Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
By Marriage or Murder: The Merenids
When Zenata Berbers from the Anti Atlas invaded the Almohad capital of Marrakesh in
1269, the Almohad defeat was complete. The Zenata had already ousted the Almohads in
Meknès, Salé and Fez and along most of the Atlantic Coast. To win over the devout, they
promised moral leadership under their new Merenid dynasty. Making good on the promise,
the Merenids undertook construction of a
medersa
(school of religious learning) in every
major city they conquered, levying special taxes on Christian and Jewish communities for
the purpose. In exchange, they allowed these communities to practise key trades, and hired
Christian mercenaries and Jewish policy advisors to help conduct the business of the
Merenid state.
But this time the new rulers faced a tough crowd not easily convinced by promises of
piety. Fez revolted, and the Castilian Christians held sway in Salé. To shore up their Span-
ish interests, the Merenids allied with the Castilian princes against the Muslim rulers of
Granada. Once again, this proved a losing strategy. By the 14th century, Muslim Spain was
lost to the Christians, and the Strait of Gibraltar was forfeited. The Merenids also didn't ex-
pect the Spanish Inquisition, when over one million Muslims and Jews would be terrorised
and forcibly expelled from Spain.
Without military might or religious right to back their imperial claims, the Merenids
chose another time-tested method: marriage. In the 14th century, Merenid leaders cleverly
co-opted their foes by marrying princesses from Granada and Tunis, and claimed Algiers,
Tripoli and the strategic Mediterranean port of Ceuta.
Death by Plague & Office Politics
But the bonds of royal marriage were not rat-proof, and the Merenid empire was devastated
by plague. Abu Inan, son of the Merenid leader Abu Hassan, glimpsed opportunity in the
Black Death, and proclaimed himself the new ruler despite one minor glitch: his father was
still alive. Abu Hassan hurried back from Tripoli to wrest control from his treacherous son
in Fez, but to no avail. Abu Inan buried his father in the royal Merenid necropolis outside
Rabat in 1351, but he too was laid to rest nearby after he was strangled by one of his own
advisors in 1358.
The Merenids had an unfortunate knack for hiring homicidal bureaucrats. To cover his
tracks, Abu Inan's killer went on a royal killing spree, until Merenid Abu Salim Ibrahim re-
turned from Spain and terminated this rampaging employee. Abu Salim's advisor sucked
