Qaid ( ar , قائد ', "commander"; pl. '), also spelled kaid or caïd, is a word meaning "commander" or "leader." It was a title in the Norman

kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily ( la, Regnum Siciliae; it, Regno di Sicilia; scn, Regnu di Sicilia) was a state that existed in the south of the Italian Peninsula and for a time the region of Ifriqiya from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 un ...

, applied to palatine officials and members of the ''curia'', usually to those who were

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abra ...

or converts to Islam. The word entered the

Latin language Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of ...

as lat, gaitus or lat, gaytus. Later the word was used in North Africa for the governor of a fortress or the warden of a prison, also in Spain and Portugal in the form with the definite article "alcayde" (Spanish) "alcaide" (Portuguese). It is also used as a male Arabic given name.

Notable qaids

* Al Qaid Johar (active 950–992), A Slavic general who conquered

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, ...

for the

Fatimid The Fatimid Caliphate was an Ismaili Shi'a Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muh ...

Imam-Caliph,

Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah Abu Tamim Ma'ad al-Muizz li-Din Allah ( ar, ابو تميم معد المعزّ لدين الله, Abū Tamīm Maʿad al-Muʿizz li-Dīn Allāh, Glorifier of the Religion of God; 26 September 932 – 19 December 975) was the fourth Fatimid calip ...

; and later served as the Viceroy of the Fatimid State. * Thomas Brun (active 1137–1154), Englishman who served Roger II of Sicily *

Ahmed es-Sikeli Ahmed es-Sikeli ( ar, أحمد الصقلي), baptised a Christian under the name Peter, was a eunuch and kaid of the Diwan of the Kingdom of Sicily during the reign of William I. His story was recorded by his Christian contemporaries Romuald Gu ...

, known as Caid Peter (active 1160s), eunuch in the court of Sicily, confidant of Margaret of Navarre *

Caïd Richard Richard the Qaid () was a senior official (''qāʾid'', commander) of the royal council ('' curia regis'' or '' diwan'') in the court of the Norman Kingdom of Sicily at Palermo during the latter years of the reign of William I of Sicily and during ...

(died 1187) Great Chamberlain under William I of Sicily and Margaret of Navarre *

Murat Reis the younger Jan Janszoon van Haarlem, commonly known as Reis Mourad the Younger (c. 1570 – c. 1641), was an Ottoman and Salé Rovers Dutch pirate in Algeria and Morocco who converted to Islam after being captured by a Moorish state in 1618. He began ser ...

17th Century Dutch renegado appointed Caid over the region including the kasbah of El- Oualidia, the port of Saffia, and Maladia (''Muladie'') by the Sultan of Morocco * Sir Harry MacLean (1848–1920), Scottish soldier, and instructor to the Moroccan Army *

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...

(1876–1948),was given the title of Qaid-Azam or "The Great Leader" as the founder of Pakistan. *

Thami El Glaoui Thami El Glaoui ( ar, التهامي الكلاوي; 1879–23 January 1956) was the Pasha of Marrakesh from 1912 to 1956. His family name was el Mezouari, from a title given an ancestor by Ismail Ibn Sharif in 1700, while El Glaoui refers to h ...

(1879–1956), one of the Lords of the Atlas *

Grands caids The ''grands caids'' were Berber feudal rulers of southern quarter of Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to t ...

, Berber feudal rulers of southern quarter of Morocco under the French Protectorate

People with the given name

* Qaid ibn Hammad (1028–1045), ruler of Algeria *Kaid, nickname of

Andrew Belton Andrew Belton (17 April 1882 – 1970) was a British Army officer and veteran of campaigns in South Africa and Morocco. He was an early exponent of the use of aircraft for military purposes, enrolling at the Chicago School of Aviation in Apri ...

, (1882—1970), British Army officer active in Morocco * Kaïd Ahmed (1921–1978), Algerian nationalist and politician * Béji Caïd Essebsi (1926–2019), Elected Tunisian president * Al-Qaid Joher Izz al-Din (1942), Indian Islamic Leader * Kaid Mohamed (born 1984), Welsh footballer

Alcaide as surname

Anselmo Pardo Alcaide Anselmo Pardo Alcaide (1913–1977) was a Spanish entomologist. Career Throughout his life he combined his work as a teacher with his entomological studies. He published his first scientific paper in 1936, at 23 years of age, in which he descri ...

(1913-1977), Spanish entomologist. *

Chris Alcaide John Thomas Berger (October 22, 1923 – June 30, 2004) was an American film and television actor. He mostly appeared on western television shows including, ''Gunsmoke'', ''Bonanza'', '' Rawhide'', '' Wanted: Dead or Alive'', '' Trackdown'' ...

(1922–2004) American actor * Carmen Alcayde (born 1973), Spanish TV presenter and actress *

David Alcaide David Alcaide Bermúdez (born 14 December 1978) is a Spanish pool player. He is a two-time winner of the World Pool Masters, winning the 2017 event, defeating Jayson Shaw 8–7 in the final, and again in 2019 defeating Alexander Kazakis 9� ...

(born 1978), Spanish pool player * Guillermo Alcaide (born 1986), Spanish tennis player * Ana Alcaide (born 1976), Spanish musician

Places

Draâ El-Kaïd Draâ El-Kaïd is a commune in northern Algeria in the Béjaïa Province The Béjaïa Province ( Kabyle: ''Tawilayt n Bgayet''; ar, ولاية بجاية, Latn, ar, Wilāyat Bijāyah; french: wilaya de Béjaïa or ) is a province of Algeria ...

, town in Algeria * Alcaide, Fundão, town in Portugal

Other uses

*Alkaid or Elkeid, traditional name of Arabic origin for star Eta Ursae Majoris *

USS Alkaid (AK-114) USS ''Alkaid'' (AK-114) was a , converted from a Liberty Ship, commissioned by the US Navy for service in World War II. She was first named after William G. Sumner, a classical liberal American social scientist. She was renamed and commissioned ...

, U.S. Navy ship, named after the star * ''Qaid'' (film), 1975 Hindi film starring Leena Chandavarkar and Kamini Kaushal *'' Umar Qaid'', 1975 Hindi Bollywood action film *The Kingdom of Caid,

Society for Creative Anachronism The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) is an international living history group with the aim of studying and recreating mainly Medieval European cultures and their histories before the 17th century. A quip often used within the SCA describes ...

, encompasses Southern California, the Las Vegas metropolitan area, and Hawaii. * Khuddamul Ahmadiyya chapter leaders are called Qaid. The Qaid in this terminology is a Muslim youth leader who guides his local khuddam in services to faith and nation. *In the game

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege ''Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege'' is an online tactical shooter video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on December 1, 2015; the game w ...

, an operator has the name 'Kaid', with the ability to electrify defenses with his unique gadget. *In the 1965 science fiction novel ''

Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...

'', a 'Caid' is a Sardaukar officer assigned to deal with civilians.

References

{{commonscat, Qaids Arabic masculine given names Sicilian Arabs Arabic words and phrases Kingdom of Sicily