Yaghmurasen established the independent emirate of Tlemcen on the debris of the Almohad Empire. Its location made it vulnerable to pressure from neighboring Muslim powers, especially the Marinids and Hafsids, while Aragon pursued commercial and political influence across the Maghrib. Tlemcen’s rulers therefore used trade privileges, military arrangements and shifting alliances to preserve their position.

Christian mercenaries who had served the Almohads entered the service of Tlemcen, numbering about 2,000 according to the extract. Most were Castilians, but a mutiny in 1254 led to the disbanding of the Christian militia and its replacement by Catalans dispatched by James I of Aragon. From 1254, the commander of the Christian unit, known as the alcayt, was appointed by the Aragonese king.

Aragon’s influence reached its height in a treaty signed in 1286, when its relationship with Tlemcen amounted almost to a protectorate. The emirate offered favorable conditions to Catalan traders, including rebates on duties, and was expected to pay an annual sum of 2,000 golden dinars connected with the militia and the purchase of peace. Yet Aragon failed to provide decisive support when Tlemcen needed it, and later rulers resisted attempts to restore Aragonese domination.

The Marinid sultan Abu Ya'qub exploited changing alliances to conquer the central Maghrib and besiege Tlemcen from 1299 to 1307. Catalans continued trading in al-Mansura under Marinid auspices during the siege. After the siege ended, Tlemcen recovered between 1308 and 1337, while political relations with Aragon remained strained by religious tensions and piracy even though commerce continued.