- Ibn Ammar
Ibn Ammar (c. 1031 – c. 1086) was a Iberian Muslim poet from
Silves (howeverEstômbar , at that time part of the Silves district, claims him as their own) who became prime minister of the "taifa " ofSeville . Though he was poor and of no great reputation at the time, his skill in poetry brought him the love of the youngAbbad III al-Mu'tamid , who named him prime minister some time after the death of his fatherAbbad II al-Mu'tadid . Ibn Ammar was reputed to be unbeatable at chess; according toAbdelwahid al-Marrakushi , his victory in a game convincedAlfonso VI of Castile to turn away from Seville.He engineered the annexation of
Murcia to the kingdom of Seville, and convincedAl-Mutamid to name him as its governor. He soon proclaimed himself its king and cut off relations withAl-Mutamid . He soon fell from power, was captured in an ambush, and was imprisoned in Seville.Al-Mutamid was initially inclined to forgiveness, but was later incensed by something he read in an intercepted letter sent by Ibn Ammar from his prison cell. The king then killed the poet with his own hands. [Louis Crompton, "Homosexuality and Civilization," p.167]References
Notes
Bibliography
*Hitti, Philip K. "" (London: Macmillan, 1956)
*Sordo, Enrique "Moorish Spain: Cordoba, Seville, Granada." (London: Elek Books, 1963)
*Watt, W. Montgomery "A History of Islamic Spain" (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1965)
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