Dynasties Intertwined by Matt King;

Author:Matt King;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lightning Source Inc. (Tier 3)

When this data is combined with medieval sources, the environmental and humanitarian catastrophe in Ifriqiya becomes clear.74 Lack of rainfall in Ifriqiya created unfavorable conditions for growing crops across the region for much of the 1140s. This unusually dry weather caused crop failures and forced people to rely on imports of grain from Sicily, which drove up prices and stretched the limits of local economies.75 Although families may have been able to afford foodstuffs to accommodate for one or two poor harvests, the persistence of this drought drove them to the brink. When their savings were exhausted from inflated prices, they had little choice but to move elsewhere or starve. Nomads from inland Ifriqiya, whose voices are largely unrecorded in contemporary chronicles but who must have also felt the consequences of this drought, moved to cities, and those who could afford to traveled elsewhere in the Mediterranean—primarily to nearby Sicily, which conversely had generally favorable climatic conditions for crop yields during the 1140s. It is likely that the Zirid emirs needed to take out loans from the Normans in order to feed their royal court, which indicates that the once-substantial treasury of the dynasty had been depleted.76

This change in climate aligns with a substantial change in Norman policy toward Ifriqiya. Beginning with their expedition against Mahdia in 536H (1141–42) and extending through 543H (1148–49), the Normans launched attacks against various cities in Ifriqiya on an almost annual basis. Through these campaigns, the Normans conquered much of coastal Ifriqiya, bringing an end to the various dynasties that ruled there—including the Zirids.

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