On This Day

Caliphate of Cordoba is established by Emir Abd-al-Rahman III

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Ḥakam al-Rabdī ibn Hishām ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Dākhil al-Marwānī al-Umawī al-Qurashī, or simply ʿAbd al-Raḥmān III,...

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Ḥakam al-Rabdī ibn Hishām ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Dākhil al-Marwānī al-Umawī al-Qurashī, or simply ʿAbd al-Raḥmān III, was the Umayyad Emir of Córdoba from 912 to 929, at which point he founded the Caliphate of Córdoba, serving as its first caliph until his death. Abd al-Rahman won the laqab (sobriquet) al-Nāṣir li-Dīn Allāh (lit. 'the Defender of God's Faith') in his early 20s when he supported the Maghrawa Berbers in North Africa against Fatimid expansion and later claimed the title of Caliph for himself. His half-century reign was known for its religious tolerance.

Events Before

  1. Aethelstan crowned King of the Anglo Saxons by the Archbishop of Canterbury at Kingston upon Thames

    Æthelstan or Athelstan was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927 and King of the English from 927 to his death in 939. He was the son of King Edward the Elder and his first wife, Ecgwynn.

  2. Battle of the Bosnian Highlands: Simeon I of Bulgaria is defeated by King Tomislav of Croatia

    Simeon I the Great was the ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire from 893 until his death in 927.

  3. King Aethelstan is the first southern English king to gain control of much of the north of Britain when various local ki

    King Aethelstan is the first southern English king to gain control of much of the north of Britain when various local kings accept his overlordship at Eamont, Cumbria

  4. The Saracens conquer and destroy Taranto (southern Italy)

    The Saracens conquer and destroy Taranto (southern Italy)

  5. Trpimir II succeeds to the Croatian throne.

    Trpimir II succeeds to the Croatian throne.

Events After

  1. World's oldest parliament, the Icelandic Parliament is established, the Alþingi (anglicised as Althing or Althingi)

    The Alþingi, anglicised as Althingi or Althing, is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is the oldest surviving parliament in the world.

  2. Battle of Riade: German King Henry I defeats the Magyars in northern Thuringia

    The Battle of Riade or Battle of Merseburg was fought between the troops of East Francia under King Henry I and the Magyars at an unidentified location in northern Thuringia along the river Unstrut...

  3. Saint Wenceslas is murdered by his brother Boleslaus I of Bohemia

    Wenceslaus I, Wenceslas I or Václav the Good was the Prince (kníže) of Bohemia from 921 until his death, probably in 935.

  4. Duke Alberik II of Spoleto appoints his son Pope Leo VII

    Duke Alberik II of Spoleto appoints his son Pope Leo VII

  5. Louis IV [Louis of Overseas], crowned King of France

    Louis IV (920/921 – 10 September 954), called d'Outremer or Transmarinus ("From overseas"), reigned as King of West Francia from 936 to 954.

More from the 920s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on January 16, 929?
ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Ḥakam al-Rabdī ibn Hishām ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Dākhil al-Marwānī al-Umawī al-Qurashī, or simply ʿAbd al-Raḥmān III, was the Umayyad Emir of Córdoba from 912 to 929, at which point he founded the Caliphate of Córdoba, serving as its first caliph until his death. Abd al-Rahman won the laqab (sobriquet) al-Nāṣir li-Dīn Allāh (lit. 'the Defender of God's Faith') in his early 20s when he supported the Maghrawa Berbers in North Africa against Fatimid expansion and later claimed the title of Caliph for himself.
Why is Caliphate of Cordoba is established by Emir Abd-al-Rahman III historically important?
'the Defender of God's Faith') in his early 20s when he supported the Maghrawa Berbers in North Africa against Fatimid expansion and later claimed the title of Caliph for himself. His half-century reign was known for its religious tolerance.

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