HAMMUDID DYNASTY

in Spain, Muslim Berber dynasty, one of the party kingdoms (ta'ifahs) that emerged during the decline of the Umayyad caliphate of Crdoba early in the 11th century. The Hammudids ruled Mlaga (102257) and Algeciras (103958). In 1013 the Umayyad caliph Sulayman al-Musta'in awarded Sabtah to 'Ali ibn Hammud and Algeciras, Tangier, and Asilah to 'Ali's brother al-Qasim in payment for their help in returning him to the throne. 'Ali, however, claiming to be the rightful heir to Hisham II, al-Musta'in's predecessor, marched into Crdoba in July 1016 and deposed al-Musta'in. Al-Musta'in was then declared al-Hisham's murderer and was executed, while 'Ali had himself proclaimed caliph and assumed the title an-Nasir. The first non-Umayyad to occupy the Spanish caliphate, 'Ali was murdered by his palace slaves after a brief reign (101618). Al-Qasim, meanwhile, had been governing Seville and, after the murder of the Umayyad al-Murtada (reigned 1018), established himself in Crdoba (101821). The resident Berbers, however, induced 'Ali's son Yahya al-Mu'tali to take Crdoba and proclaimed him caliph in 1021, only to drive him out in 1022. Al-Qasim returned that year, but he too was forced out in 1023. Yahya, now ruler of Mlaga, was invited back to Crdoba in 1025, but by this time the caliphate was a meaningless institution, so, entrusting it to his lieutenants, he returned to Mlaga, where his successors ruled until 1057, when the city was seized by the Zirids. The Hammudid line, through al-Qasim's heirs, held Algeciras until 1058.