Editing Almanzor (section)

== Taking power ==
=== Elimination of pretenders and formation of triumvirate ===
The death of Caliph Al-Hakam II on 1 October 976{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=110}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=113}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=402}}{{efn|Bariani places the death of the Caliph on the night of 30 September.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=70}} The difference may be due to the fact that the Muslim day lasts from one evening to the next and thus does not coincide with the solar day.{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=114}}}} and the proclamation of his son [[Hisham II|Hisham]] as his successor inaugurated a new period in the political career of Ibn Abi ʿĀmir,{{Sfn|Sánchez Candeira|1999|p=23}}{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=484}}{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=85}} and also represented a pivotal event in the history of the Caliphate, which thereafter was marked by his tenure{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=45}} and by the gradual withdrawal of the third Caliph.{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=46}} Al-Andalus went through a serious succession crisis at this time, because the designated successor, Hisham, born in 965, was too young to rule.{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=45}}{{Sfn|Ávila|1980|p=91}} He had been only eight or nine years old in 974 when his father first introduced him to the process of government,{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=80}} and was still a minor when his father died.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=79}}{{efn|There is disagreement over the precise age, with Ávila, Ballestín Navarro and Bariani{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=70}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=117}} giving a lower age than Kennedy, eleven years.}} This was an extraordinary situation because neither the [[Emirate of Córdoba|emirate]] nor caliphate had previously been in the hands of a child.{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=484}}{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=69}} Some schools of Islamic jurisprudence rejected the possibility of a minor becoming Caliph,{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=45}} but the Umayyad Al-Andalus tradition had secured the inheritance from parent to child,{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=61}} while the case of Abd al-Rahman III set a precedent for primogeniture.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=77}}  Faced with this situation, and despite the efforts of Al-Hakam during the last years of his reign to ensure the succession of his son by associating him with the tasks of government,{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=484}}{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=80}}{{Sfn|Ávila|1980|p=80}}{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=47}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=112}} there was division on the succession.{{Sfn|Ávila|1980|p=99}}{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=50}} Some favored the appointment of a regent, the chamberlain al-Mushafi, while others preferred to give the caliphal title to one of the brothers of the deceased Caliph, the twenty-seven-year-old al-Mughira,{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=485}}{{Sfn|Ávila|1980|p=81}}{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=49}} who was the favorite younger son of Abd al-Rahman III.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=68}}

Two prominent Eastern European slaves (''[[saqaliba]]'') occupying important court positions – one, the uncle of the new Caliph{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=71}} – who were present at Al-Hakam's death decided to take action before this division was more widely known.{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|pp=114–115}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=402}} They moved to place al-Mughira on the throne,{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=70}}{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=72}} with the condition that he name his nephew [[Hisham II|Hisham]] as his heir,{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=71}} and to remove the chamberlain, al-Mushafi,{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=402}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=114}}{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=85}}{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=73}}{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=112}} thereby giving them ascendance at court over the faction supporting Hisham.{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|pp=114–115}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=402}}  The two, who would nonetheless occupy prominent places in the ceremony proclaiming Hisham once their plan was thwarted,{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=71}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=403}} had the support of the thousand ''saqalibas'' of the court and control of the palace guard.{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=402}}{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=112}} The chamberlain, who was the real center of political power after the death of al-Hakam{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=117}} and even in the last years of his reign,{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=483}} had pretended to support the conspirators, only to subvert them thanks to the support of Berber troops.{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=402}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=71}}{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=112}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=115}}  He quickly broke up the plot with the help of Subh, and instructed Ibn Abi ʿĀmir,{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=402}}{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=485}}{{Sfn|Ávila|1980|p=81}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=116}} then a senior official and member of the court with privileged access to the young Caliph and his mother, to murder the pretender.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=85}}{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=72}} The support of Ibn Abi ʿĀmir, the right hand of Subh,{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=83}} for the young caliph was crucial to his rise to power.{{Sfn|Valdés Fernández|1999|p=14}}

