Editing Abd al-Rahman III (section)

===Early rule===
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During the first 20 years of his rule, Abd al-Rahman avoided military action against the northern Christian kingdoms, Asturias and the [[Kingdom of Navarre]]. The Muwallad rebels were the first problem he confronted. Those powerful families were supported by Iberians who were openly or secretly Christians and had acted with the rebels. These elements, which formed the bulk of the population, were not averse to supporting a strong ruler who would protect them against the Arab aristocracy.<ref name=wikisource>{{EB1911|inline=1|wstitle=Abd-ar-Rahman|display=Abd-al-Rahman s.v Abd-al-Rahman III|volume=1|pages=31–32}}</ref> Abd al-Rahman moved to subdue them by means of a mercenary army that included Christians.

[[File:Spain Andalusia Cordoba BW 2015-10-27 13-54-14.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The [[Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba]]]]
He first had to suppress the rebel Umar ibn Hafsun. On 1 January 913 an army, led by the eunuch Badr, conquered the fortress of [[Écija]], at some {{convert|50|km}} from the capital. All the city's fortifications were destroyed, aside from the citadel, which was left as the residence of the governor and a garrison for the emirati troops.

In the following spring, after sixty-five days of meticulous preparations, Abd al-Rahman personally led an expedition to the south of his realm. His troops were able to recover the ''[[Kura (al-Andalus)|Kūra]]''s (provinces) of [[Province of Jaén (Spain)|Jaén]] and [[Province of Granada|Granada]], while a cavalry detachment was sent to free [[Málaga]] from ibn Hafsun's siege. He also obtained the capitulation of [[Fiñana]] (in the modern [[province of Almería]]), after setting fire to its suburbs. Subsequently, he moved against the castle of [[Juviles]] in the [[Alpujarras]]. After devastating the surrounding countryside to deprive the castle of any resources, he encircled it. Finding it difficult to bombard with catapults, he ordered the construction of a platform where his [[siege engine]]s could be mounted to greater effect, and cut the water supply. The Muwallad defenders surrendered after a few days: their lives, apart from fifty-five die-hards who were beheaded, were spared in exchange for their allegiance to the emir. The campaign continued in a similar vein, lasting for a total of ninety days. Abd al-Rahman forced the defeated Muwallad to send hostages and treasures to Córdoba, in order to secure their continued submission.

During the first year of his reign, Abd al-Rahman took advantage of the rivalries between the [[zBanu Hajjaj|Banu Hajjaj]] lords of [[Seville]] and [[Carmona, Spain|Carmona]] to force them to submit. He initially sent a special corps (''hasam'') under Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hudayr, governor of Écija, to Seville, to obtain their submission. This attempt failed, but gained him the support of Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Hayyay, lord of Carmona, and a cousin of the Sevillan lord, Ahmad ibn Maslama. When the latter was surrounded by Umayyad troops, he sued for help to Ibn Hafsun, but the latter was defeated by the besiegers and returned to Bobastro. Abd al-Rahman next went after the forts in the provinces of Elvira, [[Province of Granada|Granada]], and [[Province of Jaén (Spain)|Jaén]], all of which were either directly or indirectly controlled by Hafsun.<ref name="EB" /> Seville finally capitulated on 20 December 913. Ibn al-Mundhir al-Qurays, a member of the royal family, was named governor of the city, while the Lord of Carmona obtained the title of [[vizier]]. Muhammad ibn Ibrahim enjoyed his office for only a single day, for Abd al-Rahman soon discovered his collusion with the rebel governor of Carmona. Muhammad was sent to prison, where he later met his death.

The region of [[Valencia]] submitted peacefully in 915.