Kingdom of Altava | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 578–708 | |||||||||
 Map of the Romano-Berber Kingdoms, according to the French historian Christian Courtois. Number 1 is the Kingdom of Altava. | |||||||||
| Status | Rump state of theMauro-Roman Kingdom | ||||||||
| Capital | Altava | ||||||||
| Common languages | Berber,African Romance Latin | ||||||||
| Religion | Christianity | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| King | |||||||||
• 578-670s | (Unknown) | ||||||||
• 670s | Sekerdid | ||||||||
• 680-690 | Caecilius | ||||||||
| Historical era | Medieval | ||||||||
• Collapse of theMauro-Roman Kingdom | 578 | ||||||||
• Annexed byUmayyad Caliphate | 708 | ||||||||
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| Today part of | Algeria Morocco | ||||||||
Part ofa series on the |
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| History ofAlgeria |
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Modern times |
TheKingdom of Altava was an independentChristianBerber kingdom centered on the city ofAltava in present-day northernAlgeria.[1] The Kingdom of Altava was a successor state of the previousMauro-Roman Kingdom which had controlled much of the ancient Roman province ofMauretania Caesariensis. During the reign of Kusaila, it extended fromVolubilis in the west to theAurès and laterKairaouan and the interior of Ifriqiya in the east.[2][3][4][5] This Kingdom collapsed followingEastern Roman military campaigns to decrease its influence and power afterGarmul invaded theExarchate of Africa.[6]
The collapse of the Mauro-Roman Kingdom lead to the rise of several petty berber kingdoms in the region, including the Kingdom of Altava, which was centered on the capital of the older kingdom.[7] The kingdom continued to exist in theMaghreb until the conquest of the region by theUmayyad Caliphate in the seventh and eighth centuries.
The Mauro-Roman Kingdom was established in the early fifth century after following partialBerber conquests of Roman Mauretania. Direct Roman rule had already become confined to a few coastal cities (such asSeptem inMauretania Tingitana andCaesarea inMauretania Caesariensis) by the late 3rd century.[8] Historical sources about inland areas are sparse, but these were apparently controlled by local Berber rulers who, however, maintained a degree of Roman culture, including the local cities, and usually nominally acknowledged the suzerainty of the Roman Emperors.[9]
After theVandal conquest of Northern Africa and the establishment of theVandal Kingdom, these cities became completely isolated and eventually fell into the control of the romanized berber people of the region. The berbers would form an independent barbarian kingdom, dubbed theRegnum Maurorum et Romanorum, the "Kingdom of the Moors and Romans". This kingdom would be a local power, often finding itself at war with the neighboring Vandal Kingdom. When theEastern Roman Empire invaded the Vandals in their successful attempt at reconquering Northern Africa, the Mauro-Roman Kingdom underMasuna allied with them against the Vandals. However, subsequent rulers would come into conflict with the Empire. After a failed military campaign under KingGarmul against the Eastern Roman Empire, the Empire reincorporated some coastal territories and the Kingdom collapsed.[10]
Though the domain of the Mauro-Roman Kingdom had collapsed, a romanized Berber kingdom continued to be ruled from the city of Altava, though it was significantly smaller in size than the Kingdom ruled by Garmul had been.[6] During this period, Christianity became the predominant religion in the Altava kingdom, with syncretic influences from thetraditional Berber religion. A new church was built in the capital Altava in this period.[11]
The last recorded ruler of the Kingdom of Altava was Caecilius, called Koceila orKusaila ("leopard" inTamazight). He died in the year 690 AD fighting against theMuslim conquest of the Maghreb. He was also leader of the Awraba tribe of theImazighen and possibly Christian head of theSanhadja confederation. He is known for having led an effective Berber martial resistance against theUmayyad Caliphate's conquest of the Maghreb in the 680s.
Indeed, in 683 ADUqba ibn Nafi was ambushed and killed in theBattle of Vescera nearBiskra by Kusaila, who forced all Arabs to evacuate their just foundedKairouan and withdraw toCyrenaica. But in 688 AD Arab reinforcements fromAbd al-Malik ibn Marwan arrived under Zuhair ibn Kays. Caecilius met them in 690 AD -with the support of Byzantine troops- at theBattle of Mamma. Vastly outnumbered, the Awraba and Byzantines were defeated and Caecilius was killed.
With the death of Caecilius, the torch of resistance passed to a tribe known as the Jerawa tribe, who had their home in theAurès Mountains: his Christian Berber troops after his death fought later underKahina, the last Queen of theromanized Berbers.
| Monarch | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown ruler(s) | No recorded rulers between 578 and the 670s. | |
| Sekerdid "the Roman"[12] | 670s? | Apparently ofEastern Roman descent, seemingly abdicated and later assisted Caecilius in battle.[12] |
| Caecilius[13] | 680-690 | Last King of Altava, led an effective Berber military resistance against theMuslim invasion of the Maghreb in the 680s. Also known asAksil inBerber andKusaila inArabic. |
