Al-Abbas ibn al-Ma'mun

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Al-Abbas ibn al-Ma'mun
العباس إبن المأمون
Died838
Burial
Manbij
Names
Al-Abbas ibn Abdallah al-Ma'mun ibn Harun al-Rashid ibn Muhammad al-Mahdi ibn Abdallah al-Mansur
DynastyAbbasid
Fatheral-Ma'mun
MotherSundus
ReligionSunni Islam
Military career
AllegianceAbbasid Caliphate
Service/branch Abbasid army
Years of servicec. 828–838
Battles/warsArab–Byzantine wars
Relationsal-Amin (uncle)
al-Mu'tasim (uncle)
al-Qasim (uncle)

Al-Abbas ibn al-Ma'mun (

conspiracy against al-Mu'tasim, and died in prison
.

Biography

Abbas was the son of al-Ma'mun by the

Khurramite rebels of Babak Khorramdin in Azerbaijan. The campaign was accompanied by a contingent of Byzantine captives under the renegade general Manuel the Armenian, who, given Abbas's relative inexperience, may have been the actual commander of the army.[3] Abbas's force met with some success against the Khurramites, and began its return. As it passed near the Byzantine frontier at Hadath, Manuel, having earned the confidence of Abbas and his Arab officers, persuaded Abbas to cross the nearby passes and raid Byzantine territory. Once there, Manuel took advantage of a hunt to disarm Abbas and his entourage and defect back to the Empire, along with some of the other Byzantine captives. Abbas with his men were left behind and after rejoining their army, they retreated back over the mountains into the Caliphate.[4]

Map of Byzantine Asia Minor and the Byzantine-Arab frontier region in the middle of the 9th century.

In the next year, Abbas accompanied his father and uncle in a major expedition into Byzantine Anatolia. After the Arab army crossed the Cilician Gates and took Heraclea Cybistra in early July, it divided in three corps, headed by the Caliph, al-Mu'tasim and Abbas, and proceeded to raid across Cappadocia. The other two forces achieved little of consequence in the already repeatedly devastated area, but Abbas met with more success: he forced the town of Tyana to capitulate and razed it, and met and defeated the Byzantine army under the emperor Theophilos (r. 829–842) in a minor skirmish.[5] Al-Ma'mun kept up the pressure on Byzantium in 832, with his army capturing the strategically important fortress of Loulon, and in late 832 the Caliph began gathering a huge army and announced that he intended to conquer and colonize Anatolia step by step, and finally subjugate the Empire by capturing Constantinople itself. Consequently, on 25 May 833, Abbas with the advance force marched into Byzantine territory and began creating a military base at the site of Tyana. The site had been fortified and awaited the arrival of the Caliph's army, which in early July crossed into Anatolia. At this juncture al-Ma'mun fell ill and died, although some modern scholars speculate that his death may have been the result of a coup.[6][7]

On receiving news of the Caliph's illness, Abbas abandoned his army and sped to his father's encampment, where he joined his uncle al-Mu'tasim at al-Ma'mun's deathbed.

al-Dinawari claims.[1] His main rival was his uncle al-Mu'tasim, who according to the account of al-Tabari was named heir by al-Ma'mun on his deathbed.[1] Whatever the true events, al-Mu'tasim was ascendant, as demonstrated by the fact that he performed the funerary prayer for his brother.[1] Abbas swiftly and publicly swore allegiance to al-Mu'tasim, thereby moving to assuage the troops, many of whom were displeased at Abbas being passed over, and wanting to proclaim him caliph instead.[2][8]

Nevertheless, al-Mu'tasim's hold on the throne was still shaky, and he abandoned Ma'mun's campaign; the new base at Tyana was razed, and the still restive army returned to the Caliphate.

al-Afshin, who executed him by a slow and torturous way: Abbas was fed very salty food, denied water, and exposed to the sun wrapped in a felt blanket, until he died.[1][2] His four brothers by Sundus were imprisoned by the Turkish commander Itakh in the latter's basement, and were never seen again.[1] while Abbas' male descendants were imprisoned and executed by Ashinas.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Turner 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d Zetterstéen 1960, pp. 11–12.
  3. ^ Treadgold 1988, p. 272.
  4. ^ Treadgold 1988, p. 273.
  5. ^ Treadgold 1988, pp. 275–276, 279.
  6. ^ Treadgold 1988, pp. 279–281.
  7. ^ Gordon 2001, p. 47.
  8. ^ Gordon 2001, pp. 47–48.
  9. ^ Treadgold 1988, p. 281.
  10. ^ Gordon 2001, pp. 48–49, 76–78.
  11. ^ Gordon 2001, p. 77.

Sources

  • Gordon, Matthew S. (2001). The Breaking of a Thousand Swords: A History of the Turkish Military of Samarra (A.H. 200–275/815–889 C.E.). Albany, New York: State University of New York Press.
    ISBN 0-7914-4795-2
    .
  • ISBN 978-0-8047-1462-4
    .
  • Turner, John P. (2013). "al-ʿAbbās b. al-Maʾmūn". In Fleet, Kate;
    ISSN 1873-9830
    .
  • OCLC 495469456
    .
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