Ibn al-Ṣīd al-Baṭalyawsī (444/1052-521/1127): de los reinos de taifas a la época almorávide a través de la biografía de un ulema polifacético

Abstract

Ibn al-Ṣīd al-Baṭalyawsī (Badajoz 444/1052-Valencia 521/1127) is known mainly as a grammarian, a lexicographer and, though less so, as a philosopher. He was also a prominent traditionist with interests in jurisprudence and theology, and enjoyed a career as a court-poet and secretary. Virtually all of his works have survived. They were praised by medieval biographers and have attracted the attention of modem scholars, so that we have quite a number of critical editions and studies of them. By contrast, we have few data on Ibn al-Sīd's life, and those few are difficult to use. This is probably why there are so few studies devoted to his career, despite its importance to an understanding of his literary production. This article aims at filling the gap. I use biographical sources in order to establish Ibn al-Sīd's origins, education, career, pupils and writings. I also attempt to establish where Ibn al-Sīd lived, and when, in different parts of al-Andalus, in the changing political and cultural context following the Almoravid conquest. Finally I offer an assessment of Ibn al-Sīd's general contribution to Andalusī intellectual history.