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Joseph’s journal;

4 Kislev, 4816 (December, 1066)

The situation for Jews in Granada is deteriorating. Badis has assigned body guards for me, a unit of infantry who guard my home and another who accompany me back and forth to the palace. The increased level of anti-Jewish sentiment appears to have been incited by a poem published by Abu Ishak. He is determined and never ceases his efforts to castigate me and my people. A copy of his most recent effort was brought to me by one of my scribes this morning. It reads:

Do not consider it a breach of faith to kill them, the breach of faith would be to let them carry on.

They have violated our covenant with them, so how can you be held guilty against the violators?

How can they have any pact when we are obscure and they are prominent?

Now we are humble, beside them, as if we were wrong and they were right!

 This morning on my way to my offices a crowd of people followed us shouting for the soldiers to leave me so they could give the dirty Jew what he deserves. Fortunately for me the soldiers ignored the taunts and did their job. However, they were stoic, I could not determine if they harbored the same feelings of resentment or not.

Joseph’s journal;

 23 Tishrei, 4811 (October, 1061)

There were three attacks on Jews in the streets this month. The frequency is increasing but, so far, no persons have been arrested. I tried this morning, during my meeting with the king, to suggest he appoint someone else to lead the investigation. The Zanhadja tribal chief in charge of the investigations had yet to identify any perpetrators.

“Don’t try my patience Vizier. Concentrate on the duties for which you are responsible. None of your people have been killed, have they?”

“Does an innocent need to be killed before we put a stop to these attacks, Majesty?”

“Never mind. The people are angry. I rely on you, as I did on your father. You have my full support. You need to know, however, more and more people plea for me to rid myself and the kingdom of you. I ignore these strident voices. We both pay a price for this loyalty. It seems a significant number of our population need a scapegoat to blame for their problems, especially now with the economy struggling. The Jews have always been scapegoats. Why should it change now? In any case it is impossible for me to put a stop to it. Those that lend money at interest must know they will be resented, do you not agree? I know your father did not allow that practice.”

“I am powerless to stop it Majesty.”

“I realize that Joseph. For now, we must live with these attacks as best we can and pray nobody dies as a result. How goes the collection of taxes this month? The salaries of the mercenaries will be due in nine days. Will we have the funds?”

“Yes Majesty, there is enough in the treasury to cover those expenses for the next three months.”

“Good. Anything else we need to discuss?”

“No your Highness.”

I bowed my way out and retreated through the courtyard of an adjoining building to the rooms that house my official offices. I passed through the waiting room ignoring the three supplicants hoping to gain my attention that day. I entered my outer office and closed the door behind me. Three clerks were busy writing. They all glanced up, saw it was me, and resumed their tasks. The fourth person in the room jumped to his feet. He was a full two inches taller than me, of light complexion, light brown hair and inquisitive eyes, an unusual shade of blue-green. The young man was in his early twenties, Prince Abdallah. He was currently spending time in my offices learning, I hoped, the intricacies of managing the King’s finances and the twists and turns of diplomacy.

“Good morning Vizier. May I have some time this morning to speak with you?”

“Of course Prince Abdallah, please come in and have a seat.”

He followed me into my office and closed the door. I held out my arm to the chair across from my desk and stood until he was seated.

“What can I help you with,” I asked.

“I was wondering about the background of the large stack of documents relating to our current relationships with the king of Carmona. You gave them to me to read two days ago. I know some of the history we have with that Taifa but if I am to understand the realities of our relationship I need more information.”

I smiled inwardly. This young fellow actually showed some promise. He was interested in history, more than I could say about any of the other Princes King Badis  sent to me to be educated. Most of them lacked curiosity and initiative. They just performed the tasks I set for them, usually without enthusiasm or interest. They all had been fundamentally uninterested in the details and importance of financial record keeping.

“Good your Majesty. I am pleased you are interested in the history of our relationships with the other Taifas. They have been and are complicated, depending a great deal on the personalities and aspirations of the rulers and their families. I will instruct my secretary Yacob to give you full access to all our documents relating to any of the Taifas you have an interest in. After you read the written records please come to me and we will discuss your impressions and conclusions. I will be happy to address any questions you may have. I encourage you to write down questions as you go through the materials and I will do my best to answer them. As you know I have, since I was quite young, been privy to my father’s dealings with other countries and I am happy to share with you any insights I may have.”

