emirate · Iberia

Taifa of Tavira

1145 CE – 1150 CE (approx.) · capital Tavira

A brief independent lordship at Tavira in the eastern Algarve, one of the many local regimes of the 1140s revolt against the Almoravids.

Origins

In 1145, as the Muridun revolt led by Ibn Qasi spread through the Algarve and Almoravid authority collapsed, local leaders took control of Tavira, a port on the Gilão river, and held it independently.

Rule and society

Known only from brief mentions in Arabic chronicles, the state consisted of the town and its coastal district, with fishing, salt and trade along the Algarve coast. Its rulers were drawn into the shifting alliances among the Second Taifa of Mértola, the Second Taifa of Silves and the Taifa of Beja and Évora.

Decline and legacy

Around 1150 Tavira accepted Almohad rule along with the rest of the western Algarve. It was conquered by the Kingdom of Portugal in 1242.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Lineage

Almoravid Empire 1040 CE – 1147 CETaifa of Tavira

Connections (1)

More states of Iberia →

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