Yahya ibn Yahya
Idrisid Emir from 863 to 866
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Yahya ibn Yahya (Arabic: يحيى بن يحيى) was the sixth Idrisid ruler and the last of the main branch of the dynasty.
| Yahya II يحيى الثاني | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emir | |||||
| Reign | 863–866 | ||||
| Predecessor | Yahya I ibn Muhammad | ||||
| Successor | Ali II | ||||
| Born | unknown | ||||
| Died | 866 | ||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | Idrisid | ||||
| Father | Yahya I ibn Muhammad | ||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||
Life
Yahya was the namesake son of the fifth Idrisid emir, Yahya ibn Muhammad, and came to power in 863.[1] Unlike the consolidating tendencies of his two predecessors, he was a weak ruler who preferred the luxuries of palace life to government.[2] He parcelled out the Idrisid realm to his relatives: his uncle Husayn received much land to the south of the capital, Fes; his great-uncle, al-Qasim, received the western half of Fes itself, along with the eastern frontier provinces of the Berber tribes of Luwata and Kutama; and another great-uncle, Dawud ibn Idris, who ruled the country of the Hawwara Berbers, also increased his domains.[1]
Yahya's reign in Fes appears to have been secure, as coins with his name are known, unlike his father.[3] Nevertheless, Yahya's dissolute life soon led to scandal, which forced him to flee the palace into the Andalusian quarter of Fes, where he died in unclear circumstances.[4] A powerful citizen of Fes, Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Sahl al-Judhami, tried to seize power, but Yahya's widow called upon her father, Ali ibn Umar from the collateral Banu Umar branch of the Idrisids, for aid.[4] Ali gained control over Fes, but his power was challenged by Kharijite rebels, and power eventually passed to the Banu Qasim branch of the family.[3][4]