A reluctant but obedient{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=117}} Ibn Abi ʿĀmir surrounded al-Mughira's residence with a detachment of one hundred soldiers,{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=113}} broke in and notified al-Mughira of the death of al-Hakam and the enthronement of [[Hisham II]].{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=402}}{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=73}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=74}} The young uncle of Hisham expressed his loyalty, and in the face of Almanzor's doubts, demanded compliance with the order for his own assassination.{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=402}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=116}}{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=113}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=74}}{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=74}} Al-Mughira was then strangled in front of his family{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=403}}{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=113}} in the living room of his house, and hung on a beam of the roof of an adjacent structure as if he had committed suicide.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=74}}{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=74}} Al-Mushafi and Ibn Abi ʿĀmir thus fulfilled the wishes of their late master to ensure the accession of Hisham.{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=116}} The young Caliph's supporters relied on the Berber guard, created by al-Hakam for his son,{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=92}} to face the ''saqalibas'', more than eight hundred of which were expelled from the palace as a result of the crisis.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=83}}

[[Hisham II]] was invested as caliph on or about Monday, 1 October 976,{{Sfn|Ávila|1980|p=81}}{{efn|Various authors give one of three consecutive days (October 1, 2 or 3) as the correct date for the proclamation ceremony of the new caliph.{{Sfn|Ávila|1980|p=81}}}} with the title of ''al-Mu'ayyad bi-llah'',{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=45}} ("one who receives the assistance of God").{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=80}} Ibn Abi ʿĀmir participated in the ceremony, recording in the minutes the oaths of fidelity the attendees made before the cadí.{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=73}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=403}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=80}}{{Sfn|Ávila|1980|p=82}} A week later, 8 October 976, Hisham named al-Mushafi ''[[hajib]]''{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=113}} – chamberlain or prime minister – and made the 36-year-old Ibn Abi ʿĀmir the vizier{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=112}}{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=73}}{{Sfn|Gálvez Vázquez|1996–1997|p=76}} and delegate of the ''hajib''.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=85}}{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=485}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=403}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=82}} The latter thus maintained a position of singular importance as the link between the new Caliph's mother, in practice representing the government during the minority of Hisham, and the administration headed by al-Mushafi.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=82}} The power was effectively in the hands of a triumvirate formed by chamberlain al-Mushafi, the vizier Ibn Abi ʿĀmir and General Ghalib. Subh, who had been associated with them in the past and now ruled in a way on their behalf; this triumvirate reported all important matters to her and consulted her and acted with her permission. They knew very well that without her support they could not win and stay in power in the uncertain and dangerous political spiral of the court, so they tried very hard to please her.{{Sfn|Fletcher|2000|p=91}} To boost the popularity of the new Caliph among the population, and strengthen their own positions, they abolished the unpopular oil tax.{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=403}}

=== Ruin of al-Mushafi ===
[[File:Weeks Edwin Entering The Mosque 1885.jpg|thumb|right|Soldiers outside the mosque according to a nineteenth-century representation. Almanzor soon gained control of the army of the capital, which settled in his new fortified residence in {{ill|Medina Alzahira|es}}, built in 979.]]
While the alliance between Ibn Abi ʿĀmir and al-Mushafi had undermined the traditional power of the court slaves,{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=83}}{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=113}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=404}} relations between the two soon deteriorated.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=86}} The Chamberlain's failure to address the loss of prestige due to the succession intrigue and Christian incursions{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=404}}{{Sfn|Molina|1981|p=209}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=88}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=127}} that in 976 almost reached the capital{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=485}} allowed Ibn Abi ʿĀmir to gain control of army troops in the capital of the Caliphate{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=484}}{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=113}}{{Sfn|Gálvez Vázquez|1996–1997|p=76}}{{Sfn|Molina|1981|p=210}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=128}}{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=127}} after assuring Subh of his ability to restore that military prestige.{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=404}}{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=86}} Ibn Abi ʿĀmir, unlike the chamberlain, was inclined towards the military response to Christian incursions and was willing to command a retaliatory strike.{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=485}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=127}}{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=127}} Al-Mushafi, however, had advocated a defensive strategy,{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=127}} that, despite Cordoban military power, had conceded the territories north of the [[Guadiana]] to the Christian states.{{Sfn|Molina|1981|p=209}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=88}}  At the same time, and also thanks to the influence of Subh, Ghalib obtained the government of the [[Lower March]] and command of the border armies.{{Sfn|Gálvez Vázquez|1996–1997|p=76}}

