Count Cassius

Count Cassius ( c. 714 ), also called Graf Casi ( Qasi ) ( in Arabic: قسى قومس, " Kasi kumis ", or " Qasi qūmis " = Qasi comes ), was a Visigoth or Ibero -Roman nobleman who at the beginning of the 8th century, that is the end of the Visigoth kingdom of Toledo, in northern Spain along the middle course of the river Ebro managed a county. After the conquest of Spain by the Saracens, he was one of the Visigothic magnates who the new masters submitted, converted to Islam and were able to maintain their position of power. Count Cassius was by his descendants to the founding father of the eponymous family of " Banu Qasi " (ie the sons / descendants of Qasi / Cassius ), which until the tenth century in the northern marrow of the Emirates or the later Caliphate of Córdoba at times played a leading role. Musa ibn Musa was doing Banu Qasi, a great-grandson of Count Cassius, which was designated because of its abundance of power as " the third king of Spain " Of paramount importance.

Origin

On the origin of the Count Cassius, there are no further details in contemporary sources. The much later - around the year 911 - authored Chronicle of Alfonso III. of Asturias ( 866-910 ), the history of the Visigoth kingdom from the year 672, and the kingdom of Asturias until the time of King Alfonso III of government Antrittes. treated, referred to him as Goths with Mohammedan faith. The name Qasi / Casio / Cassius could, however, indicate that he comes from a Romanized Iberian family or a relative of such a committee.

Life

No contemporary sources

See also about the life of Count Cassius because of the low number of contemporary documents provide details in later sources, especially in the Arab polymath and historian Ibn Hazm (* 994 in Cordoba, † 1064 in Niebla ), the self- Arabized from an originally Visigoth family came, lived in Córdoba in the 11th century, including the famous book about love " the Ring of the Dove " wrote. After Alberto Cañada Juste Ibn Hazm stated, in his book Risala di fadl al -Andalus to have known a chronicle about the family by Banu Qasi, but this is not known. There is also information about Count Cassius can also be found in the work of the Andalusian scholar Ibn al - Qutiyya († November 8 977 ) Ta'rikh iftitah al -Andalus ( History of the Conquest of al -Andalus ). It is noteworthy that even this - although Arab origin (actual name: Muhammad ibn Umar ibn Abd al - Aziz ibn Ibrahim ibn Isa ibn Mazahim ) - has a family relationship with the Visigoths. Its common name Ibn al - Qutiyya means "son or descendant of the Gothic woman." He himself held to determine that he through the female line from the Visigoth king Witiza ( 702-710 ), ( † 719), stems. This is because the granddaughter of King Witiza, Sarah the Gotin, to Damascus traveled to the Caliph Hisham - to reclaim her by an uncle threatened inheritance rights, there married an Arab follower of the caliphs and in Spain, leaving descendants, to which ( 724 743 ) not only Ibn al - Qutiyya, but also the Sevillian families of Banu Maslamah and the Banu Hayyay included.

West Gothic Count

These sources, it can be seen that at the time of the conquest of Spain by the Saracens Graf called Qasi ( " Qasi kumis " = Cassius comes ) in the "Upper Mark " of al -Andalus ( the conquered by the Arabs of Spain ) lived, whose territory was located on the middle course of the river Ebro and about the area of ​​the cities Tudela, Tarazona, Borja at Zaragoza and Eja de los Caballeros included.

Conversion to Islam, a vassal of the caliph

As Musa ibn Nusayr (c. 640, † 716, full name Abu Abd ar -Rahman Musa ibn Nusayr ibn Abd ar -Rahman Zayd al - Lajmi ), who reigned as the Umayyad governor of North Africa, 703-714, at the top of conquering army of the Saracens pushed forward in the northeast of Spain, there was a meeting with the Count Cassius. Given the choice, take a losing battle, or to remain a Christian, but to lose its sovereign rights or to the Caliph Al- Walid I ( 705-715 ) to submit to convert to Islam and thus to retain his position of power, decided to Count Cassius in the fall of 713 for the latter and was thus able to retain control of its territory as a vassal of the caliph in Damascus.

This possibility also took advantage of other Gothic magnate .. So, among other things Teodemiro ( 743 ), the Lord of Baltana, Alicante, Murcia, Villena, Lorca and Ello, the April 5, 713 Abd al- Aziz ibn Musa, the son of Musa ibn Nusair, on April 5, a 713 - signed capitulation treaty that guaranteed him to maintain his rule - obtained in the wording.

Count Cassius remained in close contact with Musa ibn Nusair, is not ruled out that he was obliged to military service and thus had to join the conquest of the governor, by this soon after the regional capital Zaragoza and subsequently in Asturias the cities of León, Astorga, Zamora and finally conquered Lugo.

Personal submission in Damascus

Certainly, however, is that - as Musa ibn Nusair was convened by the Caliph to report - Count Cassius on his journey to Damascus, accompanied him in the year 714 in order to personally submit to the Caliph al - Walid there. Ibn Hazm confirmed that Graf Qasi ( Cassius ) the progenitor of (after called him) family of Banu Qasi was the vassal ( " mawali ") of the dynasty of the Umayyads were and in the internal power struggles in Spain regularly the Party of Northern Arabs against the Yemenis supported. The date of its formal submission to the Caliphate of Damascus can be narrowed down pretty much based on the known fundamentals. They came after the troops of the governor of the caliphs in North Africa, Musa ibn Nusair, the city had conquered Mérida on June 30, 713 and 713 were advancing in the autumn in the middle basin of the Ebro, where the lands of Count Cassius were. It took place at the latest at the beginning of the year 715, as the Caliph al- Walid died in Damascus on February 25, 715 and thus probably in 714, following the journey of Musa ibn Nusair to Damascus, and a whole army of captive Goths loaded with immense booty traveled to the capital of the caliphate.

Marriage and issue

About the wife of Count Cassius no data are known. The reason for the naming of his sons - only the first wearing a Christian name, the other those of Islamic origin - should be explained from the fact that Fortún was born to Islam before the conversion, the other sons, however, were afterwards and therefore the name of religion newly adopted. Whether this is also suggesting that these sons come from a closed after the conversion later or second marriage of the Count with a woman of Muslim religion, remains to be seen. Children: The historian Ibn Hazm (* 994, † 1064 ) mentions five sons of the Count, but not probably as existing subsidiaries:

  • Fortún Banu Qasi (c. 710) was " Vali " (Arabic: والي Wali, ie governor) of the Umayyads of Zaragoza and the surrounding progenitor of the " Banu Qasi » Family
  • Abu Tawr Banu Qasi, this was probably identical by Philippe Sénac with the 777 historically demonstrable Abu Thawr, of the city of Huesca was one of the Muslim regional rulers as Vali ( governor ) who tried their independence from the emirate of Cordoba by an alliance with the Christian protect neighbors and therefore Charlemagne (* 742, † 814) in the year 778 to his - led campaign against Zaragoza - unsuccessful.
  • Abu Salama Banu Qasi, was by Alberto Cañada Juste probably the progenitor of the Banu Salama family lives on their name in the river Guatizalema ( Wadi Salama ) near Huesca.
  • Yunus Banu Qasi
  • Yahia Banu Qasi
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