Abd al-Rahman III, the emir and caliph of Córdoba in tenth-century Spain. Al-Rahman was an absolute ruler who lived in complete luxury. Here’s how he assessed his own life at about age seventy: I have now reigned above 50 years in victory or peace; beloved by my subjects, dreaded by my enemies, and respected by my allies. Riches and honors, power and pleasure, have waited on my call, nor does any earthly blessing appear to have been wanting to my felicity.[15] Fame, riches, and pleasure beyond imagination. Sounds great, doesn’t it? But, as he goes on to write, I have diligently numbered the
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