahya al-Muzffar on the throne.

• ANDÚ RESANO, Fernando, “La Taifa de Zaragoza”, en El esplendor de la poesía en la Taifa de Zaragoza , Zaragoza, Mira, 2007, págs. 163-178. ISBN 978-84-8465-253-3 .
• CERVERA FRAS, M ª José, El reino de Saraqusta , Zaragoza, CAI, 1999. ISBN 84-88305-93-1
• CORRAL, José Luis, Historia de Zaragoza. Zaragoza musulmana (714-1118) , Zaragoza, Ayto. de Zaragoza y CAI, 1998. ISBN 84-8069-155-7
• MONTANER FRUTOS, Alberto, “Introducción histórica” al capítulo “El palacio musulmán”, en: Bernabé Cabañero Subiza et alt ., La Aljafería (vol. I), Zaragoza, Cortes de Aragón, 1998. págs. 35-65. ISBN 84-86794-97-8
• VIGUERA MOLINS, Mª Jesús, Aragón musulmán , Zaragoza, Mira editores, 1988. ISBN 84-86778-06-9
• VIGUERA MOLINS, Mª Jesús, El islam en Aragón , Zaragoza, CAI, (Col. Mariano de Pano y Ruata, nº 9), 1995. ISBN 84-88305-27-3