etymologies and etiologies 31
their initial hostility during the Aragonese conquests of the Balearics
( 1229 ) and Valencia ( 1238 ), the Ḥafṣids eventually developed a consistent
and pacific relationship with the Crown of Aragon, continuing up to 1282.^87
This relationship developed out of and depended upon the influence al-
ready established by Christian adventurers — merchants, missionaries,
renegades, and soldiers — who lived at or attended the Ḥafṣid court.^88 Ara-
gonese soldiers, in particular, helped to defend Tunis from its predatory
neighbors, both Christian and Muslim. In 1285 , at Coll de Panissars, where
the five jenets riding mules were headed, King Pere agreed to a monu-
mental fifteen- year peace with Tunis, temporarily defusing the emerging
tension between them.^89
Like the Ḥafṣids, the ‘Abd al- Wādids sought alliances across the Medi-
terranean to defend themselves against their ambitious neighbor, the Ma-
rīnid sultan.^90 A powerful contingent of Christian soldiers, including the
captain “Bīrnabas,” served valiantly in the struggle against the Marīnids
and facilitated connections between the ‘Abd al- Wādids and the Christian
Iberian kingdoms.^91 The tripartite alliance between the ‘Abd al- Wādids,
Castilians, and Naṣrids against the Marīnids ended abruptly with the death
of the founder of the ‘Abd al- Wādid dynasty, Abū Yaḥyā Yaghmurāsan, in
1283. At the advice of his ailing father, Abū Sa‘īd ‘Uthmān b. Yaghmurāsan
(r. 1283 – 1304 ) decided to sue for peace with the Marīnids.^92 Thus, by 1285 ,
the ‘Abd al- Wādids had taken an introverted posture, hoping that the sul-
tan of Fez would focus his attention elsewhere.
The Marīnids followed a different path from the Ḥafṣids or ‘Abd al-
Wādids. With the exception of the year 1274 — when they struck a brief
alliance with the Aragonese king — the Marīnids were openly hostile to-
ward both the Crown of Aragon and Castile.^93 The sultan Abū Yūsuf
(r. 1258 – 1286 ) displayed a particular passion for jihād and conducted four
expeditions for the purpose of aiding the Mudéjares in 1275 , 1276 , 1283 ,
and 1284 : “From the beginning, the commander of the Muslims, Abū
Yūsuf, was disposed to perform jihād (kāna... mu’thiran ‘amal al- jihād),
addicted to it (kalifan bi- hi), and opting for it (mukhtāran lahu) to such
a degree that it became the greatest of his hopes.”^94 The anonymous al-
Dhakhīra al- saniyya described in vivid terms the appearance of the first
Marīnid army as it departed for Spain:
In the year 674 ( 1275 CE) on the first day of Muḥarram, the commander of the
Muslims Abū Yūsuf arrived at the Fortress of the Crossing (qaṣr al- majāz) and
settled there. He undertook transporting the holy warriors to al- Andalus with