Nasrid dynasty

 ( Alhambra ) 

The Nasrid dynasty ( banū Naṣr or بنو الأحمر banū al-Aḥmar; ) was an Arab dynasty that ruled the Emirate of Granada from 1232 to 1492.

Bárbara Boloix-Gallardo (2025). 9789004425811, Brill. ISBN 9789004425811

It was the last Muslim dynasty in the Iberian Peninsula. Twenty-three sultans ruled Granada from the founding of the dynasty in 1232 by Muhammad I until 1492, when Muhammad XII surrendered all lands to Isabella I of Castile. Today, the most visible evidence of the Nasrid dynasty is the Alhambra palace complex built under their reign.

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Historical background The dynasty founded by Muhammad I of Granada held a territory that included Granada, Jaén, Almería, and Málaga. Valencia, Játiva, and Jaén were conquered by Christians during the campaigns of the Reconquista and for the most part, the Nasrids were made into tribute-paying from 1243. Granada continued as a center of Islamic culture. The Nasrids later formed alliances with the Marinids of Morocco.

Nasrid crafts like textile work such as ceramic overglaze used techniques from 9th century Baghdad and were applied to make lusterware, first in Málaga, Murcia, and Almería, and then by the 15th century in Manises. This style of pottery produced first under Muslim patronage, then Christian, influenced the later style of colorful and glazed Italian ceramics known as maiolica. Throughout the 14th century, the Nasrids are noted for their palace architecture like the Alhambra, which was a product of the efforts of Ismail I and Muhammad V.

In 1469, Ferdinand II of Aragon married Isabella I of Castile, resulting in the union of the Christian kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. The monarchs shared a common cause of conquering the last Muslim kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula. During the time the Christians were launching a campaign against the Emirate of Granada that would effectively end the Nasrid dynasty, the Nasrids were engaged in a civil war over the throne of Granada. When Abu l-Hasan Ali, Sultan of Granada, was ousted by his son Muhammad XII, Abu l-Hasan Ali retreated to Málaga and civil war broke out between the competing factions. Christians took full advantage of this and continued capturing Muslim strongholds. Muhammed XII was caught by Christian forces in 1483 at Lucena, Córdoba. He was freed after he swore an oath of allegiance to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. Abu l-Hasan Ali finally abdicated in favor of his brother Muhammad XIII, Sultan of Granada, known as Al-Zaghal (the valiant), and a power struggle with Muhammad XII continued. Al-Zaghal prevailed in the inner struggle but was forced to surrender to the Christians. Muhammad XII surrendered Granada to Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492 and was given a lordship in the Alpujarras mountains, but instead took financial compensation from the Spanish crown to leave the Iberian Peninsula.

The remaining Muslim population was given the status of mudéjar.

File:CoA Nasrid kings Alhambra Granada Spain (cropped).jpg|Coat of Arms of the Emirate of Granada on a wall in the Alhambra, Nasrid dynasty (1013–1492) File:Wernigeroder Wappenbuch 056.jpg|Contemporary coat of arms (upper right) of the Nasrid dynasty of Granada with garbled Arabic inscription ( Wernigerode Armorial). File:Nasrid Dynasty Textile Fragment.jpg|A silk textile fragment from the last Muslim dynasty of Al-Andalus, the Nasrid Dynasty (1232–1492), with the epigraphic inscription "glory to our lord the Sultan". File:Hall of Kings (Alhambra), 10 kings cropped.jpg|Painting in the ceiling of the Hall of Kings of the Alhambra, depicting the ten Sultans of Granada.

Raleigh Trevelyan (1985). 9780436534010, Secker & Warburg. . ISBN 9780436534010

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Lineage The Nasrid dynasty was descended from the Arab Banu Khazraj tribe, and claimed direct male-line descent from Sa'd ibn Ubadah, the chief of the tribe and one of the Sahaba of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Philip K. Hitti (2025). 9781137039828, Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781137039828

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Family tree The family tree below shows the genealogical relationship between each sultan of the Nasrid dynasty.

William Hickling Prescott (1995). 9781853671937, Greenhill Books. . ISBN 9781853671937

It starts with their common ancestor, al-Ahmar. Daughters are omitted, as are sons whose descendants never reigned. During times of rival claims to the throne, the family tree generally recognizes the sultan who controlled the city of Granada itself and the Alhambra palace.

