I’ve posted a few times about the intertwined history of the Basque Country and the neighboring Muslim empire during the Muslim occupation of Iberia. The more I look, the more intriguing bits of history I find. Not only was there a close relationship between the two kingdoms/empires, but at least a few Basques became important figures in the heart of the Muslim Caliphate. None rose to greater prominence than Subh the Basque, who began her Islamic life as a slave.

• Little is known about the early life of Subh (Subh al-baskunsiyya, Subh the Basque) or, as she is known in the Basque Country, Aurora. She was born around 940 and was from either Nafarroa or Gascony, possibly from a noble family. As a young girl, she was taken as a slave to Caliph al-Hakam II of Córdoba. Being raised in the Islamic culture, she was well versed in poetry, literature, and Islamic customs. She was a qiyān, or singing slave.
• There is at least one account that says that Aurora was given as a gift by a treaty to al-Hakam, a treaty signed by the Queen of Nafarroa, Toda. The treaty was with al-Hakam’s father, Abd-al-Rahman III, who was also Toda’s nephew. In this account, she had a brother named Eneko who maybe was also gifted to the Caliph.
• In al-Hakam’s harem, Subh became a favorite concubine. She was known for her beauty, intelligence, and analytical mind. As the Caliph’s favorite, she eventually became his wife. When she produced an heir, she became an Umm walad, meaning that, when her husband/enslaver died, she would be freed.
• There are stories that Subh dressed as a young man, sporting both a short haircut and trousers. The reasons vary. According to some, she was simply trying to get more access to royal court, which was limited for women. According to others, her husband al-Hakam was homosexual and more interested in men than women and this was her way of gaining his attention. Similarly, there are stories that al-Hakam called her Ja’far, a male name.
• Eventually, Subh ended up managing the political affairs of the Caliphate as al-Hakam simply lost interest. She and her trusted secretary/collaborator, Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir (known as Almanzor), effectively ruled the Caliphate. There were rumors, which made it into poems and rhymes, that they were lovers, but if true, the Caliph never took action against them. At her peak of power, Subh was the de facto ruler of Córdoba.
• When al-Hakam died in 976, their son Hisham II, only ten years old at the time, became Caliph with Subh acting as one regent and Almanzor administering her properties. Almanzor’s influence became so great that Subh essentially gave him power over the army, which he then used to become the effective ruler of Córdoba. Though the alliance between Almanzor and Subh continued for some years, until Subh decided in 996 to try to regain power for her and her son. In the end, Subh was on the losing side and died a few years later in 999.

A full list of all of Buber’s Basque Facts of the Week can be found in the Archive.

Primary sources: Subh of Córdoba, Wikipedia; Subh, Wikipedia; El autentico papel político que ejerció la concubina Ṣubḥ en la Córdoba Califal, Kharfallah Amira