SAMUEL
HA-NAGID Biography
In 1013, when
Samuel was 20, strife within the Muslim government in Cordova led
to the state's disintegration. Samuel fled together with countless
other refugees to the neighboring state of Granada. There he would
find his great political and military career. |
Only the collapse of
the state of Cordova could have afforded this Jew the chance of a unique
ascent to power. The country split into several states ruled by Arab,
Berber and Slav princes, who were at constant war with one another. A
Jewish official belonged to none of the conflicting parties; he was a
servant of the king and had every reason to serve him loyally. Moreover,
during this period, Granada, the capital, was populated mostly by Jews.
Familiar with the conditions of the city, the Nagid was able to collect
taxes efficiently from his co-religionists and fill the chests of the
state.
In
the course of his activity at the court he developed other important
talents which eventually made him the highest dignitary of the kingdom
.
The death of [King Habbus of Granada] in the year 1038 led to another
severe crisis in the life of the Nagid. A split occurred at the court
with regard to the succession to the throne. The majority of the Berber
leaders as well as three of the most respected Jews of Granada were
in favor of the younger son of the deceased. The Nagid supported the
elder son, Badis, and his candidate prevailed. The younger son voluntarily
renounced the throne, and although he later regretted this step, Badis
knew how to render him harmless through medical treatment of a peculiar
nature. The Berber courtiers had to yield reluctantly, and from then
on the repute of the Nagid rose tremendously. He knew how to win the
good graces of the wanton and unlovable Badis by saving his life soon
after his accession to the throne
.
Thus
the Nagid knew how to make himself indispensable and succeeded in holding
his ground despite the appalling intrigues against him at the royal
palace. The memoirs of Abdallah, grandson and successor of King Badis,
provide a vivid description of the dangerous plots surrounding a courtier
in Granada in those days.
In
the collection of aphorisms of the Nagid, Ben Mishle, there are
many sayings about the relationship between an individual and his king
composed in part to follow a traditional theme treated in the Bible
(Proverbs) and in several Arabic collections. But the restraint and
cynicism with which the theme is sometimes treated by the Nagid show
the influence of personal experience.
Read
two of the Nagid's court poems from the collection Ben Mishle.:
The
Monarch's Favors
A monarch will not favor you unless he hopes to be
At ease while you labor and exert yourself in his service.
You are caught in his tongs: With one hand he brings you into
The flames,--while protecting you from the fire which with both
hands he sets against you. |
He
Promotes the Clowns
Fickleness in a king is like that of a drunkard
He is appeased when he should be angry; he is wroth when he ought
to be forgiving.
Occasionally he exalts the wise, though more often
He humbles them and promotes the clowns.
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From:
Jefim Schirmann.
"Samuel Hannagid, the Man, the Soldier, the Politician."
Jewish Social Studies, volume 9, number 2 (April, 1951).
p. 106. Reprinted with the permission of Indiana University Press
(http://www.iupjournals.org).
Poem translations: Weinberger, Leon J., trans., ed. Jewish Prince
in Moslem Spain: Selected Poems of Samuel Ibn Nagrela. Copyright
© 1973 The Universty of Alabama Press, pp. 61-62. Permission of
Universty of Alabama Press. This title is out of print, however
an electronic copy is available at most major libraries, through
the Netlibrary service. |
SAMUEL
HA-NAGID Biography
|