Muhammad III, Sultan of Granada

Accession

Just before his death, Muhammad II—Muhammad III's father—oversaw a successful campaign against Castile, taking advantage of Castile's concurrent war against Aragon as well as the minority of the Castilian king Ferdinand IV. In September 1301 Muhammad secured a peace agreement in which, among others, Castile agreed to return Tarifa—an important port on the Straits of Gibraltar^[2]—to Granada. This agreement was ratified in January 1302, but was never put into effect due to Muhammad II's death shortly after.^[3]

Muhammad II died in April 1302 after 29 years of rule. There were allegations, cited by Ibn al-Khatib, that Muhammad III, perhaps impatient to assume power, killed his father by poison, although this rumor was never confirmed.^{[4][5][lower-alpha 1]} An anecdote says that during his accession, when a poet recited: For whom are the banners today unfurled? For whom do the troops' neath their standards march, he responded: "For this fool you can see before you all".^[6]

Peace with Castile and Aragon

As Muhammad II's agreement with Castile had been aborted, the war continued. Two weeks into Muhammad III's rule, Granadan troops took Bedmar, near Jaén. Muhammad III then started negotiations. In 1303, Castile sent a delegation led by the royal chancellor Fernando Gómez de Toledo to Granada. Castile offered to meet nearly all of Granada's demands, including Bedmar, Alcaudete, Quesada. Tarifa—which had been offered to Muhammad II before his death—was to be kept by Castile. In exchange, Muhammad would agree to become Ferdinand's vassal and pay the parias (tribute), a typical peace arrangement between the two kingdoms. The treaty would last three years. In 1304, Aragon also concluded its war with Castile (the Treaty of Torrellas), and assented to the Granada–Castile treaty, therefore creating peace between the three kingdoms, and leaving the Marinids isolated.^[7]

Imaginative idealization of Ferdinand IV of Castile, Muhammad's contemporary, and at different times his enemy, his ally and his overlord.

The agreement, and the resulting alliance with Castile and Aragon, gave Granada peace as well as a dominant position in the Straits of Gibraltar. However it created its own problems. Domestically, many were not happy with the alliance with the Christians, especially the Volunteers of the Faith, a military group who came to Granada to fight a holy war. The Marinid state was offended by the tripartite alliance^[8] against it. Aragon, while part of the alliance, were worried that a strong Castile-Granada relation would mean that the bloc could establish a choke-hold on the Strait and therefore devastate Aragonese trade. James II of Aragon sent an envoy, Bernat de Sarrià to the Marinid Sultan Abu Yaqub Yusuf, for negotiations—although ultimately these were unsuccessful.^[9]

Decline

Ceuta in the North African coast, which Muhammad tried to bring under his rule in 1307.

Despite efforts to allay its fear by the Granadan vizier al-Dani's, Aragon continued diplomatic efforts against Granada. These culminated in 1308, when Aragon and Castile concluded the Treaty of Alcalá de Henares. The Christian kingdoms agreed to attack Granada, not sign separate peace, and then divide its territories between them. Aragon would gain one sixth of the kingdom and Castile would gain the rest.^[10]

In the meantime, Granada also moved against the Marinids, trying to take over Ceuta across the Straits. In 1304, the inhabitants of Ceuta declared independence from the Marinids. Granadan agents such as Abu Said Faraj, the governor of Malaga, took part in encouraging the rebellion. Later, Granadan forces fought with the rebels and 1307 Muhammad III declared himself overlord of Ceuta. Prior to 1307, the Marinids were in a war with the Kingdom of Tlemcen and thus were not able to take strong action in Ceuta. However in 1307, Abu Yaqub Yusuf was assassinated and then succeeded by Abu Thabit Amir. Abu Thabit ended the war against Tlemcen, and brought the Marinids into alliance with Castile and Aragon against Granada.^[11]

Ousting

With Granada's three neighbors arrayed against it, Muhammad III became highly unpopular at home. In March 14, 1309 a palace coup deposed Muhammad and executed his vizier, Ibn al-Hakim al-Rundi. Ibn al-Hakim, who since 1303 was titled dhu al-wizaratayn ("the holder of two vizierate") was seen as the real power in the state and was the main target of the popular anger. He had been known for his wealth and extravagant lifestyle. The people of Granada sacked his palace, and his political rival Atiq ibn al-Mawl personally killed him. As for Muhammad III, he was forced to abdicate, but was allowed to live in Almuñécar, largely unmolested until his death. He was replaced by his brother Nasr.^[12]

Citation

Bibliography

• The Alhambra From the Ninth Century to Yusuf I (1354). vol. 1. Saqi Books, 1997.
• Harvey, L. P. (1992). Islamic Spain, 1250 to 1500. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-31962-9.
• Kennedy, Hugh (2014-06-11). Muslim Spain and Portugal: A Political History of Al-Andalus. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-87041-8.