Husayn of Zaragoza

Events during the rule of Husayn

• In 774 Husayn conspired with the Qahtanite aristocracy against the emir, proclaiming the rule of the Abbasid Caliphate in Hispania. In response, the emir sent general Abd al-Melek bin Umar, who obtained the allegiance of Abu Taur of Huesca and the Wali of Tudela, but who was rejected in Zaragoza.
• In 777, the Wali of Barcelona, Sulayman al-Arabi offered Charlemagne his own allegiance and the allegiance of Husayn in Paderborn. But when in 778 Charlemagne arrived in Zaragoza, Husayn denied any promise. As Charlemagne could not take the city, he withdrew after a month, which then led to the Battle of Roncevaux Pass. In 780 Husayn had Sulayman al-Arabi killed after he returned to Zaragoza.
• In 781 the Emir Abd ar-Rahman I sent general Tsalaba ben Obaid to re-take Zaragoza for the Caliphate. After a long siege, Husayn agreed to a truce. His son, Said bin Husayn, was given to the Emir as a hostage.