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

a sovereign crisis 49

Castle of Empostà (Amposta), south of Teruel in Catalonia, by the Hos-

pitaller Knights. Both Kings Pere II and Alfons II treated Abenadriz and

his wife with some deference.^67 Three years later, the Marīnid sultan, after

extended negotiations, would secure Abenadriz’s release for an astonish-

ing 3 , 600 gold dinars.^68 Abenadriz would also return freely to the Crown

of Aragon in 1291 as an ambassador from the Marīnid court.^69 All this

suggests that he was a man of some importance, and indeed, he is easily

identified in Arabic sources. He was ‘Īsā b. Idrīs, a nephew of Abū Yūsuf,

the Marīnid sultan. The significance of Conrad’s visit with this prince be-

comes clearer in the light of his whole itinerary.

Conrad then carried on to Crevillente (Qirbilyān), where he held a let-

ter of introduction to the Muslim ruler (Raiz from Ar. al- ra’ īs), Abuabdille

Abenhudeyr (Abū ‘Abdallah b. Hudhayr).^70 Crevillente was a curiosity, a

neutral “village- state” near Murcia that nominally paid homage to the

Castilians in this period but would eventually come under the protection

of the Aragonese kings.^71 Its leaders, the Banū Hudhayr, maintained their

independence until 1318 by serving as intermediaries between the Crown

of Aragon and Granada.^72 In later periods, part of their service to the

Crown of Aragon included acting as recruiting agents for jenets. As early

as 1286 , one finds evidence of jenets entering and departing the realms of

the Crown of Aragon through Crevillente.^73 Later, in 1303 , King Jaume

II would write to the Muslim ruler of Crevillente to inform him that he

had hired forty jenets and was returning the remaining forty, whom he did

not require, suggesting that Ibn Hudhayr facilitated their recruitment.^74

And on at least two occasions, moreover, the Muslim ruler would write to

Jaume II reporting on the activities of the jenets in Valencia and Ghuzāh

across the border in Granada.^75 In short, Conrad’s arrival in Crevillente

may have marked the beginning of their long- standing intermediary role

with the jenets.

Conrad continued south in order to meet the consul of Almería (al-

Mariyya), a strategic port city in southeastern Spain, where almost all

Mediterranean powers had interests and representatives. Although it was

momentarily under Christian rule, Almería was a contested zone that

changed hands regularly.^76 Its desirability derived from the fact that it

served as the major commercial artery between Valencia and Granada.^77

And as a hub of legal and illegal trade, Almería represented a quintessen-

tial zone of overlapping jurisdictions.^78 Significantly, it was also famous for

its ribāṭs, military- religious fortresses for those devoted to jihād, which had

been and would be used by Ghuzāh soldiers for raids into Christian Spain.^79