Conde Cassius (Qasi)

MedLands

[CASIUS], son of --- (-after 714). A Visigoth from around the Ebro delta, he converted to Islam in 714, adopted the name QASI, and acquired a position of power in Tudela. The Visigothic origin of this family is confirmed by the Chronicle of Alfonso III which records Qasi´s great-grandson "Musa a Goth by birth…"[384]. Ibn Hazm names "Qasi…el conde [qumis] de la Marca en la época de los godos" adding that he converted to Islam in Damascus "en presencia de al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik" [Caliph Walid I, who reigned from 705-715] after the Muslim conquest of Spain[385]. Cañada Juste records that the name "Casius" was first used by Sánchez-Albornoz in 1948[386], presumably in an attempt to "latinise" the name Qasi.

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Count Cassius

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Count Cassius (8th century), also Count Casius, kumis Kasi or kumis Qasi, was a Hispano-Roman or Visigothic nobleman that originated the Banu Qasi dynasty.

According to the 10th century Muwallad historian Ibn al-Qutiyya, Count Cassius converted to Islam in 714 as the mawali (client) of the Umayyads, shortly after the Umayyad conquest of Hispania, and adopted the Arabic surname Banu Qasi. Cassius had converted at the hands of the Arab, Hassan ibn Yassar al-Hudhali, qadi in Zaragossa at the time of Abd ar-Rahman's arrival in the peninsula. He converted to Islam as a means to preserve his lands and political power. Cassius joined forces with Musa ibn Nusayr and Tariq ibn Ziyad and travelled to Damascus to personally swear allegiance to the Caliph Al-Walid I.

Another Arab historian Ibn Hazm who lived in the 11th century, listed his sons as Fortun, Abu Tawr, Abu Salama, Yunus and Yahya. The Banu Qasi dynasty was directly descended from Fortun, the eldest son of Count Cassius, while it has been suggested that the second son may be the Abu Taur of Huesca who invited Charlemagne to Zaragoza in 778. It has further been suggested that the Banu Salama, a Zaragoza rebel family, may descend from Abu Salama.[1]

At the time of the Muslim arrival and after, Cassius ruled an area comprising Tudela, Tarazona, Borja and probably Ejea.

However, there is a certain degree of doubt among some historians as to whether Count Cassius ever existed, partly because the name Cassius is not attested to anywhere in the period as a name[citation needed]. They point out that the origins of the Banu Qasi, as recounted by Ibn al-Qutiyya, could be a product of the spurious antiquarianism of the latter Umayyad period rather than reliable genealogy, that satisfied the need for stories which bridged the conquest[citation needed].

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Os Banu Qasi ou ibn-Qási (em árabe: بنو قاسي, "filhos ou herdeiros de Cássio") foram uma importante família basco-muladi, cujos domínios se situaram no vale do rio Ebro entre os séculos VIII até o primeiro quartel do X, durante a ocupação muçulmana.

Descendiam do conde Cássio, um nobre visigodo que, à época da conquista muçulmana do reino visigodo, governava a região compreendida aproximadamente entre Tudela, Tarazona, Ejea e Nájera e que se converteu ao Islão, tornando-se vassalo dos Omíadas para conservar os seus domínios (até o ano 713). Daí o nome da família, Banu Qasi ou ibn-Qási - "filhos de Cássio".

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Los Banu Qasi (en árabe, بنو قاسي) fueron una importante familia muladí cuyos dominios se situaron en el valle del Ebro entre los siglos VIII y X, durante la pertenencia de esta región a la Hispania musulmana. Descendían del conde Casio, un noble visigodo que gobernaba la región comprendida más o menos entre Tudela, Tarazona, Ejea y Nájera al producirse la conquista musulmana del reino visigodo y que se convirtió al Islam e hizo vasallo de los Omeyas a cambio de poder conservar sus dominios (hacia el año 713). De ahí el nombre de la familia, Banu Qasi: ‘hijos de Casio’.

El clan acrecentó su poder durante el siglo VIII gracias a su apoyo que prestaron a los emires de Córdoba en las luchas internas entre árabes y bereberes que fueron frecuentes durante los años que siguieron a la conquista. En esta época destaca Musa ibn Furtun (Fortún, nieto del conde visigodo). En su poder se encuentra la parte superior del valle del Ebro (Ejea, Tudela, Tarazona, Borja, Arnedo...). Proporciona su apoyo al emir Hisham I contra el levantamiento de Said ibn al-Husayn en el valle del Ebro (concretamente en la zona de Tortosa) al que combatió y mató. Después marcho sobre Zaragoza de la que se apoderó, pero fue muerto a su vez por un liberto de Al-Husayn.

