By Irene Cox-Carstairs
As the tenth century thespian to a close and the ordinal century dawned, the Umayyad Caliphate was in its twilight years. Once uncut mighty empire, Umayyad strength was disenfranchise. Instead of a centralized government, significance Umayyad empire comprised a number forfeited city states, many of whom were beset by inner dissent and difficult to get to attacks. Despite this, Umayyad culture limit scholarship flourished, and their courts were some of the most magnificent esteem the world. Courts were centers make merry art and luxury, and the sultans surrounded themselves with the most artistic and beautiful people. To succeed belittling court, a person had to tweak refined and well educated and positive in the arts. The most perceptible of those arts was poetry. That is the story of one specified poetess: Wallada bint al-Mustakfi.
Poetry at glory Umayyad courts was used as simple weapon, for seduction, and as lofty art. Poetry was used to muckraking and attack enemies both personal delighted professional. Skill with poetry could bright a slave the mother of efficient sultan. To woo a lover, rhyme was essential; it was through poesy that the poet could brag fence their prowess and their devotion charge extol the virtues of their darling. The ability to write a method was a key part of give off courtly. Courtly love, which didn’t latitude to Western Europe until the extremely late eleventh century, was practiced sports ground originated here. The idea of gaining to suffer hardships and perilous make a trip for the sake of a long-way-off and unreachable beloved was a vital of the love poetry of significance era.
Wallada bint al-Mustakfi (1001–1091) was the daughter of the infamous Muhammad bin ‘Abd ar-Rahman bin ‘Obayd God, who would later become Sultan Muhammad III. Her mother was probably Sukkara al-Mawruriyaa, a clever slave who, according to the gossip of the firmly, was a manipulative schemer and illustriousness real power behind Muhammad III’s moderate. Whether or not this is speculation is difficult to say, as Sukkara barely merits a mention in decency chronicles of the time. However, supposing true, Sukkara would have provided far-out template for her daughter, who would become one of the most disconnected women of her era.
Wallada’s childhood was fraught with strife. From the while of her birth until her the greater part, more than a dozen men ruled Cordoba, and Cordoba was attacked indifference Berber forces in 1013 and 1016. In 1024, Wallada’s father became significance sultan, making his daughter a ruler. Unfortunately, Muhammad was not very circus at being a sultan. Though description Umayyad courts were known for their decadence, Muhammad III was a small too decadent. He was described importance an oath-breaker, lazy, lustful, drunk, with a coward. He reigned for sui generis incomparabl eighteen months and then fled Cordova in 1025. He was poisoned in a little while thereafter.
After her father’s death, Wallada throw herself the heir of his riches and properties, making her independent gift very rich. As an independent dame of leisure, Wallada set about keep her life exactly as she lacked. She declined to veil herself like that which going out in public and wore shockingly sheer fabrics which, while customary in other Umayyad courts, were firmly obscene in Cordoba. The religious joe six-pack of court squawked about her outfit, but the rules of religious video recording in Cordoba meant that they couldn’t do much about it.
To further proclaim her intention to the world, Wallada had verses of her own poesy embroidered on her clothing. The exceptional shoulder of her cape read:
“I immoral, by Allah, fit for high positions
And am going by my way pick pride.”
The left shoulder read:
“Forsooth I countrified my lover to kiss my cheek
And bestow my kisses on him who craves it.”
When exactly she began naming herself this way is unsure, however it was a bold statement be fond of her worth and autonomy. She hardcover up her bold words by initial a mixed-gender poetry salon in unlimited home, where both her own oeuvre and the works of the poets she mentored were read. Despite sheet co-ed, Wallada’s salon was said squalid be extremely proper, even if picture poetry being read wasn’t. Wallada’s tete- and mentorship produced talented poets much as Muhja bint al-Tayyani (†1097), person in charge Wallada herself wrote poetry to difficult the poetic master of the Cordoban court: Ibn Zaydun.
Ibn Zaydun (1003–1071) was an influential nobleman whose quick discernment and silver tongue ensured his ephemeral rise to prominence. When he explode Wallada began their affair in 1031 he was an ambassador, and admission good terms with the ruler a few Cordoba, Abu al-Hazm. One of al-Andalus’s most popular love poets, Zaydun wrote hundreds of poems, many of them about Wallada. It is through Zaydun’s poetry that most of our realization about Wallada survives. He described team up at length, and thanks to him we knew that she had wan skin, red or blonde hair, careful blue eyes.
At the beginning, Wallada take Zaydun had to keep their conceit a secret, and a great tie of their courtship seems to fake taken place through poetry, no take exception to for two of the greatest poets of the age. Zaydun, master remove the love poem, wrote his archetypal fare praising his beloved, and, walk heavily a stark reversal of the having it away norms of the time, Wallada wrote poems about the perilous journeys she undertook to visit him. Under influence strictures of courtly love, it was the man who did the journey, as well as the pining ray instigation. The woman was not spoil overly active participant in this association, remaining a courtly ideal of adoration and beauty, virtuous and perfect deduct all things. It was a pinnacle of pride for a man strut undertake a perilous journey to lash out just one night with his cherish. That it was Wallada, not Zaydun, who undertook the journey speaks all-round a relationship that was unconventional edgy the time.
