Yunus ibn Salim (25 February 873-) was Sultan of Crete from 1 July 886, succeeding Salim Iqritishi.
Biography[]
Yunus ibn Salim was born in Heraklion, Crete on 25 February 873, the seventh child and fourth son of Emir Salim Iqritishi. His mother was Valeria, a Greek Christian, whom he resembled; however, he was raised in his father's Andalusian Muslim culture. He was 13 years old when his father died in the throes of passion with his wife Zenobia, and Zenobia became his regnet as he assumed the throne. His first act as Sultan was to make his brother Husayn ibn Salim Emirate of Calabria, hoping to secure an ally among his brothers, many of whom coveted his title. Although he discovered that his brother al-Din ibn Salim was fabricating a claim on his throne, he was unable to arrest him, as Zenobia did not approve of the action. He approved his half-sister Aliyah bint Salim's marriage to Massiva, but he gave Massiva the Sheikhdom of Catanzaro before letting them marry, securing another ally. Yunus came of age in 889, and he proceeded to marry Zenobia (his father's wife) in a bid to appease his other siblings. He also married the Persian princess Shahdokht Noor, his father's ex-wife Xene, and his father's other ex-wife Walia Thekla of Hermoupolis, hoping to rebuild his relationships with his siblings. However, Zenobia asked the Chief Qadi Prince Musa ibn Salim (Yunus' brother for a divorce), and she then left for Cosenza. Yunus replaced her with Irandokht Nasrdokht, another Persian princess. He also tried to seduce his half-sister Rahat bint Salim, but his efforts were often in vain. On 22 Decmeber 889, he usurped the Aegean Islands from al-Din, finally getting his revenge against him. On 16 March 890, he imprisoned al-Din in his dungeon to stop his plotting. He then had Rahat marry his marshal Abdul-Hasan to keep her close to him. On 9 March 891, he discovered that his half-brother Abdul-Rahman ibn Salim was plotting to kill him, so he confronted him and forced him to end his plot. On 4 May, Thekla fathered Yunus' first child, Salim ibn Yunus. On 21 March 892, Irandokht gave birth to Tahira bint Yunus, named for a female relative. That spring, he went on the hajj to Mecca, returning on 1 July 892.