In February 977,{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=113}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=128}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=404}}{{Sfn|Seco de Lucena Paredes|1965|p=5}}{{Sfn|Molina|1981|p=238}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=90}} Ibn Abi ʿĀmir left the capital for his first campaigning season in [[Salamanca]], following the strategy of containment of the Christian states maintained during the previous reign.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=86}} His appointment as warden – head of an army – of the capital's troops drew him into alliance with Ghalib – the warden of the border armies – and brought about the end of the triumvirate that the two had formed with al-Mushafi.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=90}}{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=87}} In his first campaign, lasting nearly two months,{{Sfn|Seco de Lucena Paredes|1965|p=5}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=405}} he plundered the outskirts of the baths at Baños de Ledesma.{{Sfn|Sánchez Candeira|1999|p=23}}{{Sfn|Seco de Lucena Paredes|1965|p=6}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=405}}{{Sfn|Molina|1981|p=209}}{{efn|Castellanos Gómez disagrees with the identification of the targets of Ibn Abi ʿĀmir's first two campaigns and indicates that the first attacked [[Baños de Montemayor]] and the second, La Muela, near [[Calatañazor]].{{Sfn|Castellanos Gómez|2002|pp=67–68}}}} and brought two thousand captured prisoners to Córdoba, but failed to take any fortresses.{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=485}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=90}} In autumn, he attacked Salamanca.{{Sfn|Sánchez Candeira|1999|p=23}}{{Sfn|Seco de Lucena Paredes|1965|p=7}}{{Sfn|Molina|1981|p=239}}

