al-Ta'i'
al-Ṭāʾiʿ liʾllāh الطائع لله | |
---|---|
Iraq | |
Burial | Baghdad |
Spouse | Shah Zanan bint Izz al-Dawla (m. 977)[1][2] Bint 'Adud al-Dawla[1] |
Dynasty | Abbasid |
Father | al-Muti' |
Mother | Utb |
Religion | Sunni Islam |
Abu Bakr ʿAbd al-Karīm ibn al-Faḍl (
Origin and early life
Abd al-Karim, the future al-Ta'i', was born in Baghdad in 929 as the son of the Abbasid prince al-Fadl, son of Caliph al-Muqtadir, and a concubine of Greek origin, called Utb.[3][4] As an adult, al-Ta'i's face was marked by smallpox, and he had a prominent nose, which became the object of satire by contemporaries.[5]
His father came to the throne as caliph
Caliphate
Rise to the throne
On 1 August 974, the
Like his father, al-Ta'i' is considered by medieval and modern historians alike to have been a powerless figurehead, limited to appending his name to certificates of appointment and official correspondence, with others holding the real power.
The new caliph promptly named Sabuktakin as the chief emir (
At any rate, al-Ta'i' was soon able to recover his position at least somewhat, making use of the Buyids' quarrels and their need for legitimacy: in Baghdad, Adud al-Dawla deposed his cousin and assumed rule of the city. Leaving Tikrit, al-Ta'i' returned to Baghdad, where Adud al-Dawla received him with respect and restored to him his domains, that had apparently been confiscated (it is unclear by whom, likely by Izz al-Dawla).[3][22][24] There are indications that he consulted with al-Ta'i' for a formal investment as emir, and his name was included in the Friday prayer before that of Izz al-Dawla. In the event, Adud al-Dawla bowed to pressure by his father, the senior Buyid emir Rukn al-Dawla, to withdraw and allow Iraq to remain a separate emirate under Izz al-Dawla.[25][26]
Under Izz al-Dawla
Following Adud al-Dawla's departure, Izz al-Dawla tried to consolidate his regime and gather allies against his cousin's hegemonic ambitions. This effort was also in al-Ta'i's interests, and included the awarding by the caliph of several honorific titles with the suffix al-Dawla to regional potentates, as well as Izz al-Dawla's vizier, Ibn Baqiyya.[27]
When Rukn al-Dawla died in September 976, Adud al-Dawla seized control of the eastern half of the Buyid realm, while Izz al-Dawla in Iraq made himself de facto independent. Al-Ta'i' seized the opportunity to deepen the rift between the two cousins by conceding to the ambitious Izz al-Dawla high privileges that made him the co-equal of Adud al-Dawla: Ibn Baqiyya was named joint vizier of Izz al-Dawla and the caliph, Izz al-Dawla's titles were extended, and finally, the caliph himself married a daughter of the Buyid emir.
Under Adud al-Dawla
In a formal ceremony, Adud al-Dawla was invested as amir al-umara by al-Ta'i', with extensive new honours:[30] he was awarded a crown and jewel-studded necklace, given the honorific Taj al-Milla ('Crown of the Muslim Community'), as well as a banner for himself and his heir, something hitherto reserved for the designated heirs of the caliphs.[3] Adud al-Dawla also requested two special privileges: allowing him to enter the caliphal audience chamber on horseback, and the erection of a curtain so that when he prostrated himself in front of the caliph, this gesture of submission would not be seen by his companions.[31] The caliph pointedly refused these demands, and even had a barrier built in front of the audience chamber, so that the Buyid ruler had no choice but dismount and enter on foot.[32] Al-Ta'i' did, however, agree to the addition of some details to the ceremony that hearkened back to ancient Persian protocol, and that made it appear to the Buyid's companions as if Adud al-Dawla had been crowned king by the caliph. It is unclear whether al-Ta'i' was aware of the significance of these changes.[33][34] Al-Ta'i' also agreed to accompany Adud al-Dawla in his campaign that defeated the remnants of Izz al-Dawla's forces at Samarra in May 978, whereupon he returned to Baghdad.[35]
As the coronation episode reveals, Adud al-Dawla, and the Buyids generally, relied increasingly on pre-Islamic Persian traditions, ceremonies, and titles to bolster their position and claim an independent source of legitimacy.
As soon as Izz al-Dawla and his
When Adud al-Dawla returned to Baghdad in 980, following his eastern campaigns, al-Ta'i' in person led the Buyid emir into the city; an unprecedented event, but, as Bosworth comments, "once again the caliph seems to have failed to appreciate the significance of the ceremony in which he was taking part".
Under Adud al-Dawla's successors
Adud al-Dawla died on 26 March 983 at the age of 49, leaving behind a large but unconsolidated empire, and an unregulated succession.[48] Initially, the Buyid commanders gave the oath of allegiance to Adud al-Dawla's second son, Marzuban, under the name of Samsam al-Dawla. Al-Ta'i' recognized the succession, investing Samsam al-Dawla with the title of Shams al-Milla.[3][49] Adud al-Dawla's oldest son, Shirdil, known as Sharaf al-Dawla, refused to accept this and seized Fars, thus limiting Samsam al-Dawla to Iraq, but even there the latter faced challengers: Upper Mesopotamia was lost to the Kurd Badh, while two younger sons of Adud al-Dawla held Khuzistan and Basra. In the eastern territories of the Buyid empire, at the same time, their uncle Fakhr al-Dawla laid claim to Adud al-Dawla's succession, claiming the tile of shahanshah for himself.[50]
The Buyid quarrels offered opportunities for al-Ta'i': the officials ousted by Adud al-Dawla were reinstated, and the danger of Iraq's permanent relegation to a province ruled from elsewhere was ended for now, as it once again became a separate political unit under one of the Buyid emirs.
