Juan Assad (World of Sultans)

Juan ibn Trinidad Assad (Arabic: خوان بن ترينيداد الأسد, born August 15, 1881), also known by his Spanish name Juan de Trinidad Assad y Sarraf and his Anglicized name John Assad was an Andalusian Roman Catholic priest, revolutionary and later politician who is credited as one of the founding fathers of the Republic of Andalusia.

Juan Assad was the founder of the Catholic Republican Army, an observant group of Roman Catholics that overthrew emir (King) Boutros Humeya of Andalusia, along with collaboration and merging with the Muslim Republican Army led by Islamic imam Abd-Rabbu al-Saab.

After the republic was formed, Juan Assad assumed the role as President of Andalusia, becoming its first president. Throughout the state's early foundations, Juan Assad became the Commander in Chief of the Andalusian Armed Forces, and led the state's armies through its war with Spain and later Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany during World War II.

Childhood
Juan Assad was born in the city of Al-Sabil (Seville) to Trinidad Assad and Goria Sarraf on August 15, 1881. He belonged to the prominent Assad family. His mother and father worked in the Royal Court of King Aboo Humeya.

The family were devoutly religious Roman Catholics, and Assad spent most of his time in religious education.

In 1900, Aboo Humeya passed away and his son Boutros Humeya became king (emir) of Andalusia. Unlike Juan's view of King Aboo, he had a bitter hate for Boutros Humeya who was a very strict king unlike Aboo's passive behavior.

Boutros was also known to be very pro-Spanish, and reflected the Reconquista attitudes of Ferdinand and Isabelle. Boutros spoke extensive Spanish, and was said that a commoner in Andalusia spoke better

Priesthood
In 1917, Juan Assad was influenced by his family's religious background and opted to take religious studies to become a priest. He preached in the Iglesia de Seville. King Boutros paid him to go on a religious crusader program to convert Andalusia's Muslims to Roman Catholicism.

Disagreeing with the King, he "pretended" to convert Muslims and forged conversion certificates to the King.

Marriage
In 1921, Juan Assad rejected a request from King Boutros to court and eventually marry his daughter Princess Nicole bint Humeya. King Boutros was angered and threatened to send troops to Juan Assad's home if he did not comply. Assad still refused, and fought the soldiers sent by King Boutros. Afterwards, Assad fled to the city of Al-Malaha (Málaga). There, he eventually left priesthood.

In the city of Al-Malaha, Juan Assad met his wife Angelina Shadid who was a prominent political family from Al-Malaha. The Shadid family agreed to take Juan Assad and hide him from King Boutros.

Eventually, Juan Assad and Gloria Shadid ended up getting married in 1922.

Andalusian Civil War
Influenced by Spain's civil war in 1935, Juan Assad eventually decided to form a militant group of his own. Assad met with other Roman Catholic and former Roman Catholic priests who were "tired" with the policies of King Boutros.

Assad formed the Catholic Republican Army (Arabic: الجيش الجمهوري الكاثوليكي) (Spanish: Católico Ejército Republicano). Not too long afterwards, an Islamic imam by the name of Abd-Rabbu al-Saab formed the Muslim Republican Army.

During the early parts of the civil war, the CRA fought against the King's state armies as well as the MRA. However in 1938, Assad and Saab merged to unite against the Royalist armies. After the defeat the Royalists, Juan Assad and al-Saab's armies surrounded King Boutros's palace in Cordoba. Juan Assad allowed King Boutros Humeya to peacefully exile to Spain along with his family.