Abu Muhammad Abd al-Haqq I (died 1217) was the first leader of the

Marinid The Marinid Sultanate was a Berber Muslim empire from the mid-13th to the 15th century which controlled present-day Morocco and, intermittently, other parts of North Africa (Algeria and Tunisia) and of the southern Iberian Peninsula (Spain) ar ...

dynasty of the

Maghreb The Maghreb (; ar, الْمَغْرِب, al-Maghrib, lit=the west), also known as the Arab Maghreb ( ar, المغرب العربي) and Northwest Africa, is the western part of North Africa and the Arab world. The region includes Algeria, ...

.Merinid Dynasty / Marinids / Beni Merin
- The History Files (African Kingdoms)

History

The "Banu Marin" (Marinids) were a semi-nomadic

Zenata The Zenata ( Berber language: Iznaten) are a group of Amazigh (Berber) tribes, historically one of the largest Berber confederations along with the Sanhaja and Masmuda. Their lifestyle was either nomadic or semi-nomadic. Etymology ''Iznaten ( ...

Berber tribe who in the 12th century were practising

transhumance Transhumance is a type of pastoralism or nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions (''vertical transhumance''), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and lower val ...

in the region between

Figuig Figuig or Figig ( ar, فجيج; Figuig Berber: Ifeyyey) is an oasis town in eastern Morocco near the Atlas Mountains, on the border with Algeria. The town is built around an oasis of date palms, called ''Tazdayt'', meaning "palm tree" in the ...

and the

Moulouya River The Moulouya River ( Berber: ''iɣẓer en Melwect'', ) is a 520 km-long river in Morocco. Its sources are located in the Ayashi mountain in the Middle Atlas. It empties into the Mediterranean Sea near Saïdia, in northeast Morocco. Water ...

in what is now eastern Morocco. Unlike many Zenata tribes in the region, they did not join the Almohads as they conquered the Maghrib. Later, their chief Muhyu did fight on the side of the Almohads and participated in the

Battle of Alarcos Battle of Alarcos (July 18, 1195), was a battle between the Almohads led by Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur and King Alfonso VIII of Castile.''Medieval Iberia: an encyclopedia'', 42. It resulted in the defeat of the Castilian forces and their sub ...

in 1195, where he died of his wounds. Afterwards, leadership of the tribe passed on to Abd al-Haqq (Abd al-Haqq I). The Almohads suffered a severe defeat against the Christian kingdoms of Iberia on 16 July 1212 in the

battle of Las Navas de Tolosa The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, known in Islamic history as the Battle of Al-Uqab ( ar, معركة العقاب), took place on 16 July 1212 and was an important turning point in the ''Reconquista'' and the medieval history of Spain. The Chris ...

. The severe loss of life at the battle left the Almohad state weakened and some of its regions somewhat depopulated. Soon after this, in 1213 or 1214, the Marinids took advantage of the situation and entered in force into the cultivated lands of north-eastern Morocco, under the leadership of Abd al-Haqq. They progressively occupied land as far as the Rif region, forcing settlements and towns to pay taxes to them. In 1217 an Almohad army, joined by the Banu Riyah, an Arab tribe, and a dissident Marinid clan, defeated Abd al-Haqq in battle. Abd al-Haqq was killed and the Marinids were repelled from the region for a time. Leadership of the Marinids passed on to Abd al-Haqq's son,

Uthman Uthman ibn Affan ( ar, عثمان بن عفان, ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān; – 17 June 656), also spelled by Colloquial Arabic, Turkish and Persian rendering Osman, was a second cousin, son-in-law and notable companion of the Islamic prop ...

(Uthman I).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abd Al-Haqq I Marinid dynasty Year of birth unknown 1217 deaths