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The fall of Barcelona to the Franks (185 AH)

سقوط برشلونة بيد الفرنج (185هـ)

c. 801 CE · c. 185 AH

While the fitna between al-Hakam I and his uncles burned, the Franks seized their chance and took Barcelona in AH 185 — the Muslim armies fell back south of it, and the hajib Abd al-Karim ibn Mughith led the riposte 1.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Early Abbasid Caliphate
Region
al-Andalus & Europe
Review
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In time

790800810820 c.
The Early Abbasid Caliphate

Conquest and its debates

Overview

Al-Maqqari reports that during the strife between al-Hakam ibn Hisham and his uncles, the Franks targeted Barcelona and took it in 185 AH. 1

The account

The armies of the Muslims were late in reaching the area. Al-Hakam sent the armies with the chamberlain Abd al-Karim ibn Mughith to the land of the Galicians, and they inflicted heavy losses there. The enemy got ahead of them to the narrow passes, but he returned in battle order, defeated them and came out victorious. 1

People and things also explored

Conquest by force (anwa)· Conquest by treaty (sulh)· Fay' (property restored without battle)· Iqta' (land grant)· Jizya (capitation on treaty peoples)· Kharaj (land tax)· Kharaj (land levy, fiqh entry)· Sawafi (the crown lands of the Sawad)

Sources

  1. Nafh al-Tib min Ghusn al-Andalus al-Ratib — al-Maqqari , p. 375
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The fall of Barcelona to the Franks (185 AH)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/fall-of-barcelona-185/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-22.

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Time

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Conquest by force (anwa)

Fath 'anwa in al-Baladhuri is taking a town or land by combat and siege: his example is Khaybar — he reports via Abd al-Razzaq from Ma'mar from al-Zuhri 'that the Prophet took Khaybar by force ('anwatan)', so its goods and Khaybar itself were divided among the fighters — in Ibn Abbas's report 'Khaybar was divided into one thousand five hundred and eighty shares' matching the number of combatants, the Prophet's safaya from it being an allotment from which he provisioned his wives, his uncle Abbas, Abu Bakr, Umar, al-Hasan, al-Husayn and Banu al-Muttalib; 'anwa contrasts with sulh — what was taken by treaty remained with its people on the treaty terms, like Fadak, while what was taken by force became booty divided among those present at the conquest.