The Wolf King: Ibn Mardanīsh and the Construction of Power in al-Andalus

Al-Andalus is often depicted as a site of particular religious tolerance, and the twelfth century as its denouement, with foreign interlopers locked in holy war. Ibn Mardanīsh (r. 1147-72), known as the Wolf King, complicates narratives of religious enmity and of al-Andalus' distinct culture. This talk, based on the recently published book The Wolf King: Ibn Mardanīsh and the Construction of Power in al-Andalus, explores Ibn Mardanīsh's brief rule. It then considers how the memory of this ruler has been distorted in the time since his death, as racial and religious hierarchies have promoted the idea of al-Andalus as particularly exceptional for its position in Europe. Speakers Abigail Krasner Balbale, Author, "The Wolf King: Ibn Mardanīsh and the Construction of Power in al-Andalus" (Cornell UP, 2023); Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and History, NYU