Page "Abd al-Rahman I" Paragraph 14

Being the ever-wary politician, Abd al-Rahman acted quickly to regain Yemeni support, and rode to a Yemeni chief who was mounted on a mule named " Lightning ".

Abd al-Rahman averred that his horse proved difficult to ride and was wont to buck him out of the saddle.

He offered to exchange his horse for the mule, a deal to which the surprised chief readily agreed.

The swap quelled the simmering Yemeni rebellion.

Soon both armies were in their lines on the same bank of the Guadalquivir.

Abd al-Rahman had no banner, and so one was improvised by unwinding a green turban and binding it round the head of a spear.

Subsequently the turban and the spear became the banner and symbol of the Andalusian Umayyads.

Abd al-Rahman led the charge toward al-Fihri's army.

Al-Sumayl in turn advanced his cavalry out to meet the Umayyad threat.

After a long and difficult fight “ Abd ar-Rahman obtained a most complete victory, and the field was strewn with the bodies of the enemy ”.

Both al-Fihri and al-Sumayl managed to escape the field ( probably ) with parts of the army too.

Abd al-Rahman triumphantly marched into the capital, Córdoba.

Danger was not far behind, as al-Fihri planned a counterattack.

He reorganized his forces and set out for the capital Abd al-Rahman had usurped from him.

Again Abd al-Rahman met al-Fihri with his army ; this time negotiations were successful, although the terms were somewhat changed.

In exchange for al-Fihri's life and wealth, he would be a prisoner and not allowed to leave the city limits of Córdoba.

Al-Fihri would have to report once a day to Abd al-Rahman, as well as turn over some of his sons and daughters as hostages.

For a while al-Fihri met the obligations of the one-sided truce, but he still had many people loyal to him ; people who would have liked to see him back in power.