| Idrisid Dynasty الأدارسة |
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| Idrisid Empire, 788–985 CE, showing its maximal extent. | ||||
| Capital | Fez | |||
| Religion | Zaidi Islam | |||
| Government | Monarchy | |||
| Historical era | Mediæval | |||
| - Established | 789 | |||
| - Disestablished | 985 | |||
The Idrisids (Arabic: الأدارسة al-Idārisah, Berber: Idrisiyen) were a Zaydi-Shia[1][2][3][4][5] dynasty of Morocco,[6] ruling from 788 to 985. It was named after its founder Idriss I, the great grandchild of Hasan ibn Ali.
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The founder of the dynasty was Idris ibn Abdallah (788–791), who traced his ancestry back to Ali ibn Abi Talib and his wife Fatimah, daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. He was persecuted by the Abbasids and fled to the Maghreb in 786, where he was taken in by the Berbers. Since the Maysara uprising against Arab rule (739–742), the authority of the Caliphate in North Africa had been compromised; the new kingdom of Idris I represented the third autonomous Islamic state in Morocco.
The powerful Awraba Berbers of Volubilis took him in and appointed him as their 'imam' (religious leader). From this tribe he married Kenza, who gave him his only son and successor, Idris II. Idris, and his offspring, would soon be recognised by the local Berber tribes as leaders of the region. The dynasty went through a strong process of berberization.[7] Although they could point to descent from the Islamic Prophet, contemporaries did not consider them to be Arabs. For instance, their descendants, the Hammudid rulers of Cordoba were described as Zenata Berbers by the Andalusian writers. Famous historian Ibn Khaldun did not consider their rule to be an Arab reign, because according to him Berbers had all the power and their rule saw very few Arabs in the country.[8] Consequently, Ibn Khaldun saw the Idrisids as a natural result of the Berbers' struggle against Arab supremacy, in the same line as the kingdoms of Sijilmasa and the Berghouata.
His son Idriss II (791–828) developed the area of Fez, already colonised by his father, as a royal residence and capital. Through the settlement of refugees from Kairouan and Andalusia the city quickly became the focus for the islamization of North Africa. At about the same time, an alternate summer capital Basra was constructed and named after the famous city in southern Iraq.
The realm was also extended through campaigns into the high Atlas Mountains and against Tlemcen, with the result that the Idrisid state became the most significant power in Morocco, ahead of the principalities of the Bargawata, the Salihids, the Miknasa and the Maghrawa of Sijilmasa.
Under Muhammad (828–836) the kingdom was divided amongst eight brothers, whereby several Idrisid statelets formed in northern Morocco. This led to intensified power struggles and the weakening of the Idrisids. Even when the realm was reunified under Yahya IV (904–917), it still lost significance through internal strife and attacks from the Fatimid dynasty aided by their local Miknasa allies.
After defeats by the Fatimids in 917–920 the Idrisids were driven from Fez and control given to the Miknasa. Hassan I al-Hajam managed to wrest control of Fez for a couple of years but he was the last of the dynasty to hold power there.
Only with the support of the Caliphate of Cordoba could the dynasty subsequently hold out against the Fatimids and their allies. After 926 the Idrisids abandoned Fez for good and withdrew to the valleys of the Rif mountains, where they had a stronghold in the fortress of Hajar an-Nasar.
The last Idrisid made the mistake of switching allegiances back to the Fatimids, and was deposed and executed in 985 by Cordoban Umayads.
| Preceded by - |
Idrisid Dynasty 789–985 |
Succeeded by Almoravid Dynasty |
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