Abu Zakariya

Abu Zakariya Yahya ibn Hafs I. (. Arabic أبو زكريا يحيى بن حفص, DMG Abu Zakariya Yahya b Hafs, also al - Hafsi / الحفصي / al - Hafsi; * 1203, † 1249 ) was ruler of the Hafsids in Ifriqiya ( 1229-1249 ).

Abu Zakariya Yahya I was a descendant of Abu Hafs Umar, who was one of the earliest followers of Ibn Tumarts and the first Almohadenkalifen. His descendants occupied important positions within the Empire. So already Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Hafs Umar, the father of Yahya I., after 1200, was governor of Ifriqiya had been. As such, he had successfully Yahya ibn Ganiya fights (see: Almohads ). This could get to influence the Hafsids in Ifriqiya increasingly.

The reason for setting up its own empire in Ifriqiya to 1229 was the condemnation of the Almohad Caliph Almohad doctrine, by Idris I. al - Mamun ( 1227-1232 ). This took Yahya I. to portray themselves as keepers of the Almohad tradition. In fact, many Almohad institutions have been applied, in which the old ruling class could further make their influence felt. Since the Almohads were weakened by infighting, Yahya I. initially managed the expansion of his dominion. So he conquered in 1230, Constantine, Algiers in 1235 and sold in 1242 Abdalwadiden from Tlemcen. Even the Marinids recognized in Morocco in 1245 partly to the supremacy of the Hafsids.

In addition to military expansion Yahya I. promoted trade by established diplomatic relations with Emperor Frederick II in Italy and Aragon, and completed trade agreements with Venice, Pisa and Genoa. With the rise of maritime trade Tunis rose to economic and cultural center of the empire. This was also favored by the settlement of Muslim refugees from Andalusia. Under Abu Zakariya Yahya I. also the first madrasah in Tunis was built. After the death of Abu Zakariya Yahya I. his son Muhammad al - Mustansir I followed (1249-1277) to the throne.