Almanzor, the man who turned Córdoba into a great military power
More than a thousand years ago, the Iberian Peninsula was not as we know it today; Spain did not yet exist as a country, and the territory was divided among different peoples and kingdoms.
In the south and a good part of the center of the peninsula was al-Andalus, a territory ruled by Muslims, whose capital was Córdoba, a city located in modern-day Andalusia, in southern Spain. It was there, around the year 938, that Almanzor was born, whose real name was Muhammad ibn Abi Amir. As a young man, he moved to Córdoba to work and begin his career in the administration of the Caliphate of Córdoba, and thanks to his ability to network with powerful people, he held increasingly important positions.
At that time, the ruler of al-Andalus was Caliph Hisham II, for whom Almanzor managed to become the principal collaborator, eventually controlling much of the government. So, although he was never caliph, he became the man who made the most important decisions, especially those related to the army.
Almanzor's military campaigns: An army that traversed the peninsula
One of the main reasons Almanzor went down in history was his numerous military campaigns, as he organized expeditions from Córdoba against the territories governed by Christians in the north of the Iberian Peninsula.
These expeditions were called "aceifas," and during them, soldiers covered great distances, attacked cities and fortresses, and returned with riches and prisoners. In this way, Almanzor managed to increase the power of Córdoba and keep his enemies under pressure.
Almanzor's campaigns reached different places; his troops attacked territories in León, Navarre, Castile, and the County of Barcelona, which, in the year 985, was conquered and sacked by his army.
For more than twenty years, Almanzor led these types of expeditions, and his army became a force feared by many of the Christian rulers of the north.
The sacking of Santiago de Compostela
In the year 997, one of the most famous episodes of Almanzor's life occurred. His army marched toward Santiago de Compostela, a city in the northwest of the peninsula that even then held enormous religious importance for Christians.
But if you are asking: Why did Almanzor sack Santiago? You must keep in mind that, to understand the attack, one must remember that Santiago was considered the city related to the Apostle James, one of the most important figures in Christianity, so attacking that place had military significance, but also meant demonstrating Almanzor's power to the Christian territories.
The army entered Santiago and the city was sacked. Medieval sources recount that the bells related to the sanctuary were transported to Córdoba where, according to tradition, they were taken to the Great Mosque of the city to be used as lamps.
The attack turned Santiago into one of the best-known episodes of Almanzor's campaigns and reinforced the fame he had acquired as a great military chief of al-Andalus.
Almanzor's final years
Almanzor continued to organize campaigns until the final years of his life. In the year 1002, he undertook a new military expedition, and during the return, he died near Medinaceli, in the modern-day province of Soria, when he was around sixty years old.
After his death, his sons tried to maintain the power he had built, but the system began to weaken; therefore, over the years, internal struggles increased, and the Caliphate of Córdoba ended up disappearing in 1031.