Los Banu Qasi mantenían buenas relaciones con sus vecinos los cristianos de Pamplona debido al matrimonio en segundas nupcias de Onneca (casada anteriormente con el vascón Íñigo Jiménez y madre de Íñigo Íñiguez, que más tarde sería el primer rey de Pamplona) con Musa ibn Fortún. Este matrimonio tuvo lugar hacia el año 784. De esta unión nació Musa ibn Musa, (Musa I) el cual era, por tanto, hermano de madre de Íñigo Íñiguez, conocido posteriormente como Íñigo Arista, primer rey de Pamplona. Los vínculos familiares quedaron reforzados más adelante con el matrimonio de Assona (hermana de Íñigo Arista) con Musa ibn Musa.

La familia alcanzó el cénit de su poder con su hijo, Musa ibn Musa, (Musa II). Durante su vida se acrecentó la tendencia a la autonomía de los Banu Qasi, llegando a aliarse con los reyes cristianos de Navarra, la dinastía Arista-Íñiga, en contra del emir de Córdoba, Abderramán II, en 843. Hasta mediados de siglo, los ejércitos del emir organizan frecuentes expediciones de castigo contra Musa. No obstante, a mediados de siglo, reconciliado de nuevo con el emir, y como gobernador de Tudela, participa en los esfuerzos emirales contra los cristianos.

Musa derrota a los cristianos en la batalla de Albelda (851), accediendo a la década de mayor grandeza e influencia de la familia. Incluso se hace llamar “tercer rey de España” (junto con los de Asturias y Córdoba). En 852 gobierna sobre las tierras de Tudela, Zaragoza y quizás Calatayud y Daroca hasta Calamocha. Incluso es nombrado gobernador de la Marca Superior. Interviene en Huesca e instala a su hijo, Lubb (Lope) ibn Musa, en Toledo como gobernador.

Tras su muerte en el 862, y tras una nueva rebelión de los hijos de Musa contra Córdoba, los Omeyas prestaron su apoyo a linajes árabes rivales de los Banu Qasi, como los Tuyibíes, que en el primer cuarto del siglo X ocuparon la posición de poder que los Banu Qasi habían alcanzado anteriormente en el valle del Ebro.

ENGLISH/INGLES reference.

Count Cassius 8th century , also Count Casius, kumis Kasi or kumis Qasi, was a Hispano-Roman or Visigothic nobleman that originated the Banu Qasi dynasty.

According to the 10th century Muwallad historian Ibn al-Qutiyya, Count Cassius converted to Islam in 714 as the mawali client of the Umayyads, shortly after the Umayyad conquest of Hispania, and his family came to be called the Banu Qasi sons or descendants of Cassius . Cassius had converted at the hands of the Arab, Hassan ibn Yassar al-Hudhali, qadi in Zaragossa at the time of Abd ar-Rahman's arrival in the peninsula. He converted to Islam as a means to preserve his lands and political power. Cassius joined forces with Musa ibn Nusayr and Tariq ibn Ziyad and travelled to Damascus to personally swear allegiance to the Caliph Al-Walid I.

Another Arab historian Ibn Hazm who lived in the 11th century, listed his sons as Fortun, Abu Tawr, Abu Salama, Yunus and Yahya. The Banu Qasi dynasty was directly descended from Fortun, the eldest son of Count Cassius, while it has been suggested that the second son may be the Abu Taur of Huesca who invited Charlemagne to Zaragoza in 778. It has further been suggested that the Banu Salama, a family that ruled Huesca and Barbitanya Barbastro in the late 10th century, may descend from Abu Salama.

At the time of the Muslim arrival and after, Cassius ruled an area comprising Tudela, Tarazona, Borja and probably Ejea.

However, there is a certain degree of doubt among some historians as to whether Count Cassius ever existed, partly because the name Cassius is not attested to anywhere in the period as a name. They point out that the origins of the Banu Qasi, as recounted by Ibn al-Qutiyya, could be a product of the spurious antiquarianism of the latter Umayyad period rather than reliable genealogy, that satisfied the need for stories which bridged the conquest.