Ibn Abi ʿĀmir won military prestige by repulsing Christian forces and attacking [[Cuéllar]] during a second 977 campaign,{{Sfn|Molina|1981|p=238}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=90}}{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=487}} and Salamanca in the autumn of the same year,{{Sfn|Castellanos Gómez|2002|p=68}}{{Sfn|Seco de Lucena Paredes|1965|p=8}} not for conquest, but to weaken the enemy and gain domestic popularity.{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=487}} This new prestige allowed him to apply for the post of prefect of Córdoba, a role until then filled by a son of al-Mushafi.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=113}}{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=87}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=91}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=132}} The new military reputation of Ibn Abi ʿĀmir, with the support of the harem and of Ghalib, allowed him to obtain the position without the chamberlain's consent.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=87}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=91}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=132}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=406}} This led to open confrontation between Ibn Abi ʿĀmir, hitherto an apparent faithful and efficient servant of the chamberlain, and al-Mushafi.{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=133}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=406}} The latter owed his power to the support of the previous caliph,{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=405}}{{Sfn|Fletcher|2000|p=92}} and lacked firm support, being considered an upstart by the leading families in Córdoba's governing administration.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=113}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=405}} He tried to counter the alliance between the other two members of the triumvirate by marrying another of his sons to Ghalib's daughter, Asma.{{Sfn|Gálvez Vázquez|1996–1997|p=76}}{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=87}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=91}}{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=114}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=133}}{{Sfn|Ávila|1981|p=449}} Ibn Abi ʿĀmir, who had won the favor of the cunning mother of the Caliph, of Ghalib, and of major families of the civil service,{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=127}} skillfully intervened, using the intercession of Subh and directly addressing Ghalib to encourage him to withdraw his initial approval{{Sfn|Gálvez Vázquez|1996–1997|p=76}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=133}}{{Sfn|Fletcher|2000|p=92}}{{Sfn|Ávila|1981|p=450}} and instead allow Ibn Abi ʿĀmir himself to wed Ghalib's daughter.{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=487}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=406}}{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=114}}{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=88}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=92}} The magnificent wedding{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=92}} was held in the spring of 978,{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=134}} eight months after the signing of the marriage contract sealed the alliance between Ghalib and Ibn Abi ʿĀmir and marked the decline of the power of the chamberlain.{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=487}}{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=88}} A few days after the wedding, Ghalib and Ibn Abi ʿĀmir left for a new campaign targeting Salamanca.{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=134}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=407}}{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=88}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=92}} Military successes increased the power of the two allies and further undermined the chamberlain at court.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=88}} The two wardens received new titles as reward for their victories, and Ibn Abi ʿĀmir was named 'double vizier',{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=92}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=407}}{{Sfn|Castellanos Gómez|2002|p=69}} for Interior and Defense, the two most important vizierships.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=89}} Ghalib had been given the title of chamberlain at the end of 977 – an unprecedented situation as there had never been two chamberlains at the same time – depriving al-Mushafi of most of his duties,{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=92}} and al-Mushafi was subsequently dismissed{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=487}}{{Sfn|Ávila|1981|p=450}}{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=114}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=407}}{{efn|Ballestín Navarro indicates that the dismissal took place on March 26, 978, ten days after Ibn Abi ʿĀmir's wedding.{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=134}} Lévi Provençal gives a similar date, March 29.{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=407}}}} and imprisoned.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=89}} His relatives and supporters in positions of the Administration were arrested and his possessions confiscated.{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=407}}{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=89}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=135}} Ibn Abi ʿĀmir succeeded the defeated al-Mushafi as a second chamberlain for the Caliphate.{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=134}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=407}}{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=488}} The most important supporting positions were held by trusted people, in some cases family members.{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=135}} The elimination of the old chamberlain reduced the visibility of the Caliph, and Ibn Abi ʿĀmir gradually became the intermediary between his lord and the rest of the world.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=97}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=135}} Aware that his power emanated from Hisham, Mansur was careful, however, to continue to maintain the appearance of the minor's sovereignty.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=98}}

Dissatisfaction with the royal minority and the regency fueled a new rebellion organized by prominent members of the court at the end of 978.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=90}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=100}} The conspirators intended to replace [[Hisham II|Hisham]] with one of his cousins,{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=90}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=100}} a grandson of Abd al-Rahman III.{{Sfn|García Sanjuán|2008|p=74}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=407}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=152}} An improvised attempt to stab the Caliph to death failed{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=100}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=152}} and led to the brutal repression of the conspirators at the insistence of Subh and Ibn Abi ʿĀmir, not without overcoming the resistance of major legal advisors.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=101}}{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=91}}{{efn|The failed pretender was executed, though his son ended up becoming Caliph during the civil wars of the next century as [[Muhammad III of Córdoba|Muhammad III]].{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=102}}}} This ended attempts to replace the Caliph with another member of the Umayyad dynasty,{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=153}} resulting in the flight of any possible pretender from the capital,{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=106}} the close surveillance of members of the Umayyad family, and the construction{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=114}} the following year{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=408}} of a new fortified residence for Ibn Abi ʿĀmir, {{ill|Medina Alzahira|es}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=108}}{{efn|The city was completely destroyed during the uprising of [[Muhammad II of Córdoba|Muhammad II al-Mahdi]] against Hisham at the beginning of the civil war in 1009.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=108}}}} (the "Resplendent City"),{{Sfn|Fletcher|2000|p=93}} work that went on until 989.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=91}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=159}} This new residence, located east of Córdoba,{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=114}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=408}} housed troops loyal to Ibn Abi ʿĀmir and the governmental administration{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=114}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=408}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=112}} and was the center of a sumptuous court.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=92}} In addition, to calm the malaise among the ''faqīh'' caused by the repression of the conspirators against Hisham's legitimacy, in which some had colluded, he established a commission to expunge Al-Hakam's library.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=104}}

