| Muhammad al-Nasir | |
|---|---|
| Caliph of theAlmohads | |
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| Ruler of theAlmohad Caliphate | |
| Reign | 25 January 1199–1213 |
| Predecessor | Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur |
| Successor | Yusuf II, Almohad caliph |
| Born | c. 1182 |
| Died | 1213 (aged c. 30–31) |
| Spouse | Qamar |
| Issue | Yusuf II |
| Dynasty | Almohad |
| Father | Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur |
| Mother | Zahr[1] |
| Religion | Islam |
| Arabic name | |
| Personal (Ism) | Muḥammad |
| Patronymic (Nasab) | ibn Yaʿqūb al-Manṣūr ibn Yūsuf ibn ʿAbd al-Mu’min |
| Teknonymic (Kunya) | Abū ʿAbdallāh[2] |
| Epithet (Laqab) | al-Nāṣir li-Dīn Allāh |
Muhammad al-Nasir (Arabic:محمد الناصر, Muḥammad an-Nāṣir,c. 1182[3] – 1213) was the fourthAlmohadCaliph from 1199 until his death.[2] Contemporary Christians referred to him asMiramamolín.[4] He took theregnal title ofal-Nāṣir li-Dīn Allāh.[1]
On 25 January 1199, al-Nasir's fatherAbu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur died; al-Nasir was proclaimed the new Caliph that very day.[2] Al-Nasir inherited from his father an empire that was showing signs of instability. Because of his father's victories against theChristians in theIberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus), he was temporarily relieved from serious threats on that front and able to concentrate on combating and defeatingBanu Ghaniya attempts to seizeIfriqiya (Tunisia). Needing, after this, to deal with problems elsewhere in the empire, he appointedAbu Mohammed ibn Abi Hafs as the governor of Ifriqiya, so unwittingly inaugurating the rule of theHafsid dynasty there, which lasted until 1574.
He now had to turn his attention back toIberia, to deal with aCrusade proclaimed byPope Innocent III at the request ofKing Alfonso VIII of Castile. This resulted in his defeat by a Christian coalition at theBattle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1212). He died the following year, and was succeeded by his young sonYusuf al-Mustansir, born of Christian slave Qamar.[5]
In the early 13th century,John, King of England was under pressure after a quarrel withPope Innocent III led to England being placed under aninterdict, by which all forms of worship and other religious practices were banned. John himself wasexcommunicated, parts of the country were in revolt and there were threats of aFrench invasion.[6]
Writing two decades after the events,Matthew Paris, aSt Albans chronicler of the early thirteenth century, claims that, in desperation, John sent envoys to al-Nâsir asking for his help. In return John offered to convert toIslam, to make the country at disposal of the caliph and turn England into a Muslim state. Among the delegates was Master Robert, a London cleric. Al-Nâsir was said to be so disgusted by John's grovelling plea that he sent the envoys away. Historians have cast doubt on this story, due to the lack of other contemporary evidence.[7][8][9][10]
| Preceded by | Almohad Caliph 1199–1213 | Succeeded by |
