Abd al-Malik al-Muzaffar


ʿAbd al-Malik, originally called Sayf al-Dawla, later al-Muẓaffar, was the second ʿĀmirid ruler of al-Andalus, ruling from 1002 until his death. Like his father and predecessor, al-Manṣūr, he was the actual power behind the Caliph of Córdoba. The seven-year government of al-Muẓaffar was a period of peace and prosperity. Later historians likened it to the sābiʿ al-arūs, the first seven days of marriage, and recalled it as a golden age before the Andalusian fitna began in 1009.
The principal sources for al-Muzaffar's government are the Dhakhīra of Ibn Bassām, the Bayān of Ibn ʿIdhārī and the Aʿmāl al-aʿlām of Ibn al-Khaṭīb. On 10 August 1002, just days after his father's death, ʿAbd al-Malik was invested by the Caliph Hishām II with the office ḥājib. He reduced the taxes levied on the citizens of Córdoba by one sixth. He also removed ethnic Arab aristocrats from the administration. He was easily able to handle the several conspiracies mounted against him.
Militarily, ʿAbd al-Malik followed his father's policy exactly. He directed either a summer campaign or a winter campaign against one of the Christian powers lying beyond the marches in every year of his government. In 1003, he attacked southern Francia, devastating the countryside around Barcelona and razing 35 fortresses. In 1005, he attacked Castile. In 1006, he attacked Navarre, probably intending to take Pamplona, which he approached but did not capture. In 1007, he again attacked Castile in a campaign that was called the "victorious raid". He took Clunia by force and carried off enormous booty. This feat earned him the honorific by which is now known, "the victor" replacing "sword of the dynasty". In the winter of 1007–1008, he captured a castle called San Martín. He died of angina while preparing his next campaign against Castile. He was succeeded by his brother, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Shanjwilo.