987 Bermudo tries to free himself from Moorish sovereignty. Almansor razes Coimbra to the ground. The next year Almansor penetrates to the heart of Leon. 996 Capture of the city of Leon. After this Almansor takes Compostella. In Africa the generals of Almansor gain victories in Mauretania. 1002 Death of Almansor. His son, Abdul-Malik, succeeds to his office of hajib. He continues his father’s successes. 1008 Death of Abdul-Malik. His brother, Abd ar-Rahman (Sanchol), succeeds to the chief ministry. He conducts a campaign in Leon. 1009 =Muhammed=, cousin of Hisham, revolts. Sanchol put to death. =Muhammed Al-Mahdi= imprisons Hisham and assumes the caliphate. Revolt of the Berbers, who occupy Cordova. Hisham abdicates in favour of Suleiman, a relative. Muhammed escapes to Toledo, but recovers Cordova with the help of the Catalonians. 1010 Defeat of Muhammed; the Slavs and Berbers desert him. Hisham recovers the throne. Murder of Muhammed. 1013 =Suleiman= takes Cordova and Hisham disappears. His fate is one of the unsolved mysteries of history. 1016 Overthrow of Suleiman by the Slavonic element headed by Khairan and Ali of Hammud. =Ali= made caliph. 1017 Revolt of Khairan, who sets up =Abd ar-Rahman (IV) Mortada=, great-grandson of Abd ar-Rahman III, as anti-caliph. Murder of Ali. His brother, =Kasim=, succeeds. Fierce civil war results. 1023 Mortada falls in battle. =Abd ar-Rahman V=, brother of Muhammed Al-Mahdi, succeeds, but is shortly murdered. =Muhammed Ben Abd ar-Rahman= succeeds. 1025 Muhammed driven from Cordova. =Yahya b. Ali= is in power. He is slain at Seville. =Hisham III=, brother of Mortada, raised to the throne. 1031 The caliphate is so disorganised that Hisham abdicates the empty title. THE INDEPENDENT KINGDOMS, OR EMIRATES (1031-1091 A.D.) Since the death of Almansor, Mohammedan Spain has been splitting up into a number of independent emirates or principalities. The fall of the Omayyad dynasty breaks the last link of unity, and we have now the separate and distinct emirates of Saragossa, Toledo, Valencia, Badajoz, Cordova, Seville, and Granada. The Christian states seize the opportunity to reconquer Spain. The Spanish national hero, “the Cid,” takes part in these conquests. Without following each of these states in detail, we note the most important events of the period. 1032 Civil war breaks out in the emirates. 1038 Ramiro I of Aragon drives the Moors from Sobrarbe, and annexes it to his possessions. Assassination of =Al-Mundar= of Saragossa, at Granada. 1043 Death of =Gehwar= of Cordova. His son =Muhammed= succeeds. 1046 Ferdinand I of Castile besieges Toledo. The emir pays tribute.