How did an obscure Islamic visionary found an empire? The Almohad Empire at its zenith in the 12th century was the major power in Mediterranean and North Africa, ruling a huge and disparate region from the Atlas Mountains to Tunisia, Morocco and Andalusia. Allen Fromherz, drawing on medieval Arabic and Berber sources, analyses the history and myths surrounding the rise of the Almohads. He shows how Muhammad Ibn Tumart, the son of an obscure Berber tribal chief, founded his mission to reform Islam - then at a low point in its history, battered by the crusades, having lost Jerusalem and been undermined by weak spiritual and political leadership. Ibn Tumart was proclaimed Mahdi by the Berber tribes, as one who heralded the golden age of Islam. He provided charismatic leadership, and a message of unswerving adherence to absolute monotheism and fundamental Islam, to be enforced by jihad - holy war. He died in 1130, before his dream could be accomplished but his successors quickly built on his foundation, conquering Marrakech - the door to the Sahara gold trade and the greatest city of commerce and trade in North Africa. Ibn Tumart and his legacy were to prove the launch-pad for empire, leading to Almohad domination of the Western Mediterranean from Tunisia to Morocco and Andalusia. It became the seat of a brilliant civilisation, the seed-bed of a 12th-century renaissance and flowering of scholarship which reached far into the Middle East and Europe. Fromherz shows how Tumart formed the sinews of empire - by charismatic leadership, a reformed and powerful Islam, unity based on the closely-knit traditions of the Berber tribes, military power and sound administration. This is the first account of the Almohads in English and will be essential for all who are interested in Islam, the Almohad Empire, North Africa and Middle East, and the lasting cultural effect on the region and on Europe.

The Almohads

A comprehensive account of two of the most important empires in medieval North AfricaThis is the first book in English to provide a comprehensive account of the rise and fall of the Almoravids and the Almohads, the two most important Berber dynasties of the medieval Islamic west, an area that encompassed southern Spain and Portugal, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The a'anhAja Almoravids emerged from the Sahara in the 1050s to conquer vast territories and halt the Christian advance in Iberia. They were replaced a century later by their rivals, the Almohads, supported by the Maa'GBPmAda Berbers of the High Atlas. Although both have often been seen as uncouth, religiously intolerant tribesmen who undermined the high culture of al-Andalus, this book argues that the eleventh to thirteenth centuries were crucial to the Islamisation of the Maghrib, its integration into the Islamic cultural sphere, and its emergence as a key player in the western Mediterranean, and that much of this was due to these oft-neglected Berber empires.Key featuresThe first work in English to give a full account of the Almoravids and AlmohadsFeatures numerous translated quotes and anecdotes from Arabic primary sourcesProvides an intimate portrait of the daily lives and material culture of people living within the empires, as well as delivering a clear dynastic historyUses maps, genealogical tables, illustrations and a chronology

Almoravid and Almohad Empires

This is an analysis of the powerful Islamic religious movement, initiated by Ibn Tūmart among the Berber tribesmen of North Africa, which culminated in the creation of the huge Almohad empire in the twelfth century. Professor Le Tourneau presents his reflections on the place of the movement in history as well as on its influence in present-day Africa. His principal aim is to elucidate how the Almohads managed to unite all of North Africa and Spain in one empire, and why they ultimately failed to hold their empire together. He also shows that some of the essential factors in Almohad society are still influential in Africa today and that the Almohad experience can aid contemporary promoters of North African unity and prevent them from repeating the mistakes of the twelfth-century rulers. Originally published in 1969. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Almohad Movement in North Africa in the 12th and 13th Centuries

This book examines through the edition, translation, and study of Almohad provincial appointments the administrative, political, ideological, and religious organisation of the largest European-African Empire, renewing the study of power and authority in the medieval Islamic world.

Governing the Empire

In Saladin, the Almohads and the Banū Ghāniya,, Baadj gives us the first comprehensive, modern study of the rivalry and conflicts between the Ayyubids, Almohads, and the Banū Ghāniya in North Africa in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Saladin, the Almohads and the Banū Ghāniya

Is Matthew Paris's story of an English diplomatic delegation, sent by King John to the caliph of Morocco, nothing more than fiction, or does it report actual events occurring in the summer of 1212? Did King John offer to subjugate his kingdom to the Muslim caliph, and did he consider conversion to Islam? Was one of John's diplomats a converted Jew with whom the Muslim ruler conversed about theological issues? How may a new reading of this medieval chronicle in its appropriate historical context contribute to our understanding of King John and his rule? This book attempts to answer these and other questions. The first full-scale study of Matthew Paris`s report, this work proposes a completely new interpretation of the text and portrays a multifaceted and inherently complex picture of the interactions between Christians, Muslims, and Jews around 1200, straddling law, politics, statecraft, history, culture, and religion. This study also prompts an evaluation of the delegation story, in its historical background of Christian-Muslim encounter on the frontier, as a test-case for John's measures during his reign, and intends to advance our understanding of a crucial era of political and diplomatic transformation -- Provided by the publisher.

King John's Delegation to the Almohad Court (1212)

A new history of North Africa within the Islamic period from the Arab conquest to the present.

A History of the Maghrib in the Islamic Period

The studies in this collection comprise a series of explorations into the revolutionary character of the Almohad movement in medieval North Africa and Spain and how it was expressed, including through compelling visual and auditory means. Almohad silver coins were minted square instead of round, and they carried no date, as if to indicate that a new era had begun. The new age was symbolized in the texts appearing on the coins, reminding Muslims that 'God is our Lord, Muhammad is our Prophet, the Mahdi is our imam', and that a new caliphate had begun. Almoravid mosques were purified and attempts were made to correct their orientation (qibla). Also, both non-Almohad Muslims and non-Muslims were obliged to learn the Almohad profession of faith, in what was in fact a forced conversion to the Almohad understanding of true religion. New scholarly elites - entrusted with the propagation and maintenance of Almohad beliefs and practices - were created by the Almohad caliphs. Philosophy flourished with Ibn Tufayl and Ibn Rushd (Averroes) serving the new rulers. These articles by Professor Fierro are an attempt at explaining what put in motion such a revolution, how it developed and changed, and the influences it had both in the Islamic and non Islamic worlds. Eight of the studies have been translated into English, from Spanish and French, specially for publication here.

The Almohad Revolution

"How did the Almohads manage to unite all of North Africa and a large part of Spain into one empire? Why did they ultimately fail to hold their empire together? Professor Le Tourneau deals with these questions in this critique of the powerful Islamic religious movement, initiated by Ibn Tumart among the Berber tribesmen of North Africa, which culminated in the creation of the huge Almohad empire in the twelfth century."--Jacket.

The Almohad Movement in North Africa in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries

The Almohad Social-political System Or Hierarchy in the Reign of Ibn Tūmart

The Almoravid and Almohad Empires

The Almohad Caliphate was a medieval Islamic empire that emerged in the 12th century, encompassing parts of North Africa and Spain. Known for their rigorous religious reforms and military prowess, the Almohads played a significant role in the history of Islamic Spain, challenging the Christian Reconquista. Their rule witnessed the construction of iconic structures like the Giralda in Seville, reflecting their architectural and cultural influence. However, internal dissent and external pressures eventually led to the decline of the Almohad Caliphate by the mid-13th century, paving the way for the rise of other Islamic dynasties in the region. Understanding the Almohad Caliphate is crucial for comprehending the complex history and dynamics of Islamic rule in medieval Iberia and North Africa.