This Great Impostor Was The Chief Of The Tribe Of
_Lamthunes_, Surnamed _Morabethoon_, On Account Of The Extreme Rigour
With Which They Observed The Forms Of The New Religion.
This tribe resided between Mount Atlas and the Desert.
The Moors being
weary of their Arabian rulers, flocked in crowds to the standard of
Tessefin, who soon found himself at the head of a large army, by means
of which he conquered, many provinces, and established himself
Sovereign of Mauritania.
He was succeeded by his son _Joseph-Ben-Tessefin_, who in 1086
finished the city of Morakesh, or Morocco, which his father had begun,
and there fixed his seat of government. In 1097 he seized on the
kingdom of Fez, and united it to that of Morocco: he also joined his
forces to those of the Mahometans in Spain, and conquered the city of
Seville, subdued all Andalusia, Grenada, and Murcia, penetrated as far
as Cordova, and defeated the army of Alphonso VI. of Spain. After
which he returned, loaded with spoils, to Morocco, where he died. He
was succeeded by his son _Aly_, who likewise passed over into Spain,
but was defeated and slain by Alphonso at the battle of Moriella.
His son _Brahem_, an indolent prince, and much addicted to pleasure,
was proclaimed King of Morocco. His profligacy favoured the ambitious
projects of a Mahometan preacher, named _Mahomet Abdallah_. This
impostor assumed the name of _Mahedi, Commander of the Faithful_, and
drew a host of people to his standard. In the course of his mission,
he met another preacher, at the head of a multitude of followers, who
also styled himself _Mahedi_, or _the Prophet_ expected at the end of
ages.
These two adventurers, consulting their mutual interest, coalesced,
and having completely succeeded in seducing the people, by projects of
reformation, _Abdallah_ was proclaimed King of Morocco, and
_Abdul-Momen_, the other imposter, General of the Faithful. This
haying effected the destruction of Brahem, he contrived to dispatch
his colleague so privately as to avoid the imputation of being
accessary to his death, and succeeded him in the sovereignty. He
demolished all the palaces and mosques of the Kings in Morocco, and
laid the greater part of that city in ruins, it having shut its gates
against him when, he presented himself before it; and he destroyed the
young son of Brahem with his own hands. He afterwards, however,
rebuilt Morocco, and died in 1155, in possession of the sovereign
power.
He was succeeded by his son Joseph, who passed over into Spain, and
engaging with the armies of the Kings of Portugal and Leon, he was
killed by a fall from his horse. His son _Abu-Jacob_, surnamed
_Almonsor_ the Invincible, assumed the government, suppressed the
divisions that distracted the country, and, rendered himself so
powerful and formidable, that the Mahometan Kings in Spain elected him
as their supreme ruler. After performing numberless gallant exploits,
he disappeared on a sudden, as some assert, to perform the pilgrimage
to Mecca; but it is most probable, he was secretly murdered and buried
by the descendants of Abdallah.
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