As a chamberlain, in the summer he had directed a new campaign that lasted more than two months, this time in the northeast against [[Kingdom of Navarre|Pamplona]] and [[County of Barcelona|Barcelona]].{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=488}}{{Sfn|Castellanos Gómez|2002|p=70}}{{Sfn|Cañada Juste|1992|p=375}} In the fall he made a new incursion into [[Ledesma, Castile and León|Ledesma]] lasting just over a month.{{Sfn|Seco de Lucena Paredes|1965|p=8}}{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=488}} In May the following year, he directed a new campaign in this region.{{Sfn|Seco de Lucena Paredes|1965|p=8}}{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=492}} The next incursion, during the summer, marched to [[Sepúlveda, Segovia|Sepulveda]].{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=488}}{{Sfn|Molina|1981|p=241}} In September 979,{{Sfn|Molina|1981|p=241}} he sent troops from [[Algeciras]] to the aid of [[Ceuta]], threatened by the victorious campaign of [[Buluggin ibn Ziri]], supported by the [[Fatimids]], against Umayyad clients in the Western Maghreb.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=139}} Later, the city became the center of Algerian Maghreb politics.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=140}}

=== Showdown with Ghalib ibn Abd al-Rahman ===
Having crushed the opposition at court, the two co-leaders soon clashed.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=92}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=113}} The old general resented prostrating before Ibn Abi ʿĀmir,{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=93}}{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=494}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=411}} who had devoted himself to strengthening his power and controlling access to the caliph.{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=149}} Ghalib believed the maneuvers of his ally, including the construction of his new palatial residence, the reinforcement of the Berber military units, and his increasing control over the Caliph,{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=149}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=411}} would eventually damage the dynasty.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=93}} For his part, Ibn Abi ʿĀmir viewed his father-in-law's continued military prestige as obscuring his own military prowess, despite successive victorious campaigns.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=113}} After several joint raids into Christian lands, mainly led by the veteran Ghalib despite the growing military experience of Ibn Abi ʿĀmir, a confrontation erupted in the spring of 980,{{Sfn|Seco de Lucena Paredes|1965|p=9}}{{Sfn|Molina|1981|p=242}} over a campaign around [[Atienza]].{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=93}}{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=494}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=411}}{{Sfn|Ávila|1981|p=451}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=114}} Betrayed by Ghalib and wounded, his life only saved through the intercession of the Qadi of [[Medinaceli]],{{Sfn|Ávila|1981|p=451}} Ibn Abi ʿĀmir reacted by immediately attacking the fortress{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=494}}{{Sfn|Ávila|1981|p=452}} where his father-in-law's family was,{{Sfn|Molina|1981|p=242}} and looted it once taken.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=93}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=114}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=412}} Almanzor continued north, but the confrontation with Ghalib, fortified in Atienza, ended the larger campaign, intended to be his second against [[County of Castile|Castile]] since 975.{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=494}}{{Sfn|Seco de Lucena Paredes|1965|p=9}}{{Sfn|Molina|1981|p=242}} Ghalib was forced into exile in Christian territory.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=93}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=114}} In the fall, Mansur led a new offensive against 'Almunia', which is unidentified.{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=495}}{{Sfn|Seco de Lucena Paredes|1965|p=10}} Then in 981, a year of great martial activity for Ibn Abi ʿĀmir, he sent five military campaigns north, the first in February and March.{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=495}}