“Thank you Vizier. I also have some questions about the rationale for the methods of collecting of taxes and the reasoning behind such meticulous record keeping. Why is it necessary to know who paid what amount, when, and the method of payment? But that can wait I suppose.”

“Yes, let us defer the economics discussion until you have satisfied your curiosity about historical issues. Do you resent the bookkeeping tasks I have assigned or do you understand my rationale for insisting you do that rather boring job?”

“The record keeping is quite tedious Vizier, but I know if I am to understand the system you use I must involve myself in the actual chores of keeping the records. I see there is no other way to learn the system. So no, I don’t resent the work.”

“Good, I am extremely pleased you see the benefits of learning the system by working with it.” I stood. “Come I will accompany you to the library and have Yacob show you the system we use so you can find the documents either by the Taifa with whom the events took place or the date when the records were made.”

This one, at least, showed some promise. I would keep close watch on his progress in the office and his activities away from the office, when he was on his own.

I spent the rest of the day reviewing documents relating to ongoing negotiations with three other Taifas. I also talked to several men with information about various ongoing investigations and projects. I checked the current status of our state resources and the logistics of delivering payment to our troops. Finally, I gave instructions to bring in the three petitioners, one at a time in the order of their arrival. They had been breathing the air of my waiting room long enough. The first two voiced heartfelt pleas to reduce their taxes. The first man made a good case for the downturn in his situation and I granted him a reprieve. The second lacked any convincing arguments and was denied. Another enemy made.

The third man was Abu Ishak, an Arab from Elvira, who was hoping, because of his learning and recognition as a scholar and intellectual, to obtain a position at court. He had made a direct appeal to King Badis, in writing, but had not received a response, not even an acknowledgement of the request. His goal was to gain me as an advocate. He tried to impress me with his intellectual credits and accomplishments. I found him to be overbearing and strident. After a half hour or so I managed to get rid of him with a vague promise to mention him to the king at my first opportunity.

Joseph’s journal;

16 Iyar 4810 (May, 1061)

My young brother Elyasaf is making good progress in his studies. The whole family is looking forward to his Bar Mitzvah next year. For his age he is already a Talmudic scholar of some accomplishment. He expresses much more interest in the Torah and Talmud than in government service. My son Azeriah is still too young to start grooming for anything. I’m far from certain I want Elyasaf to take on the life’s work my father chose for me.

My mother’s health is still good, although she is now showing her age. I did not realize until recently how close she was to her brother, ben Judah. I also long for his calm and steady personality and the efficiency with which he managed the family’s wealth. This year we are in a drought and the three farm properties we still own are all going to show a loss. I remember my father discussing the uncertainty of agriculture. This year there was a general downturn in the economy and the losses from the farms is more problematic because our other sources of income are also down. I am told that although the harvest will be much less than usual the grape crop will likely result in a very high quality wine, but that will not be realized for at least two to four years.

King Badis seems more and more remote. Following the example set by his father, King Haddus, he has refused to name a successor from among his seven legal sons, or untold numbers of the sons of concubines. The tribal chiefs are beginning to align themselves with the pretenders and it seems clear that a civil war is in the offing when he dies, unless I can do something to prevent it. I have gone to Badis and told him of my concerns. I can repeat his responses verbatim:

“So Vizier, tell me which of my sons you are certain will make the best king and once he is named what will prevent him from getting rid of me to hasten his rise to power?”

“I’m afraid I haven’t had the opportunity to get to know them well enough to make a choice, Sire.”

“Well their mothers are always nagging me to make a choice, inevitably each’s eldest. I don’t know any of them well enough to choose and prefer the company of two or three of my concubines to any of my wives. I consider the lot of them, mothers and sons, a pain in the ass. All the sons are spoiled by their mothers and ignorant of what a king’s responsibilities and duties are.”

“Do you think it might be wise to separate a few of them from their mothers and start grooming them for responsibility? Perhaps that would be a way you can identify those with the necessary level of ability. Have you talked with their teachers about their progress?”

“I have not. That would be an excellent task for you Joseph. I authorize you to hold discussions with their teachers and make an assessment of their learning, willingness to learn and aptitude. Perhaps you can even develop an opinion. You can tell me about which of the worthies you would be willing to serve after I’m gone. Good idea. You do that Vizier, and report back to me in a month. Dismissed.”

