Marinid dynasty

The Anglicised name used for this article derives from the Arabic 'Banu Marin or the Berber Ayt Mrin, which is the source of the Spanish name.

The Marinid dynasty or Benemerine dynasty (Arabic: مرينيون marîniyûn or بنو مرين banû marîn; Spanish mariní/mariníes/benimerines) was a Zenata Berber dynasty. They overtook the Almohads in controlling the present-day Morocco in 1244, and most of the Maghreb from the mid-14th century to the 15th century, and also supported the Kingdom of Granada, in Al-Andalus in the 13th and 14th centuries. The last Marinid fortress in the Iberian Peninsula fell to Castile in . They were in turn replaced by the Wattasids in 1465.

History

The Marinids originally came from Algeria, advancing through what is now southeast Morocco, from where they were expelled in 1224 by the Arab Hilali tribes. As early as 1145, the Marinids engaged in battles with the Almohads, the ruling dynasty at the time, who regularly defeated them until 1169.

In 1169, the Marinids began a dedicated pursuit to take the present-day Morocco from the Almohads. Following their expulsion from the south, the Marinids moved northwards under the command of Abu Yahya ibn Abd al-Haqq and took Fes in 1244, making it their capital. This date marks the beginning of the Marinid dynasty.

The Marinid leadership installed in Fes declared war on the Almohads, fighting...
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