Abd ar-Rahman II

Abd ar-Rahman II (788-852) was a Moroccan-Spanish ruler. The Son of Emir Al-Hakam I, he became Emir of Córdoba in 822 and engaged in nearly continuous warfare against Alfonso II of Asturias, whose southward advance he halted (822-842). In 837 he suppressed revolt of Christians and Jews in Toledo and repulsed an assault by Scandinavian sea rovers in 844, and afterward constructed a fleet and naval arsenal at Seville to repel future raids. Famous for his public building program in Córdoba, he died there in 852. A vigorous and effective frontier warrior, he was also well-known as a patron of the arts.