A taifa (from "ṭā'ifa", plural طوائف "ṭawā'if") was an independent Muslim-ruled principality. "Taifa"s developed during the history of Iberia. They were usually emirates or little kingdoms, but there was one oligarchy as well, Seville. A number were formed in the Al-Andalus (Moorish Iberia) after the end of the Umayyad Caliphate of Cordóba in 1031.