| Al-Hakam I الحكم الأول | |
|---|---|
 SilverDirham under his rule | |
| 3rdEmir of Córdoba | |
| Reign | 12 June 796– 21 May 822 |
| Predecessor | Hisham I |
| Successor | Abd ar-Rahman II |
| Born | 771 Córdoba |
| Died | May 21, 822(822-05-21) (aged 50–51) Córdoba |
| Issue | Abd al-Rahman II |
| Dynasty | Umayyad(Marwanid) |
| Father | Hisham I |
| Mother | Zokhrouf |
| Religion | Islam |
Abu al-As al-Hakam ibn Hisham ibn Abd al-Rahman (Arabic:الحكم بن هشام بن عبد الرحمن) wasUmayyadEmir of Cordoba from 796 until 822 inAl-Andalus (MoorishIberia).
Al-Hakam was the second son of his father, his older brother having died at an early age. When he came to power, he was challenged by his uncles Sulayman and Abdallah, sons of his grandfatherAbd ar-Rahman I. Abdallah took his two sons Ubayd Allah and Abd al-Malik to the court ofCharlemagne inAix-la-Chapelle to negotiate for aid. In the meantime Sulayman attacked Cordoba, but was defeated and driven back to Mérida where he was captured and executed. Abdallah was pardoned, but was forced to stay in Valencia.[1]
Al-Hakam spent much of his reign suppressing rebellions in Toledo, Saragossa and Mérida. The uprisings twice reached Cordoba. An attempt was made to dethrone Al-Hakam and replace him with his cousin, Mohammed ibn al-Kasim, but the plot was discovered. On 16 November 806, 72 nobles and their attendants (accounts talk of 5,000) were massacred at a banquet, crucified and displayed along the banks of the river Guadalquivir. Such displays of cruelty were not unusual during this period, with the heads of rebel leaders or Christian foes killed in expeditions to the north being put on show at the gates of Cordoba.[2]
Following the rebellion in Cordoba, Al-Hakam established a personal bodyguard, theAl-Haras, led by theVisigothic leader of theChristians in Cordoba, theComes (Count) Rabi, son of Theodulf, who also served as the Emir's tax collector. Rabi was later removed and executed bycrucifixion for corruption.[3]
In 818 he crushed a rebellion led by clerics in the suburb ofal-Ribad on the south bank of theGuadalquivir river. Some 300 notables were captured and crucified, while the rest of the inhabitants were exiled. Some moved to Alexandria in Egypt, some to Fez and Crete, where they formedan emirate. Others joined the Levantine pirates.[1]
Al-Hakam I died in 822 after having ruled for 26 years.
Al-Hakam was the son ofHisham I, Emir of Cordoba and a concubine named Zokhrouf.[4]
Al Hakam fathered five children with his wife Halawah:
Al-Hakam had a concubine named Ajab. She established a foundation for lepers in the suburbs of Cordoba.[6] The leper colony was funded by the proceeds of the Munyat 'Ajab, an estate built for or named after Ajab.[7]Ajab was the mother of:[6]
Another concubine was named Mut'a. She established a cemetery which was still in existence in the 10th century.[6]
Al-Hakam I Cadet branch of theBanu Quraish | ||
| Preceded by | Emir of Córdoba 796–822 | Succeeded by |
| Caliphs of Damascus (661–750) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Emirs of Córdoba (756–929) | ||
| Caliphs of Córdoba (929–1031) | ||
[H] indicatesHammudid usurpers | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
