Abu Sa'id Uthman II (or Abu Sa'id Othman) (أبو سعيد عبد الله عثمان بن يوسف ابو يعقوب [abū sa`īd `uθmān ben Yusef]) (7 December 1276 - August, 1331)(reigned 1310-1331) was the 10th Marinid sultan. A younger son of Yusef Abu Yaqub, Abu Sa'id Uthman succeeded his nephew Abu al-Rabi Sulayman as sultan of Morocco in November, 1310, at the age of 33.
His full name is Abdallah Uthman ibn Yusef Abu Yaqub ibn Abdel-Haq. He was the son of Abu Yaqub Yusuf an-Nasr and his wife Aicha who was a daughter of an Arab tribal leader (Abu Atia Mhalhal ben Yahya al-Khalti). He was described by his historian as being of a white complexion, average height and well featured.[1]
Abu Said Othman inherited Morocco after a tumultuous period, when the Marinids had survived a dangerous rebellion in Ceuta, a long conflict with Tlemcen and a severe check from Ferdinand IV of Castile, who had in the previous year (1309-10) seized Gibraltar and laid siege to Marinid-owned Algeciras.
Pacific and pious, Abu Said Othman refrained from any great enterprises. In 1313, hoping to divest himself of any entanglements on the Iberian peninsula, he returned the towns of Algeciras and Ronda to the Nasrid ruler Nasr of Granada.
In 1315, Abu Said Othman faced a rebellion by his son and designated heir, Abu Ali, who esconced himself in Fez. At first not enthusiastic about a confrontation, the sultan entered into negotiations which would pass the Marinid state over to his son and leave himself as governor of Taza. But Abu Said Othman gained courage when he heard Abu Ali had fallen ill, and hurried to lay siege to Fez and secure his son's capitulation. Abu Ali was removed from the line of succession, in favor of another son, Abu al-Hasan 'Ali. However, Abu Said Othman granted Abu Ali an appanage centered at Sijilmasa in southern Morocco, which he will rule as a quasi-independent state for the next couple of decades. In 1316, Yahya ibn 'Afzi, governor of Ceuta, revolted against the Marinid sultan, and managed to maintain Ceuta effectively independent for nearly a dozen years, before returning to the fold.
In 1319, facing a renewed challenge from Castile, the Nasrid ruler Ismail I of Granada appealed to the Marinid sultan for assistance, but Abu Said Othman imposed such onerous conditions that the Granadines decided to handle the matter without him.
In 1320 his son Abu Ali renewed his revolt against his father. From his base in Sijilmasa, Abu Ali seized control of much of southern Morocco (including Marrakech), threatening to split the Marinid dominions in two. In 1322, the Marinid sultan Abu Said Othman marched against the south and defeated Abu Ali by the Oum er-Rebia. But, once again, he reconciled with his son and allowed him to retain Sijilmasa.
Abu Said Othman built three significant madrasas in Fez: Fez al-Jedid (1320), Es-Sahrij (1321) and El-Attarîn(1323).
In 1329, pressed by an invasion from Abdalwadid sultan Abu Tashufin of Tlemcen, the Hafsid ruler Abu Bakr of Ifriqiya appealed to the Marinid sultan Abu Said Othman for assistance, offering his daughter Fatima as a bride for the Marinid heir Abu al-Hassan. Satisfied by the terms, Abu Said Othman arranged a diversionary raid against Tlemcen from the west, while dispatching a Marinid fleet to support the Hafsid efforts in the east.
In August 1331, while arranging for the reception of the Tunisian princess, Abu Sa'id Othman fell ill and died in the environs of Taza. His was succeeded by his son and designated heir Abu al-Hassan, although his other son Abu Ali retained his quasi-independent appanage in the south.
| Preceded by Abu al-Rabi Sulayman |
Marinid Dynasty 1310–1331 |
Succeeded by Abu al-Hasan 'Ali |