Muhammad IV of Granada

He was the sixth sultan of the Nasrid dynasty, succeeding to the throne at ten years old when his father, Ismail I (r. 1314–1325), was assassinated.

In 1329 he appointed his childhood tutor Abu Nuaym Ridwan as the hajib (chamberlain), outranking his other ministers; this was the first time the title appeared in the Emirate of Granada.

Both Christian kingdoms invaded Granada in 1330, with Alfonso XI leading his army to take Teba and pillage the Granadan countryside.

One day later, Muhammad was assassinated (aged 18) on the orders of the sons of Uthman ibn Abi al-Ula (who had died in 1330), who resented either the sultan's alliance with the Marinids or his friendliness with Castile.

[1] Through a combination of diplomatic and military manoeuvres, the emirate succeeded in maintaining its independence, despite being located between two larger neighbours: the Christian Crown of Castile to the north and the Muslim Marinid Sultanate across the sea in Morocco.

[3] From Castile's point of view, Granada was a royal vassal, but the European concept of vassalage was alien to the Islamic world.

[4] Between the last decades of the 13th century and the mid-14th century, in what modern historians call the "Battle of the Strait" (Batalla del Estrecho), Granada, Castile, and the Marinids contended for the strategically important ports of the Straits of Gibraltar, such as Algeciras, Gibraltar, and Tarifa, which controlled passage between the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa.

[11][12] According to Ibn al-Khatib and the Castilian Chronicle of Alfonso XI, the direct motive of the attack was a personal grievance,[13] but the Castilian chronicle adds that it was secretly masterminded by Uthman ibn al-Ula, the shaykh al-ghuzat or the commander of the Volunteers of the Faith—North African troops in Granadan service.

At first Ibn Mas'ud continued to serve as vizier, but he died from infections of his wounds a month after Muhammad's accession.

[17][19] Soon, Uthman's despotic behaviour alienated the other ministers, as he deprived them of authority and appropriated the state funds almost exclusively for the payment of the Volunteers.

At sea, the Granadan fleet was defeated by that of the Castilian admiral Alfonso Jofré Tenorio: three galleys and 300 men were captured and taken to Seville.

[21] The losses inflicted by the civil war caused him to change course: in July/August 1328, he effected a reconciliation with Uthman ibn al-Ula, who settled in Guadix.

[22] Uthman, back in his previous position of power, sent the pretender Abu Abdullah to North Africa, definitively ending the civil war.

The new Aragonese king was wary of Muhammad's alliance with the Marinids, while the latter increased their naval activities in the Straits of Gibraltar and reportedly planned to invade Spain.

[32] Castilian forces laid siege to the fortress of Teba on 7 August, and were confronted by the 6,000-strong Granadan army led by Uthman ibn Abi al-Ula.

[34] Crusading forces operating independently from Alfonso XI ravaged the Granadan countryside, causing severe food shortages and leading Muhammad to sue for peace.

The Marinid sultan responded positively, promising to send troops to help the Granadan Muslims and providing Muhammad with gifts.

[8] The Castilian admiral Alfonso Jofré Tenorio tried to deliver supplies to Gibraltar, but this was prevented by the blockading Marinid fleet.

[40][42] Alfonso XI hastened his march, crossing the Guadarranque by Castellar on 26 June and soon laying siege to retake Gibraltar.

[43] To divert Castile's attention, Muhammad led a counterattack into Castilian territory, capturing Benamejí and raiding the areas surrounding Córdoba.

Muhammad initially encamped on the banks of the Guadiaro near the besieged town, and then went to the Sierra Carbonera to join forces with Abu Malik.

[8][46] Muhammad visited Alfonso's tent bringing various gifts, while the Castilian king welcomed him on foot and bareheaded as a sign of respect, and they had a sumptuous meal together.

Uthman ibn Abi al-Ula's sons, Abu Thabit—the new commander of the volunteers after his father's death—and Ibrahim, were responsible for the plot, although the actual killing was carried out by a slave named Zayyan.

[52] This version of Yusuf's proclamation was also quoted by historians L. P. Harvey and Francisco Vidal Castro, who attribute it to Castilian sources.

[53][54] Francisco Vidal Castro favours another version in which the declaration and the oath of allegiance took place in the Muslim camp near Gibraltar instead of in the capital, and that the sons of Uthman were the ones who proclaimed him.

[56] He was skilled in the martial arts, and interested in literature and poetry: he commissioned the Málagan poet Ibn al-Murabi al-Azdi to write verses about the Sierra Nevada and used to listen to poems as a way to relax.