Taifa of Zaragoza

• Conventional Long Name — Taifa of Zaragoza • Common Name — Taifa of Zaragoza • Era — Middle Ages • Government Type — Monarchy • Year Start — 1013 • Year End — 1110 • Event Start — Downfall of Caliphate of Cordoba • Event End — Conquered by the Almoravids • P1 — Caliphate of Córdoba • S1 — Almoravid dynasty • Today — Spain • Image Map — Location map Taifa of Zaragoza.svg • Image Map Caption — Taifa Kingdom of Zaragoza, c. 1080 • Capital — Zaragoza • Common Languages — Arabic, Mozarabic, Hebrew, Berber • Religion — Islam, Christianity (Mozarabic Rite), Judaism • Currency — Dirham and Dinar The taifa of Zaragoza was an independent Arab Muslim state in the east of Al-Andalus (present-day Spain) with its capital in Saraqusta (Zaragoza) city. It was established in the early 11th century as one of the many Taifa kingdoms that followed the collapse of the Caliphate of Córdoba around this time. It survived until 1110, when it was annexed by the Almoravids.

During the first part of this period (1013–1038), the city was ruled by the Arab Banu Tujib tribe. They were replaced by the Arab Banu Hud rulers, who had to deal with a complicated alliance with El Cid of Valencia and his Castilian masters against the Almoravids, who managed to bring the Taifas Emirates under their control. After the death of El Cid, his kingdom was conquered by the Almoravids, and by 1100 they had crossed the Ebro into Barbastro, which brought them into direct confrontation with Aragon. The Banu Hud stubbornly resisted the Almoravid dynasty and ruled until they were eventually defeated by the Almoravids in May 1110. The last sultan of the Banu Hud, Abd-al-Malik, and Imad ad-Dawla of Saraqusta, were forced to abandon the capital. Abd-al-Malik allied himself with the Christian Aragonese under Alfonso I of Aragon and from then on the Muslim soldiers of Saraqusta served in the Aragonese forces. Soon afterwards (1118) a good deal of the old taifa, including the city of Zaragoza, was conquered by the Christian kingdom of Aragon, and remained in Christian hands thereafter. Between c. 1040 and c. 1105, the Taifa of Lérida was separate from that of Zaragoza.

This list is taken from a list compiled by A. García-Sanjuán in The Routledge Handbook of Muslim Iberia: Tujibid dynasty: • Al-Mundhir ibn Yahya al-Tujibi: c. 1013–1021/2 • Yahya ibn al-Mundhir: 1021/2–1036 • Al-Mundhir ibn Yahya: 1036–1038/9 • Abd Allah ibn al-Hakam al-Tujibi: 1038/9 Huddid dynasty: • Al-Musta'in I: 1038/9–1046 • Ahmad al-Muqtadir: 1046–1081/3 • Yusuf al-Mu'taman ibn Hud: 1081/3–1085 • Al-Musta'in II: 1085–1110 • 'Abd al-Malik Imad ad-Dawla: 1110