The Mercenary Mediterranean_ Sovereignty, Religion, and Violence in the Medieval Crown of Aragon - Hussein Fancy

130 chapter six

that they were willing to join the Crown against Castile.^72 In other words,

the Crown of Aragon had become a refuge for Muslim soldiers, not (or

not merely) seeking profit but rather hoping to continue to fight against

the sultan of Granada and the king of Castile. It was this climate of rebel-

lion that motivated al- ‘Abbās b. Raḥḥū— who was an uncle of Ḥammū

and had also been held prisoner in Almería for his attempts to thwart a

Granadan alliance with Castile — along with a handful of other prominent

members of the Banū Raḥḥū to cross into the service of the Crown of

Aragon.^73 An Aragonese royal official reported to King Jaume: “Believe,

my lord, that from what he says, al- ‘Abbās and the others want to serve

us and in this they are worth more than all other armed knights (quens

hic valen mes que no farien atretans cavayls armats), and know, my lord,

that throughout the frontier, your enemies tremble and have great fear of

them.”^74

Mutual Exception

On December 22 , 1303 , al- ‘Abbās signed a contract for service and pre-

sented it to King Jaume II.^75 He swore allegiance to the king on behalf not

only of the other members of the Banū Raḥḥū in his entourage but also of

all the jenets and corporals (cabos) of the jenets in Valencia and Murcia,

suggesting that al- ‘Abbās was now commander of these Muslim troops in

the lands of the Crown of Aragon. Al- ‘Abbās agreed to place hostages

(rahenes) in the king’s charge in return for three Murcian castles — Negra,

Lorquí, and Ceutí— which he would hold as a vassal of the king and

from which he would collect income (map 5 ).^76 Al- ‘Abbās also agreed to

seek permission from the king or his royal procurator before leaving the

Crown’s service. Finally and most significantly, he promised to support

the Aragonese king against all his enemies whether Christian or Muslim

(si quiere Christianos si quiere Moros) and more particularly, against the

kings of Granada and Castile, with whom the Banū Raḥḥū were in dis-

pute. But in this final regard — his willingness to attack other Muslims —

al- ‘Abbās’ terms of service were all but unique.^77 Al- ‘Abbās appeared to

place no limits on his service. He, the other members of the Banū Raḥḥū,

and a handful of other Ghuzāh leaders in their company sealed this com-

mitment by swearing on the Qur’ān: “And we swear in the presence of

you, Lord King, by the Qur’ān that everything above will be held and

completed by us in good faith and without trickery.”^78