Taifa of Tortosa

The Taifa of Tortosa was a small Muslim kingdom centred on Tortosa, on the lower Ebro in Catalonia, which emerged after the collapse of the Caliphate of Córdoba. It was founded around 1010 by Labib al-Fata al-Saqlabi, a Slavic commander who had served the rulers of Valencia and whose regime relied on a small military elite. The taifa controlled the lower Ebro valley and the coast towards the Ebro Delta, an area of irrigated agriculture, trade and strategic river crossings. After Labib's death the throne passed through a succession of rulers, including Muqatil Sayf al-Milla and Ya'la, while the kingdom became increasingly exposed to its stronger neighbours. In 1060 it was absorbed by the Taifa of Zaragoza. Tortosa regained independence around 1081 under the Hudid prince Imad al-Dawla Mundhir, in the confused period that followed the fall of Toledo to Castile. This second taifa survived until 1099, when it was conquered by the Almoravids, who incorporated it into their North African empire. Under Almoravid rule the city remained an important frontier stronghold on the Ebro. Its castle, the Suda, and the cathedral of Santa María overlook the river; the medieval city retains part of its Islamic street plan and walls. The taifa is remembered mainly as one of the many small successor states that fragmented al-Andalus after 1031, and as a point where the politics of the Ebro valley intersected with the larger conflicts between Christian kingdoms and Berber empires.