Yusuf I of Granada

Yusuf I (June 29, 1318-October 19, 1354), was the seventh Nasrid ruler of Granada in Iberia and was in power between 1333 and 1354. Yusuf constructed the Gate of Justice, forming the grand entrance to the Alhambra in 1348. He likewise adorned many of the courts and halls of the palace, as may be seen by the inscriptions on the walls, in which his name repeatedly occurs. He founded a religious school in the heart of his capital in 1349. He also rebuilt the noble Alcazaba of Málaga , the ancestral home of his paternal grandfather Abu Said Faraj, the former governor of Málaga . A detailed portrait of Yusuf indicates "he was white-skinned, naturally strong, had a fine figure and an even finer character. His teeth sparkled, he had large eyes and dark straight hair, a thick beard, a handsome face and a clear voice that was a pleasure to hear. His figure and beauty made him stand out among other people. God endowed him with an extraordinary intelligence , good judgment and sound opinions. He was ingenious and thoughtful and could foresee the future. By nature pacific, he tried to maintain friendship with all the other monarchs of his day. He loved art and was especially fascinated by architecture. He liked to dress with elegance, was a collector of arms and adornments and had some mechanical ability." Like his brother and predecessor Muhammed IV, he lived under the influence of the courtiers and his paternal grandmother, Fatima. As a minor, Moorish chroniclers noted his authority "was limited to choosing the food he wished to eat from the dishes that were placed before him." He established peace with Alfonso XI of Castile but once the four years of agreed peace were over, he allied with the Marinid dynasty who had entered the Iberian Peninsula via Gibraltar . He lost Algeciras in 1344 and Gibraltar in 1349 after having undergone a difficult siege in which Alfonso XI of Castile died due to the plague, after having besieged Gibraltar. As a gesture of his goodwill towards the Christian kingdoms, Yusuf gave orders to his own troops and the leaders of the frontier towns not to attack the cortege as it traveled to Seville. He received his subjects publicly every week on Monday and Thursday to listen to their concerns. On solemn state occasions, he presided over court activities from a wooden folding armchair that is currently preserved in the Museo de la Alhambra and bears the Nasrid coat of arms across its back. Yusuf had two wives, the first Butayna, was a former slave who bore him his heir, Muhammed V when he was twenty and a daughter named A'isha. Yusuf's second wife, Maryem, who was also a slave bore him seven children. These children were two sons Ismail II, who was born nine months after Muhammed V, and another son Qays as well as five daughters, named Fatima, Mu'mina, Khadija, Shams and Zaynab. The eldest married her cousin who would reign as Muhammed VI . Maryem's influence was said to be greater than that of Butayna, and Yusuf favored his second son Ismail above his other children, which would have consequences in later years. Yusuf I was assassinated whilst praying in a mosque in Granada at the age of thirty-six. On October 19, 1354, a maniac rushed suddenly from behind and plunged a dagger in his chest. The cries of the king brought his guards and courtiers to his assistance. They found him weltering in his blood. He made some signs as if to speak, but his words were unintelligible. They bore him senseless to the royal apartments, where he died almost immediately. His eldest son, Muhammed V succeeded him at the age of sixteen.

It can also refer to Yusuf I, Almohad Caliph . Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada (June 29, 1318 – October 19, 1354) was the seventh Nasrid ruler of the Moorish Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus on the Iberian Peninsula .

Abu'l-Hajjaj Yusuf I (June 29, 1318 – October 19, 1354), known by the regnal name al-Muayyad bi'llah ( ), was the seventh Nasrid ruler of the Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus on the Iberian Peninsula . He was Sultan between 1333 and 1354.

Sultan of Granada from 1333 to 1354 "Yusuf I" redirects here. Abu al-Hajjaj Yusuf ibn Ismail ( Arabic : أبو الحجاج يوسف بن إسماعيل ; 29 June 1318 – 19 October 1354), known by the regnal name al-Muayyad billah ( المؤيد بالله , "He who is aided by God"), was the seventh Nasrid ruler of the Emirate of Granada on the Iberian Peninsula . The third son of Ismail I ( r. 1314–1322 ), he was Sultan between 1333 and 1354, after his brother Muhammad IV ( r. 1325–1333 ) was assassinated. Coming to the throne at age fifteen, he was initially treated as a minor and given only limited power by his ministers and his grandmother Fatima . In February 1334, his representatives secured a four-year peace treaty with Granada's neighbours Castile and the Marinid Sultanate . Aragon joined in the treaty in May. After gaining more control of the government, in 1338 or 1340 he expelled the Banu Abi al-Ula family , who had masterminded the murder of his brother and had been the leaders of the Volunteers of the Faith —North African soldiers who fought for Granada. After the treaty expired, he allied himself with Abu al-Hasan Ali ( r. 1331–1348 ) of the Marinids against Alfonso XI of Castile ( r. 1312–1350 ). After winning a major naval victory in April 1340, the Marinid–Granadan alliance was decisively defeated on 30 October in the disastrous Battle of Río Salado . In its aftermath, Yusuf was unable to prevent Castile from taking several Granadan castles and towns, including Alcalá de Benzaide , Locubín , Priego and Benamejí . In 1342–1344, Alfonso XI besieged the strategic port of Algeciras . Yusuf led his troops in diversionary raids into Castilian territory, and later engaged the besieging army, but the city fell in March 1344. A ten-year peace treaty with Castile followed. In 1349, Alfonso XI broke the treaty and invaded again, laying siege to Gibraltar . Yusuf was responsible for supplying the besieged port, and led counter-attacks into Castile. The siege was lifted when Alfonso XI died of the Black Death in March 1350. Out of respect, Yusuf ordered his commanders to not attack the Castilian army as they retreated from Granadan territories carrying their king's body. Yusuf signed a treaty with Alfonso's son and successor Peter I ( r. 1350–1366 ), even sending his troops to suppress a domestic rebellion against the Castilian king, as required by the treaty. His relation with the Marinids deteriorated when he provided refuge for the rebellious brothers of Sultan Abu Inan Faris ( r. 1348–1358 ). He was assassinated by a madman while praying in the Great Mosque of Granada, on the day of Eid al-Fitr , 19 October 1354. In contrast to the military and territorial losses suffered during his reign, the emirate flourished in the fields of literature, architecture, medicine and the law. Among other new buildings, he constructed the Madrasa Yusufiyya inside the city of Granada, as well as the Tower of Justice and various additions to the Comares Palace of the Alhambra . Major cultural figures served in his court, including the hajib Abu Nu'aym Ridwan , as well as the poet Ibn al-Jayyab and the polymath Ibn al-Khatib , who consecutively served as his viziers . Modern historians consider his reign, and that of his son Muhammad V ( r. 1354–1359, 1362–1391 ), as the golden era of the Emirate. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).