The Great Ruling Family of the Fourteenth Century: Muṣāhara in the Age of Ibn al-Khaṭīb
Muṣāhara (affinity/relation by marriage) represented one of the essential distinctions of the ruling elite of fourteenth-century Granada. Ibn al-Khaṭīb understood its importance for life in Granada and he felt the need to mention it whenever two people were related by marriage. His perception has be...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Brill
2014
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In: |
Medieval encounters
Year: 2014, Volume: 20, Issue: 4/5, Pages: 306-339 |
Further subjects: | B
muṣāhara
Ibn al-Khaṭīb
wizāra
Ibn al-Maḥrūq
al-Fihrī
political elite
Nasrids
ruling elite
khāṣṣa
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Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
Summary: | Muṣāhara (affinity/relation by marriage) represented one of the essential distinctions of the ruling elite of fourteenth-century Granada. Ibn al-Khaṭīb understood its importance for life in Granada and he felt the need to mention it whenever two people were related by marriage. His perception has been taken as one of the most fundamental for historical research, as he drew on his personal experience in Granada. This study first defines the concept of the ruling elite of fourteenth-century Granada. Within this group, the concept of muṣāhara as understood by Ibn al-Khaṭīb is further elaborated. The definition of muṣāhara is followed by the description of its actual use among the families close to the office of the vizier (wazīr) and by Ibn al-Khaṭīb himself. The history of one of these families (al-Fihrī) has been hailed as an exceptional example of the “ruling elite family” that included contemporaries and adversaries of Ibn al-Khaṭīb. The example of the al-Fihrī family shows how strong and active their position was during the rule of every fourteenth-century emir. Consequently, this study demonstrates that the extensive Granadan families similar to those known from the fifteenth century had existed and cooperated with each other before this time. |
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ISSN: | 1570-0674 |
Contains: | In: Medieval encounters
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15700674-12342177 |