After several clashes between the co-leaders that ended favorably for Ibn Abi ʿĀmir,{{Sfn|Seco de Lucena Paredes|1965|p=10}} in April of 981, Ghalib, allied with Castile and Pamplona, defeated him.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=93}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=114}} In May, Ibn Abi ʿĀmir counterattacked after having united Berber troops, his own Cordoban men, and some of the border units that his enemy had long commanded.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=114}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=412}}{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=94}}{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=497}} Ghalib, meanwhile, had the backing of another part of the Caliphate's border forces and his Castilian and Navarese allies.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=94}}{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=497}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=116}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=414}}{{Sfn|Cañada Juste|1992|p=376}} On the verge of achieving victory over his son-in-law on in the [[Battle of Torrevicente]] on 10 July 981,{{Sfn|Molina|1981|p=244}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=116}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=149}} Ghalib was found dead in a ravine without signs of violence.{{Sfn|Seco de Lucena Paredes|1965|p=12}}{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=499}} He may have died of natural causes, being almost eighty years old.{{Sfn|Cañada Juste|1992|p=376}} The troops of his rival, disconcerted by the death of their leader,{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=149}} largely passed to Ibn Abi ʿĀmir's flag.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=116}}{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=499}} Ghalib's body was severely mutilated,{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=414}} first by his own troops at the direction of Ibn Abi ʿĀmir, who wanted to prove his enemy's death,{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=116}} and then exposed in Córdoba.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=121}}{{Sfn|Cañada Juste|1992|p=377}} Several of his main allies were also killed in the battle,{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=149}} which gave the winner the [[Arabic name#Laqab|nickname]], Almanzor,{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=524}}{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=115}} ("the Victorious"{{Sfn|Valdés Fernández|1999|p=14}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=121}}{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=149}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=414}}) by which he is known to history.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=95}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=118}}  The passing of Ghalib made him sole chamberlain and allowed him to eliminate any possible opponents at court,{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=151}} although his legitimacy came only from his position as regent{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=151}} and the tolerance of the Caliph's mother.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=97}} With the elimination of Ghalib, the power of the Caliph became concentrated in his person.{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=151}}{{Sfn|Sánchez Candeira|1999|p=23}}{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=94}}{{Sfn|Seco de Lucena Paredes|1965|p=12}}

That same year, he looted [[Zamora, Spain|Zamora]] and its surroundings in September.{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=501}}{{Sfn|Seco de Lucena Paredes|1965|p=13}} A month later, he attacked Portuguese lands, probably [[Viseu]].{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=501}}{{Sfn|Molina|1981|p=245}}

=== Alliance with the queen mother and troubled government ===
For twenty years, until the breakup of his alliance with the caliph's powerful mother in 996,{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=117}} Ibn Abi ʿĀmir acted in part as her representative, advisor, treasurer, mediator, informant, and her commander of the armies and the police.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=100}} It was she who made most of the decisions, in consultation with her son's regents. She was aware of all the political developments of the government and the court and was a dominant force in factional struggles. Subh had a lot of trust and affection for Almanzor, and her support for him was so obvious to everyone that it caused rumors that they were in love. From the reign of Caliph Al-Hakam II to the new Caliph Hisham, it was Subh's patronage, apart from his own ability, that promoted him and removed his opponents from the court.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=100}} 

Despite years of competition at court for power and administration by others, however, the Caliph, upon reaching his majority, made no move to assume control,{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=100}} possibly due to some kind of illness or other inability to carry out the responsibilities of his position.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=101}} The historian, [[Al-Dhahabi]], attributes Almanzor's locking up the Caliph to the latter being "feeble minded, believing what can't be true".<ref>{{Cite book |last=الذهبي |first=شمس الدين |url=https://ar.wikisource.org/wiki/%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%B1_%D8%A3%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A1/%D9%87%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%85_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A4%D9%8A%D8%AF_%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D9%87 |title=سير اعلام النبلاء}}</ref> For example, someone brought him a piece of rock, saying it is from Jerusalem's site of the [[Isra' and Mi'raj|prophet's ascent to heaven]]. The Caliph rewarded him with a lot of gold. In another instance, someone presented him with a donkey's hoof, claiming it is [[Uzair|Uzair's donkey]], and he was also rewarded. Yet another person brought him hair, claiming it is the prophet's.<ref>{{Cite book |last=الذهبي |first=شمس الدين |url=https://islamweb.net/ar/library/index.php?page=bookcontents&ID=3755&bk_no=60&idfrom=3896&idto=3896 |title=سير اعلام النبلاء}}</ref>