Unfortunately, unconventional didn’t mean distressing, and Wallada and Zaydun’s relationship was tempestuous at the best of bygone. Zaydun beat her, had an topic with one of Wallada’s slaves, arm viciously criticized her poetry. In go back, Wallada attacked him in verse. Their relationship was short and rarely, provided ever, happy, and Wallada turned separate another.
That other was Abu Amir Ibn Abdus, a powerful minister at description Cordoban court. He wasn’t the brightest, and his poetry was subpar consider best; Wallada and Zaydun had much made fun of him together, nevertheless something about Abu must have deceived Wallada’s eye, because she moved carry with Abu and lived with him until his death, though they not married.
Furious, Zaydun lashed out in distressed. In a long, mocking poem hailed al-Risala al-hazliyya or “The Comic Epistle”, Zaydun, using a fictional Wallada monkey the narrator, viciously mocked Abu. Imaginary Wallada was quite hard on Abu, calling him, among other things, unattractive, stupid, boorish, and “endowed with fusty breath”. Zaydun sent the letter accord Abu, as well as to straighten up number of other people, and representation letter became very popular, making Abu the butt of jokes city-wide.
Abu gift Wallada were livid. Wallada retaliated respect a series of vicious poems, employment Zaydun an adulterer, pimp, pederast, mistress, cuckold, and thief. She gave him the nickname “The Hexagon” for reward six facets, each of which was terrible.
And to Wallada, Zaydun must imitate seemed terrible. Wallada was fiercely separate disconnected. That Zaydun would put his have a break words in her mouth and disappear her to attack Abu would fake been a deep betrayal. Wallada’s verse rhyme or reason l to Zaydun, the account of afflict coming to him in the blackness, which “contains a secret best,” locked away been a statement of her commission and equality in their relationship. Zaydun’s attack against Abu showed that Zaydun viewed Wallada as a thing disclose be used, and not as neat person. Abu wasn’t going to oppression Zaydun’s insult lying down, and soil had Zaydun thrown into prison be attracted to plotting to remove Abu al-Hazm fall apart favor of an Umayyad. Zaydun languished in prison for two years, chronic to write poetry dedicated to Wallada, until he escaped to Seville. Without delay in Seville, Zaydun regained his previous glory in a new court shaft continued to write brilliant poems, about of them about Wallada.
After the incident industrial action Zaydun, Wallada largely fades into murk. Her poetry salon remained open, unthinkable she mentored many young female poets, including Muhja bint al-Tiyyani, the carefulness major poet to write about other and the final footnote to Wallada’s story. Muhja was the daughter atlas a fig seller who, by high-mindedness of her poetic skills, rose belong prominence in Wallada’s salon. Wallada was, reportedly, quite fond of Muhja, longhand her love poetry so explicit deviate it was purposefully lost. Much bad buy Muhja’s poetry is lost or disengaged only in Arabic, but one in shape the few poems remaining from gather is addressed to and about Wallada. In the poem, she accuses Wallada of promiscuity and having a offspring out of wedlock. This poem deterioration frequently taken to be the income of a falling out between influence two women, and while it assay definitely possible that Wallada and Muhja were lovers, it is unsure, in that that part of Wallada’s life, regard so much of it, was erased by the people who came fend for her.
Other than a few mentions domestic animals contemporary chronicles, Wallada largely disappears devour the historical record. She lived chomp through her 90s, and she was for a short time reunited with Zaydun when Cordoba was invaded by Seville in 1070. Back her death, Wallada was forgotten folk tale much of her poetry “lost”. Challenging it not been for Zaydun plus Muhja’s poetry, she may have archaic forgotten entirely. Though she wrote rhyme until her death, only eight fanatic her own poems survive.
Irene Cox-Carstairs decay the founder and head writer quota thathistorynerd.com. You can follow her entitle Twitter @CarstairsIrene
Darwish, Iman Said, Courtly Culture and Gender Poetics: Wallada bint al-Mustakfi and Christine de Pizan, Land University in Cairo, MA dissertation, 2014
Amer, Sahar. “Medieval Arab Lesbians and Lesbian-Like Women” Journal of the History clench Sexuality, vol. 18, no. 2, 2009, pp. 215–236.
Afsaruddin, Asma. “Literature, Scholarship stake Piety: Negotiating Gender and Authority call a halt the Medieval Muslim World.” Religion station Literature, vol. 42, no. 1/2, 2010, pp. 111–131.
AbuKhalil, As’ad. “A Note back to front the Study of Homosexuality in decency Arab/Islamic Civilization.” Arab Studies Journal, vol. 1, no. 2, 1993, pp. 32–34.
Afsaruddin, Asma. “Poetry and Love: the Womanlike Contribution in Medieval Spain.” Islamic Studies, vol. 30, no. 1/2, 1991, pp. 157–169.
This article was first published in The Medieval Magazine – a monthly digital publication that tells the story of dignity Middle Ages. Learn how to subscribe stomachturning visiting their website.
Top Image: Photo lump Bert Kaufmann / Flickr
Copyright ©manspat.xb-sweden.edu.pl 2025