So now I have maneuvered myself into another task, to make recommendations about the successor to my king. The only possible way for this to turn out well is that one of the Princes will be so far superior to his brothers that the choice will be obvious. That is most unlikely to happen but it’s the only scenario I can think of likely to gain the support of the tribal chiefs, not to mention the king’s. I have, I fear, made the overall situation worse, especially for myself. My father would never have allowed himself to be trapped into this position.

Letter from Badis, King of Granada         

20 Ramadan, 447 (1056)

My Dear Joseph ben Ishma’il ibn Nagrela,

Allow me again to offer condolences for the death of your beloved father. I believe I feel his loss as much as you. However, life goes on and I require your services.

You will report to the palace tomorrow morning three hours after dawn to receive your official appointment as Chief Vizier and Finance Vizier.  I know you have been fulfilling the duties of these offices for some time now, while under the supervision of your father.

Be prompt. You may bring along members of your immediate family to witness the ceremony, if you wish.

Badis

Joseph’s journal;

8 Adar 4809 (February, 1060)

It is hard to believe my father has been dead for four years. Last year we also lost my Uncle, my mother’s brother, Rabbi ben Judah. It was he who managed the family properties for many years. His heart, weak for some time, stopped while he was sleeping. This has put additional family responsibilities on me and forced me to consider a serious consolidation of the family’s resources. My brother Elyasaf, only eleven years old and eighteen years my junior, is too young to assume the daily oversight of the family’s holdings so I have that additional responsibility.

Many of our most distant properties have been sold, the capital invested in various business opportunities here in Granada. I offered David ben Abraham ownership of the two Ecija farms at a fair price with no down payment and no interest loans, to be paid off over time. He was very pleased. Three of the other properties were sold to the same managers who worked them profitably for many years, on equally generous terms.

My relationship with King Badis is considerably more formal than the one my father had with him. Officially I am still his Chief Vizier, and he does listen when I have something he considers significant to contribute. However, I have not been able to maintain the numbers nor reliability of the spy network my father constructed. The information I have access to regarding the actions and intentions of potential enemies is still significant. Some rivals for the King’s ear are making inroads. I still have a strong hold on the finances of the kingdom and Badis seems pleased with all I continue to accomplish in that regard. The economy continues to grow, the treasury is adequate to meet all needs and whims, and we maintain a strong military capable of responding to all threats.

I am happy to not be involved in the military adventures of the kingdom. Badis has at his disposal capable Generals, of proven ability, who were educated and trained by my father. They conduct his military adventures for him. My father made it clear to Badis I had no talent nor inclination to be a warrior. The king no longer takes the field himself. He is much addicted to his cup.

Although I have considerable influence in the Jewish community of Granada I am not able to exert the level of control over the ethical attitudes and practices that my father was. During the last three years the economic situation here continued to improve and the number of people moving into Granada has multiplied. Many Jews have also arrived, looking for opportunity to invest capital in a more robust economy than existed where they previously lived. Some of these individuals have been loaning money at interest, growing their capital. There has also been a large increase in the Arab and Berber populations and this has attracted Imams of less tolerant beliefs.

The inevitable happened. Borrowers defaulted and lenders look for legal, and sometimes extralegal, activities to recoup their capital. The result has been hard feelings, hard words, and an increase in anti-Jewish rhetoric and incidents. Gangs of men beat up two Jews in the streets, in broad daylight, last month. Both those attacked were money lenders. I appealed to Badis and he appointed one of his Zanhadja tribal chiefs to investigate, but there doesn’t seem to have been a serious attempt to identify the perpetrators or bring them to justice. If this situation persists I will be hard pressed to suggest a solution.

This morning I had a conversation with Amar, an Arab with whom I have been friends since we were children.

“My friend, I think something is happening that you need to be aware of.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Last week I attended services at the new mosque built two streets away from my house, you know it?”

“Yes.”

“The Imam preached a sermon with the same old arguments about Infidels having power over True Believers. He did not name you but it was clear, from what he said, he is not happy that any of his followers are paying taxes to a Jew, or that one particular Jew has great power and influence in this Taifa, as well as being very wealthy himself.”

“This is a problem my father had to face all his life. I cannot respond to this Imam’s words but perhaps we can make it known if his words incite his followers to action there will be consequences.”

“What kind of consequences, and how would you prove he was responsible?”

“Ah, that is the problem I wrestle with, Amar. Thank you for telling me. I have always been thankful you are my friend.”