Ziyadat Allah I of Ifriqiya

Who was Ziyadat Allah I of Ifriqiya?

Ziyadat Allah I was the third Aghlabid Emir in Ifriqiya from 817 until his death.

Abu Muhammad Ziyadat Allah I succeeded his brother Abdallah I to the Emirate of Ifriqiya. During his rule the relationship between the ruling dynasty on the one hand and the jurists and Arab troops on the other remained strained. When Ziyadat Allah I attempted to disband the Arab units in 824, it led to a great revolt at Tunis, which was only put down in 836 with the help of the Berbers.

Ziyadat had already begun campaigns in Italy in an attempt to divert the restless Arab troops, and so in 827 there began the gradual conquest of Sicily from the Byzantine Empire, under the jurist Asad ibn al-Furat. Although initially repulsed by the Byzantines, they managed to conquer Palermo in 831. Power struggles on the Italian mainland afforded further opportunity for conquest and plunder - a call for aid from the Duke of Naples enabled them to establish a foothold in southern Italy and begin extensive raids against the Christians.

The economic health of the kingdom, in spite of the political unrest, enabled a substantial building programme. The mosque of Uqba ibn Nafi in Kairuan was renovated and refurnished, and more city defenses were erected.