Idris al-Wathiq

Who is Idris al-Wathiq?

Abu al-Ula al-Wathiq Idris was an Almohad caliph who reigned in Marrakech from 1266 until his death.

Marrakech had been besieged for a first time by the Marinid sultan Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Abd Al-Haqq before 1266, although unsuccessfully. Idris took the chance of the confused situation to oust his cousin Abu Hafs Umar al-Murtada with Abu Yusuf's support, and to declare himself Almohad caliph, although his power barely extended outside the city. However, the Marinid ruler changed idea eventually, spurring the Ziyyanid Abu Yahya Yaghmurasin ibn Zayyan to attack Marrakech. The siege lasted from 1268 until September 1269, when the city fell. Idris II was assassinated by a slave.

Idris' death marked the end of the Almohad caliphate.