Almohades is a corrupted form by the
Spanish, the proper name is Al-Mowahideen, in
Arabic it means The
Unitarians. Al-Mowahideen founded the fifth
Moorish dynasty in the 12th century, holding power over much of
North Africa,
Egypt, and
Muslim regions of
Spain.
The
Amirs (princes) are as follow,
1145: Abdul-Mumin.
1163: Abu Yacoub.
1184: Abu Yosef (Al-Mansur: the victorious.)
1199: Mohammed III. (Al-Nasir: the victorious.)
1214: Abu Yacoub (Al-Mustansir: the victorious.)
1223: Abdul-Wahid (Al-Makhluwi)
1224: Abdul-Allah (Abu Mohammed)
1226: Yahya. (Al-Mutasfin: the
suffi)
1229: Idris III (Al-Mamun: the beliver)
1232: Rashid I (Abdul-Wahid)
1242: Al-Sayed Al-Mutadid
1248: Omar. (Al-Mortada: the accepter.)
1266 – 1269: Idris IV (Al-Wathik: the certain.)
Al-Mowahideen founder was
Mohammed ibn Tumart, from the
Masmuda Berber tribe of the
Atlas Mountains. Mohammed went to Mecca at an early age to perform pilgrimage. He was expelled from Mecca because of his harsh restriction on the perceived leniency of others. After his expulsion he went to
Baghdad and learned from the orthodox
Al-Ash'ari. Mohammed came with a new
doctrine by combining Al-Ash'ari doctrine, along with
Sufi mysticism from
Ghazali.
Mohammed's main
policy was harsh Unitarianism denying free existence of the attributes of God because it is incompatible with his unity because it is a
polytheistic idea. Mohammed's ideas represent a rebellion; he was rigid in
predestination and firm implementer of the law.
At the age of 28, he returned to
Morocco to preach and
rouse. He headed attacks on wine shops and other appearances of lack of discipline. Further, he assaulted the sister of
Murabit (
Almoravide) Amir Ali III in the street because she was wandering unveiled. Ali III was respectful to any signs of apparent
piousness and did not punish Mohammed.
Mohammed has been exiled from many towns because of his reform zeal. In the end, he took
asylum among his own people,
Masmuda, in Atlas Mountains. His influence would not have outlived him if his successor Abdul-Mumin did not carry on Mohammed's legacy. Mohammed died in 1128.
Abdul-Mumin hid Mohammed’s death for 2 years. Between 1130 and 1163, Abdul-Mumin defeated Murabits and established Mowahideen dominance over much of North Africa and Spain. In 1170 the capital was transferred to
Seville.
The tyranny of Abu Yacoub and Abu Yosef Al-Mansur during 1163 toward 1184 made Jewish and Christian citizens flee to
Portugal,
Castile and
Aragon. But with time both their zeal subsided. Abu Yusuf Al-Mansour (the victorious) title was earned after defeating
Alponso VIII at
Alacros in 1195.
In 1212, Mohammed III was defeated by five
Christian princes in alliance at
Las Navas. Because of this defeat all Moorish rule in Spain was lost, partly because of Christian conquest, and partly because of Muslims revolts in
Granada putting themselves under protection of Christian kings.
The decline of the Mowahideen in the following years after the defeat at
Las Navas was caused by slow revolts in much of North Africa. The last of the Amirs, Idris IV, who only had dominion over
Marrakech, was murdered by a slave in 1269.