Sharaf al-Dawla's ascendancy was brief, as he died at Baghdad on 7 September 988.[56][58] As his two sons were underage, he was succeeded by his younger brother Abu Nasr Firuz, with the regnal name of Baha al-Dawla. Al-Ta'i' recognized the succession, and invested Baha al-Dawla with the title of Diya al-Milla.[3][56] Baha al-Dawla was quickly attacked by Fakhr al-Dawla, but the two Buyid emirs quickly came to terms—again with the caliph as arbiter—recognizing each other as rulers over their respective realms.[58]
Deposition and succession
Bereft of money with which to pay his army, the Buyid emir followed the advice of the powerful head of the chancery, Abu'l-Hasan ibn al-Mu'allim, to depose al-Ta'i' in order to seize the caliphal treasury.[3][4][59] On 22 November 991 (12 Ramadan 381 AH), under the pretext of an audience, Baha al-Dawla's men seized the caliph. While the caliphal palace was plundered, the caliph was wrapped in a robe and brought to the emir's residence, where he was placed under arrest.[3][4] He was succeeded by his cousin Abu'l-Abbas Ahmad, who took the throne as al-Qadir.[4][60]
Al-Ta'i' had had strained relations with his cousin: in 988, the latter's half-sister, apparently motivated by an inheritance dispute, reported him as seeking to replace al-Ta'i' as caliph. To escape capture, Ahmad went into hiding for a while, before seeking refuge with the governor of the swamps of Bathihah near Basra, Muhadhdhib al-Dawla, for about three years.[61][60] From there, Ahmad plotted against al-Ta'i', harping on his own loyalty to the Buyids, and drawing contrast to the fact that al-Ta'i' had been installed by a Turk.[60]
Al-Ta'i' remained under arrest until September 992, when he was allowed to move to the caliphal palace. Despite their previous differences, al-Qadir treated him well.[4] Al-Ta'i' was not blinded, as had been the case for previous deposed caliphs, and he was accorded treatment due to a reigning caliph.[62] Al-Ta'i' died at the palace on 3 August 1003, and was buried in Rusafa,[4][5] at a mausoleum he had erected across from the tombs of his father, al-Muti', and of his great-grandmother, the mother of al-Muqtadir, Shaghab.[63]
Al-Ta'i's deposition had a long denouement: considering al-Qadir a puppet of the Buyids, the eastern dynasties of the
See also
References
- ^ a b Rudainy, Al; Saud, Reem (June 12, 2015). "The Role of Women in the Būyid and Saljūq Periods of the Abbasid Caliphate (339-447/9501055&447-547/1055-1152): The Case of Iraq". University of Exeter. pp. 57, 58–59. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ISBN 978-1-4744-2319-9.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Demircan 2010, p. 447.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Zetterstéen & Bosworth 2000, p. 115.
- ^ a b c Demircan 2010, p. 448.
- ^ Donohue 2003, pp. 13–15, 18.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 27, 153.
- ^ Kennedy 2004, pp. 216, 239.
- ^ Donohue 2003, p. 266.
- ^ Donohue 2003, pp. 18, 263.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 143–144.
- ^ a b Donohue 2003, p. 270.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 44, 143–144.
- ^ Busse 2004, p. 153.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 137–138.
- ^ Busse 2004, p. 191.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 47–48.
- ^ Busse 2004, p. 44.
- ^ a b Kennedy 2004, p. 224.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 44–45, 144.
- ^ Donohue 2003, pp. 271–272.
- ^ a b Donohue 2003, p. 271.
- ^ Busse 2004, p. 144.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 48, 144, 151.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 44–46, 48.
- ^ Donohue 2003, p. 273.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 47–49, 251.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 49, 51.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 51–52, 58, 144.
- ^ Busse 2004, p. 52.
- ^ a b Bosworth 1975, p. 275.
- ^ Bosworth 1975, pp. 275–276.
- ^ Bosworth 1975, p. 276.
- ^ a b Busse 2004, p. 58.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 52, 58, 144.
- ^ a b Bürgel & Mottahedeh 1988, pp. 265–269.
- ^ Bosworth 1975, pp. 274–277.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 174–179.
- ^ a b Bosworth 1975, p. 277.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 58–59.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 59, 136.
- ^ Donohue 2003, p. 121.
- ^ Busse 2004, p. 59.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 135–136.
- ^ a b Bosworth 1975, p. 278.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 59–60.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 60, 176.
- ^ Busse 2004, p. 61.
- ^ Bosworth 1975, p. 289.
- ^ Bosworth 1975, pp. 289–291.
- ^ Busse 2004, p. 68.
- ^ Busse 2004, p. 136.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 68–69.
- ^ Busse 2004, p. 147.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 65–66, 136.
- ^ a b c d Bosworth 1975, p. 291.
- ^ Busse 2004, p. 66.
- ^ a b Busse 2004, p. 67.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 69, 304.
- ^ a b c Busse 2004, p. 69.
- ^ Küçükaşcı 2001, p. 127.
- ^ Busse 2004, pp. 157–159.
- ^ Busse 2004, p. 200.
- ^ a b Busse 2004, p. 70.
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