Volunteers of the Faith
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The Volunteers of the Faith was a military institution of the Emirate of Granada, composed by soldiers recruited from Zenata Berbers who were exiled from the Marinid Sultanate, to defend the Emirate against the Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula.
The Iberian Peninsula and North Africa in the 14th century.
Muhammad II of Granada
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Muhammad II was the second Nasrid ruler of the Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus on the Iberian Peninsula, succeeding his father, Muhammad I. Already experienced in matters of state when he ascended the throne, he continued his father's policy of maintaining independence in the face of Granada's larger neighbours, the Christian kingdom of Castile and the Muslim Marinid state of Morocco, as well as an internal rebellion by his family's former allies, the Banu Ashqilula.
Muhammad II helped Sancho IV take Tarifa from the Marinids, but the Castilian king then refused to yield the town to Muhammad as promised. Picture: A statue commemorating Sancho's taking of Tarifa.
Quesada, captured by Muhammad in 1295 and one of Granada's territorial gains during his reign.
A Nasrid-era watchtower in Huéscar. Muhammad II built a line of fortifications on the emirate's frontiers.
During his reign, Muhammad II steadily transformed the Alhambra from being largely a fortress to being a royal palace complex.