The reason for naming the Taifa Kings
After the fall of the Umayyad Caliphate in Andalusia, the country was divided into several states, the number of which reached twenty-two states, which varied in terms of their strength, importance, area, and role in the events of Andalusia. The rulers of these states were Arabs, Saqalbans, and Berbers, and there were continuous national wars between them that did not They stopped during the years of their rule, and these wars and conflicts left room for the Christian kings to live and advance in Andalusia. In addition, the rulers of the mini-states sought the support of the Christians in order to fight each other, so they gave the Christians some of their cities voluntarily, and they also fought in the Christian armies against their Muslim brothers, and from here This covenant was called the Taifa Kings; To indicate the situation of Andalusia, which was divided into several kingdoms.
Features of the era of the Taifa Kings
The state of Andalusia reveals the fragmentation and division it reached after the fall of the Umayyad caliphate. There are several features of the era of the Taifa kings, which are as follows:
- All the princes of the mini-states are given the title of Commander of the Faithful.
- The area of the mini-states was very small, and each mini-state had a prince, its own army, and a fence around it, and it had none of the components of a state.
- Each prince coveted the land neighboring him, and each of them began to create conflicts over the borders, and the Islamic cities in Andalusia began to fight each other.
- The princes paid tribute to the Christians who expanded at their expense. In order to preserve their places in ruling the country.
The end of the era of the Taifa Kings
The internal wars between the princes of the mini-states resulted in an increase in the ambitions of the Christians in the Andalusian cities, so Al-Mu'tamid ibn Abbad, who was from the family of one of the princes, sought the help of the Almoravids in the Far Maghreb. To save Andalusia from the Christians, the leader of the Almoravid, Yusuf bin Tashfin, advanced and crossed the sea and Gibraltar. To help the Muslims in Andalusia, and he was victorious in the Battle of Zallaqa in the year 479 AH over the Christians. It became clear to Yusuf bin Tashfin that the kings of the sects were not suitable for positions of power in Andalusia, so he took control of Andalusia and restored its unity according to a fatwa he obtained from religious scholars such as Al-Ghazali.
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