emirate · Iberia

Taifa of Lisbon

1022 CE – 1034 CE (approx.) · capital Lisbon

A brief taifa at Lisbon on the Tagus estuary, held by the heirs of the freedman Sabur before its absorption by Badajoz.

Origins

Lisbon had been part of the territory controlled by the freedman Sabur al-Saqlabi from Badajoz. When he died in 1022 and his vizier seized Badajoz, Sabur's sons are said to have kept Lisbon as a separate principality.

Rule and society

Known only from a few lines in Arabic chronicles, the taifa consisted of Lisbon and its estuary, an Atlantic port trading in fish, salt and agricultural produce. Its rulers had no lasting dynasty or court to speak of.

Decline and legacy

By 1034 the Aftasids of the Taifa of Badajoz had absorbed Lisbon. It stayed under Badajoz until 1093, was briefly ceded to Alfonso VI of Castile, then passed to the Almoravids, and Afonso I of the Kingdom of Portugal took it in 1147 with the help of crusaders.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Lineage

Taifa of LisbonTaifa of Badajoz 1009 CE – 1094 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Taifa of Lisbon. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/taifa-of-lisbon
MLA
“Taifa of Lisbon.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/taifa-of-lisbon. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Taifa of Lisbon.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/taifa-of-lisbon.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Taifa of Lisbon’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/taifa-of-lisbon (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