Almanzor not only assumed the caliphal power, but also roles as guardian of the incapacitated Caliph and guarantor of dynastic power.{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=101}} The fact that he merely controlled the administration and army on behalf of Hisham, however, made him expendable, so he took steps to strengthen his position.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=122}} The capital was placed in the hands of a cousin of his, who controlled it tightly,{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=122}} and he elevated a series of supporters, generally unpopular and considered despotic,{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=137}} who managed to gain control of various [[Taifa]]s after the disintegration of the Caliphate.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=138}} He also allied himself with important border lords.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=137}}

In 988 and 989 he had to face a double threat: a long drought{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=157}} that caused famine and forced him to apply some social measures to alleviate the shortage (delivery of bread or rescission of taxes, among others) and the emergence of a new rebellion against him in which his eldest {{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=102}} son sought to replace him.{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=152}}{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=115}}{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=518}}{{Sfn|Molina|1981|p=253}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=147}} Almanzor managed to disrupt the conspiracy,{{Sfn|Ávila|Marín|1997|p=163}} which had been joined by the governor of [[Zaragoza]], ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muhammad of the [[Banu Tujib]],{{Sfn|Ávila|Marín|1997|p=163}} and that of [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]],{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=147}} an Umayyad descendant of Caliph [[Al-Hakam I]],{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=152}} 'Abd Allah bin Abd al-'Aziz al-Marwanid{{Sfn|Ávila|Marín|1997|p=163}} also known as Abdullah ''Piedra Seca'',{{Sfn|Ballestín Navarro|2004|p=152}}{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=115}}{{Sfn|Molina|1981|p=253}}{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=517}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=415}} but his efforts to get his son to submit proved fruitless.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=148}}{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=103}}{{Sfn|Castellanos Gómez|2002|p=100}} The latter took refuge with the Castilians after the arrest of his fellow conspirators.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=149}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=420}}{{Sfn|Castellanos Gómez|2002|p=100}} Almanzor launched a successful campaign against Castile and took custody of his wayward son, who was tried and beheaded at dawn on 8 September 990.{{Sfn|Ávila|Marín|1997|p=163}}{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=518}}{{Sfn|Molina|1981|p=253}}{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=103}}{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=116}}{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=150}}{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=421}}{{Sfn|Castellanos Gómez|2002|p=101}} Almanzor, still reeling from his eldest son's betrayal, disowned him,{{Sfn|Lévi Provençal|1957|p=421}} while also ordering those who had killed him at Almanzor's command to themselves be executed.{{Sfn|Bariani|2003|p=152}}{{Sfn|Echevarría Arsuaga|2011|p=103}}{{Sfn|Martínez Díez|2005|p=519}} The governor of Zaragoza would be executed in his presence while he spared the life of ''Piedra Seca''--perhaps because Almanzor did not want to stain his hands with Umayyad blood.{{Sfn|Ávila|Marín|1997|p=163}}

Almanzor also clashed with some of his enemy's satirical poets, including Abu Yafar al Mushafi (d. 982) and Yûsuf ibn Hârûn al-Ramâdî (d. 1012–3), known as Abû Ceniza. Persecuted and subsequently forgiven, Abû Ceniza went to Barcelona in 986. Ibrahim ibn Idrís al-Hassani also paid for his satire of Almanzor with exile in Africa. Almanzor threw the poet Abu Marwan al-Jaziri in prison, where he died in 1003.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Pérez Rosado|first1=Miguel|title=La época Omeya|url=http://www.spanisharts.com/books/literature/omeyas.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018081629/http://www.spanisharts.com/books/literature/omeyas.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-date=2018-10-18|work=Historia de las literaturas hispánicas}}</ref>