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List of Nasrid sultans of Granada

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First dynasty (al-dawla al-ghalibiyya) Sources:

1	Abu Abdallah Muhammad I al-Ghalib bi'llah	c. 1194	22 January 1273	1232 – 22 January 1273
2	Abu Abdallah Muhammad II al-Faqih	c. 1235	8 April 1302	22 January 1273 – 8 April 1302
3	Abu Abdallah Muhammad III al-Makhlu	15 August 1257	21 January 1314	8 April 1302 – 14 March 1309
4	Abu'l-Juyush Nasr	1 November 1287	16 November 1322	14 March 1309 – 8 February 1314

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Second dynasty (al-dawla al-isma'iliyya al-nasriyya) Sources:

5	Abu'l-Walid Ismail I	3 March 1279	8 July 1325	February 1314 – 8 July 1325
6	Abu Abdallah Muhammad IV	14 April 1315	25 August 1333	8 July 1325 – 25 August 1333
7	Abu'l-Hajjaj Yusuf I al-Muayyad bi'llah	29 June 1318	19 October 1354	August 1333 – 19 October 1354
8	Abu Abdallah Muhammad V al-Ghani bi'llah	4 January 1339	16 January 1391	October 1354 – August 1359
9	Abu'l-Walid Ismail II	4 October 1339	24 June or 13 July 1360	23 August 1359 – 24 June/13 July 1360
10	Abu Abdallah Muhammad VI al-Ghalib bi'llah	1333	25 April 1362	June/July 1360 – April 1362	known as "The Red King" ( el rey Bermejo)
11	Abu Abdallah Muhammad V al-Ghani bi'llah (2x)	4 January 1339	16 January 1391	April 1362 – 16 January 1391
12	Abu'l-Hajjaj Yusuf II al-Mustaghni bi'llah	c. 1356	5 October 1392	15 January 1391 – 5 October 1392
13	Abu Abdallah Muhammad VII	c. 1377	13 May 1408	3 October 1392 – 13 May 1408
14	Abu'l-Hajjaj Yusuf III al-Nasir li-Din Allah	1376	9 November 1417	May 1408 – 9 November 1417
15	Muhammad VIII al-Mutamassik	1411	1431	November 1417–1419	known as "the Little One" ( al-Saghir/ el Pequeño)
16	Abu Abdallah Muhammad IX al-Ghalib bi'llah	1396	1454	1419–1427	known as "the Left-Handed" ( al-Aysar/ el Zurdo)
17	Muhammad VIII al-Mutamassik (2x)	1411	1431	1427–1429	known as "the Little One" ( al-Saghir/ el Pequeño)
18	Abu Abdallah Muhammad IX al-Ghalib bi'llah (2x)	1396	1454	1430–1431	known as "the Left-Handed" ( al-Aysar/ el Zurdo)
19	Abu'l-Hajjaj Yusuf IV	unknown	1432	1431–1432	known as Ibn al-Mawl or Abenalmao
20	Abu Abdallah Muhammad IX al-Ghalib bi'llah (3x)	1396	1454	1432–1445	known as "the Left-Handed" ( al-Aysar/ el Zurdo)
21	Abu Abdallah Muhammad X	1415	1454	1445	known as "The Lame" ( al-Ahnaf/ el Cojo)
22	Yusuf V	unknown	1463	1445–1446, 1462	known as Ibn Ismail or Aben Ismael
23	Abu Abdallah Muhammad X (2x)	1415	1454	1446–1447	known as "The Lame" ( al-Ahnaf/ el Cojo)
24	Ismail III	unknown	1448	1447–1448
25	Abu Abdallah Muhammad IX al-Ghalib bi'llah (4x)	1396	1454	1448–1453	known as "the Left-Handed" ( al-Aysar/ el Zurdo)
26	Muhammad XI	unknown	1454	1453–1454	known as "The Little Fellow" ( el Chiquito)
27	Abu Nasr Sa'd al-Mustain bi'llah	unknown	1465	1454–1462	known as Ciriza and Muley Zad
28	Ismail IV	unknown	1463	1462–1463
29	Abu Nasr Sa'd al-Mustain bi'llah (2x)	unknown	1465	1463–1464	known as Ciriza and Muley Zad
30	Abu'l-Hasan Ali	unknown	1485	1464–1482	known as Muley Hacén
31	Abu Abdallah Muhammad XII	c. 1460	1533	1482	known as Boabdil
32	Abu'l-Hasan Ali (2x)	unknown	1485	1482–1485	known as Muley Hacén
33	Abu Abdallah Muhammad XIII	c. 1444	c. 1494	1485–1486	known as "The Brave" ( al-Zaghal/ el Zagal)
34	Abu Abdallah Muhammad XII (2x)	c. 1460	1533	1486–1492	known as Boabdil

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See also

• Al-Andalus
• Alhambra
• Romance of Abenámar
• Taifa of Granada

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Bibliography

• Antonio Fernández Puertas (1997). 9780863564666, Saqi Books. ISBN 9780863564666
• Antonio Fernández Puertas (1997). 9780863564673, Saqi Books. ISBN 9780863564673
• Leonard Patrick Harvey (1992). 9780226319629, University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226319629
• W. Montgomery Watt (1965). 9780748608478, Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 9780748608478
• Rachel Arié (1990). 9782701800523, De Boccard. ISBN 9782701800523
• Francisco Bueno (2025). 9788471690821, Miguel Sánchez. ISBN 9788471690821

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External links

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