THE.) AL-MANSUR (Arab. "victorious"), a surname (laqab) as sumed by a large number of Mohammedan princes. The best known are : AB1 JA'FAR IBN MOHAMMED, second caliph of the Abbasid house born A.D. who reigned A.D. 7 7 7 5 and found ed Baghdad in 764 (see CALIPHATE; § C, § 2) ; ABU TAHIR ISMA`IL IBN AL-QA`M, the third Fatimite caliph of Africa (946 953) (See FATIMITES) ; (3) ABU VUSUF VA 'QUB IBN VUSUF, often described as Jacob Almanzor, of the Moorish dynasty of the Almohades, conqueror of Alfonso VIII. in the battle of Alarcos ; (4) IBN ABI 'AMIR MOHAMMED, commonly called Alman zor by European writers, of an ancient but not illustrious Arab gamily, which had its seat at Torrox near Algeciras. The last named was born A.D. 939, and began life as a lawyer at Cordova. In 967 he obtained a place at the court of Hakam II., the Andalu sian caliph, and rapidly rose to distinction, enjoying the powerful support of Subh, the favourite of the caliph, and mother, of his heir Hisham. In 978, two years after the death of Hakam he be came chief minister, but at first Mansur had to share the power with his father-in-law Ghalib, the best general of Andalusia, and with Subh. At last a rupture took place between the two ministers. Ghalib professed himself the champion of the caliph and called in the aid of the Christians of Leon, but Mansur, anticipating the struggle, had long before remodelled the army and secured its sup port. Ghalib fell in battle (98 i ) ; a victorious campaign chastised the Leonese, and on his return to Cordova the victor became prac tically sovereign of Andalusia. The caliph was a mere prisoner of state, and Mansur ultimately assumed the title of king (996). He reconquered territory from Christians, and restored the Muslim power in Spain. In Africa his armies were for a time hard pressed by the revolt of Ziri, viceroy of Mauretania, but before his death this enemy had also fallen. Mansur died at Medinaceli on Aug. Io, 1002, and was succeeded by his son Mozaffar.