Editing Abd ar-Rahman II

{{Short description|Emir of Cordoba from 822 to 852}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2014}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Abd ar-Rahman al-Awsat <br />عبد الرحمن الأوسط
| title        = 
| titletext    = 
| image        = Dirham abd al rahman ii 20192.jpg
| alt          = 
| caption      = Silver [[dirham]] coined during the reign of Abd ar-Rahman II
| succession   = 4th [[Emirate of Córdoba|Emir of Córdoba]]
| reign        = 21 May 822–852
| predecessor  = [[al-Hakam I]]
| successor    = [[Muhammad I of Córdoba|Muhammad I]]
| birth_date   = 792
| birth_place  = [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]], [[Emirate of Córdoba]]
| death_date   = {{death year and age|852|792}}
| death_place  = [[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]], Emirate of Córdoba
| issue        = [[Muhammad I of Córdoba]]
| house        = [[Umayyad dynasty|Umayyad]]
| house-type   = Dynasty
| father       = [[al-Hakam I]]
| mother       = Halawah
| image_size   = 
}}
'''Abd ar-Rahman II''' ({{Langx|ar|عبد الرحمن الأوسط}}; 792–852) was the fourth ''Umayyad'' [[Emir of Córdoba]] in [[al-Andalus]] from 822 until his death in 852.<ref name=EB>{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|title='Abd ar-Rahman II|edition=15th|year=2010|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.|volume=I: A-Ak - Bayes|location=Chicago, IL|isbn=978-1-59339-837-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency/page/17 17]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency/page/17}}</ref> A vigorous and effective frontier warrior, he was also well known as a patron of the arts.

Abd ar-Rahman was born in [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]] in 792. He was the son of Emir [[al-Hakam I]]. In his youth he took part in the so-called "[[massacre of the ditch]]", when 72 nobles and hundreds of their attendants were massacred at a banquet by order of al-Hakam.

He succeeded his father as Emir of [[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]] in 822 and for 20 years engaged in nearly continuous warfare against [[Alfonso II of Asturias]], whose southward advance he halted. In 825, he had a new city, [[Murcia]], built, and proceeded to settle it with Arab loyalists to ensure stability. In 835, he confronted rebellious citizens of [[Mérida, Spain|Mérida]] by having a large internal fortress built. In 837, he suppressed a revolt of [[Christians]] and [[Jew]]s in Toledo with similar measures.<ref>The Inheritance of Rome, Chris Wickham, Penguin Books Ltd. 2009, {{ISBN|978-0-670-02098-0}}. p. 341.</ref> He issued a decree by which the Christians were forbidden to seek martyrdom, and he had a Christian [[synod]] held to forbid martyrdom.

In 839 or 840, he sent an embassy under [[al-Ghazal]] to [[Constantinople]] to sign a pact with the [[Byzantine Empire]] against the [[Abbasids]].<ref name="Ghazal">{{EI2|doi=10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_2484|title=al-Ghazāl|page=1038|first=Ambrosio|last=Huici Miranda|volume=2}}</ref> Another embassy was sent which may have either gone to Ireland or Denmark, likely encouraging trade in fur and slaves.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Graham-Campbell |first=James |title=The Viking World |publisher=Frances Lincoln Limited Publishers |year=2013 |pages=31 |language=en}}</ref>

In 844, Abd ar-Rahman repulsed [[Viking raid on Seville|an assault]] by [[Vikings]] who had disembarked in [[Cádiz]], conquered [[Seville]] (with the exception of its citadel) and attacked Córdoba itself. Thereafter he constructed a fleet and naval arsenal at Seville to repel future raids.

He responded to [[William of Septimania]]'s requests of assistance in his struggle against [[Charles the Bald]] who had claimed lands William considered to be his.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=El-Hajji |first=Abderrahman |title="Andalusian Diplomatic Relations with the Franks during the Umayyad period" |journal=Islamic Studies |volume=6 |pages=27–28}}</ref>

[[File:Abderramán II.jpg|thumb|Statue of Abd ar-Rahman II in [[Murcia]], Spain]]Abd ar-Rahman was famous for his public building program in Córdoba. He made additions to the [[Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba]].<ref name="EB" /> A vigorous and effective frontier warrior, he was also well known as a patron of the arts.<ref>{{cite book |author=Thorne, John |title=Chambers biographical dictionary |publisher=Chambers |location=Edinburgh |year=1984 |isbn=0-550-18022-2 }}</ref> He was also involved in the execution of the "[[Martyrs of Córdoba]]",<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Abd-ar-Rahman|display=Abd-ar-Rahman s.v. Abd-ar-Rahman II|volume=1|page=31}}</ref> and was a patron of the great composer [[Ziryab]]. He died in 852 in Córdoba.

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Banu Umayyah]]|792|||852|[[Quraysh (tribe)|Banu Quraish]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[al-Hakam I]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Emir of Córdoba]]|years=822–852}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Muhammad I of Umayyad|Muhammad I]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Umayyads}}
{{Umayyad governors of al-Andalus}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Emirs of Córdoba]]
[[Category:792 births]]
[[Category:852 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Toledo, Spain]]
[[Category:9th-century monarchs in Europe]]
[[Category:8th-century Arab people]]
[[Category:9th-century Arab people]]