alMansur

Al-Mansur is a regnal epithet used by several Muslim rulers and leaders across different dynasties. The name, derived from the Arabic al-Mansur, generally means “the one helped by God” or “the victorious.” It is often part of longer names or titles, and remains a common shorthand in English-language histories for several figures who bore the name in full.

In the Abbasid Caliphate, al-Mansur refers to Abu Ja'far Abdallah al-Mansur, the second Abbasid caliph who reigned from 754 to 775. He is credited with consolidating central authority after the early revolution, reorganizing the administration, and moving the empire's capital to Samarra in the 760s, a move that shaped Abbasid governance for decades.

In Fatimid history, al-Mansur most commonly denotes al-Mansur Billah, the Fatimid leader who founded the Fatimid state in Ifriqiya and became the first Fatimid imam-caliph to adopt the title al-Mansur. His leadership in the early 10th century set the stage for the empire's northward expansion and the eventual conquest of Egypt, a development central to the Fatimid project.

Among the Almohads of North Africa and Iberia, Ya'qub al-Mansur (also known as Abu Ya'qub Yusuf al-Mansur) is the best-known bearer of the name. He ruled from 1184 to 1199 and oversaw the peak of Almohad power in both Africa and parts of Muslim Spain, expanding territory and commissioning major architectural projects.

The recurrence of the title across dynasties reflects its prestige and its use as a sign of legitimacy and religious authority.