The taifa was created in 1010, after the disintegration of the
Caliphate of Córdoba, by the freed slave
Mujāhid al-ʿĀmirī, a former high functionary of the caliphate, who probably had a
Slavic origin. In 1011 Dénia was the first taifa to strike coins. The kingdom had a relatively powerful navy, which in 1015 was used to take control of the
Balearic Islands and thence to
invade Sardinia. The taifa settled a military camp in the north of the island for one year, as a base for the next attack against the
Maritime Republic of Pisa, but it was reconquered by the fleets of Pisa and
Genoa: in the fray Mujahid's heir, Ali Iqbal al-Dawla, was captured, and could be ransomed only in 1032. In that period the taifa's ships launched several other raids against the
Ligurian and
Tuscan coasts. The taifa's army employed many mercenaries from the
Arab Banu Khazraj tribe. The taifa is best known for its active promotion of piracy against Christian coasts, as well as its failed conquest of
Sardinia. The taifa of Dénia also had an influential
Sephardic Jewish community which contributed greatly in the development of the taifa and was essential to its growth. The Jewish community held top positions in the government of the taifa. In the 1020s Mujāhid took advantage of the death of the regents of the
taifa of Valencia to capture the southern part of that kingdom, which he held for two years. A few years later he supported the rebellion of
Ibn Jattab against Ibn Tahir of
Murcia. After the rise of
Abd al-Aziz al-Mansur in Valencia, Mujahid constantly struggled against him, conquering Murcia,
Lorca,
Orihuela and
Elche, extending his power up to the
Segura River. Through the mediation of
Sulaymán ibn Hud of Zaragoza, he signed a treaty of peace with Valencia in 1041. Mujahid, who had been educated as a slave in the court of the Andalusian ruler
Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir, was a patron of several intellectuals, especially writers and
ulemas escaping the chaos ensuing the Córdoban dissolution. He protected Denia's Christian community in exchange for their declaration of loyalty, and worked with the Jewish mercantile community. At the death of Mujahid al-Muwaffaq in 1045, he was succeeded by Ali Iqbal al-Dawla, a son by a Christian mother. He was able to maintain his father's conquests for some thirty years, starting a period of peace and prosperity, underpinned by a large commercial fleet based in Dénia. In 1050 the Balearic governor, Abd Allah ibn Aglab, gained autonomy for the islands. Dénia's power remained confined to its peninsular possessions until the conquest by the
taifa of Zaragoza in 1076. The Balearic
taifa of Mallorca remained independent until 1116. == List of Emirs ==