ABD-ER-RAHMAN III, the greatest of the caliphs of Cordova, and the first under whom the emirate assumed the title of cali phate: b. 891, acceded 912; d. 961. Measured by what he found and what he left, he must be counted among the ablest rulers of history. The former was a throne to which most of the provincial governors had thrown off allegiance, and the rest rendered such obedience as suited them; a country in a state of permanent anar chy and civil war, perishing of racial, religious, and factional quarrels between Arabs and Moors; the Fatimite dynasty establishing a great empire in Africa, and looking for a speedy succession to the heritage of Spain; on the north, the new Christian states rapidly growing,—Alfonso III had recently moved his capital across the mountains to Leon, and San cho had founded the kingdom of Navarre,— so that what escaped the Africans would prob ably fall into the hands of the Christians. Abd-er-Rahman first put down the worst in ternal revolt, that of the family of the old brigand Omar ben Hafsun, whose stronghold in the mountains of Andalusia had become a centre for all the renegades, Christians, and rebels of the south. He tied the hands of the Fatimites by subsidizing the native princes who held out against them. The northern danger was the worst. Ordono II in 914 raided the territory of Merida; and though Mcrida had thrown off allegiance to Cordova, Abd-er-Rah man wished the more to show them that he was their protector. Collecting and equipping a
splendid army, in 918 he gained a great vic tory over the combined forces of Leon and Navarre, following it up with several cam paigns in which he penetrated to Pamplona, the capital of Navarre. These victories were not final: his fortunes were checkered on the Christian side, and he suffered some defeats. But his suzerainty over Navarre was recog nized, and in 960 a deposed king was reseated on the throne of Leon by Abd-er-Rahman's troops. Internally his success and glory were unqualified. At his death he left a consolidated kingdom, a full treasury in place of an empty one, internal order kept by a vigilant police, flourishing agriculture based on scientific irri gation, prosperous industries, commerce whose customs dues furnished the majority of the revenue, an income of which one-third paid the current expenses and another third was used for building, and the rest kept for a re serve, the best army in Europe, a superb navy which made him lord of the gates of the Medi terranean, and equality in diplomatic rank with the proudest sovereigns of the world.
Saracen chieftain who led an army of nearly 90,000 into Gaul, and was defeated and slain near Poitiers (usually known as the battle of Tours) by Charles Martel (q.v.).
See also Asn-mt RAHMAN.