Mu'nis al-Muzaffar
Mu'nis al-Muzaffar مؤنس المظفر | |
---|---|
Native name | Abu'l-Hasan Mu'nis al-Qushuri ابوالحسن مؤنس ابوالحسن |
Born | c. 845/6 Abbasid Empire |
Died | c. 933 Baghdad, Abbasid Empire (present-day Iraq) |
Allegiance | Abbasid Empire |
Service/ | Abbasid army |
Years of service | c. 880/1 – 933 |
Battles/wars |
Abū'l-Ḥasan Mu'nis al-Qushuri (
A
In 924 he helped secure the dismissal and execution of his long-time rival, the
Life
Career under al-Mu'tadid and exile
According to the 14th-century account of
Al-Dhahabi, however, records that in 901 the caliph banished him to Mecca, possibly as its governor, whence he was recalled only after the accession of al-Muqtadir (r. 908–932) in 908.[1][2] This is apparently corroborated by his complete absence from the sources during the intervening reign of al-Muktafi.[1] The reason for the banishment is unclear, but was likely related to the power struggles between Badr and al-Mu'tadid's last vizier, al-Qasim ibn Ubayd Allah. Al-Muktafi was apparently also hostile to him, possibly because Mu'nis had been involved in harem intrigues in favour of al-Muqtadir.[2] While at Mecca, he took into his entourage the son of the executed Badr, Hilal.[2]
Campaigns under al-Muqtadir
Mu'nis rose to prominence early during the reign of al-Muqtadir: in December 908, shortly after the caliph's accession, a faction of the bureaucracy and the army launched a coup to depose him and replace him with his brother Abdallah ibn al-Mu'tazz. Mu'nis led the defence of the Hasani Palace and the coup collapsed. This earned him the gratitude and support of the young caliph and his influential and powerful mother, Shaghab, and solidified his position among the grandees of the Abbasid court.[1][4] Shaghab intended to give him Badr's old role as commander-in-chief, and as a first step, gave him command of the caliphal guard, the Hujariyya.[5] Mu'nis' rise provoked the hostility of the vizier, Ibn al-Furat, who sought to remove him from Baghdad and sent him on campaigns in the frontiers.[5]
In 909 Mu'nis led the customary summer raid (sa'ifa) against the
In 914, the
In 918–919, Mu'nis campaigned against the rebellious ruler of
Court rivalries and coups
At court, Mu'nis was an early and staunch opponent of Ibn al-Furat,
This marked the apogee of Mu'nis's career: he was now in virtual control of the government and a decisive voice in the appointment of Ibn al-Furat's successors as viziers. At the same time, however, his power created a widening rift between him and the Caliph, with al-Muqtadir even plotting to assassinate his leading general in 927.
In 928, following the dismissal of his favourite, Ali ibn Isa, from the vizierate,[16] Mu'nis launched a coup and deposed al-Muqtadir and installed his half-brother al-Qahir in his place, but reneged after a few days. Mu'nis now possessed virtually dictatorial authority over the Abbasid government.[1][15] In 931, al-Muqtadir rallied enough support to force him to leave Baghdad, but in 932, after gathering troops, Mu'nis marched onto Baghdad and defeated the caliphal army before the city walls, with al-Muqtadir falling in the field.[1][15] Triumphant, Mu'nis now installed al-Qahir as caliph, but the two quickly became estranged. The new caliph resumed contacts with the defeated court faction, and found himself soon under confinement in his palace. Nevertheless, in August 933 al-Qahir managed to lure Mu'nis and his main lieutenants to the palace, where they were executed.[1][17]
Assessment
The role of Mu'nis in the history of the Abbasid Caliphate is ambiguous. Historian
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Bowen 1993, p. 575.
- ^ a b c d e f g Massignon 1982, p. 196.
- ^ a b Canard 1971, p. 126.
- ^ Kennedy 2004, p. 191.
- ^ a b c d e f Massignon 1982, p. 197.
- ^ a b c d e f g h PmbZ, Mu’nis al-Muẓaffar (#25449).
- ^ Bosworth 1975, p. 123.
- ^ a b Bianquis 1998, pp. 110, 111.
- ^ a b c Bonner 2010, pp. 339, 340.
- ^ Kennedy 2004, p. 267.
- ^ a b c Madelung 1975, p. 231.
- ^ Bianquis 1998, pp. 111–112.
- ^ Bonner 2010, p. 350.
- ^ Kennedy 2004, pp. 191–192.
- ^ a b c Bonner 2010, p. 351.
- ^ a b c Kennedy 2004, p. 192.
- ^ Kennedy 2004, pp. 192–193.
- ^ Bonner 2010, p. 349.
- ^ Kennedy 2004, pp. 193–197.
Sources
- ISBN 0-521-47137-0.
- ISBN 978-0-521-83823-8.
- ISBN 0-521-20093-8.
- Bowen, Harold (1928). The Life and Times of ʿAlí Ibn ʿÍsà, ‘The Good Vizier’. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. OCLC 386849.
- Bowen, H. (1993). "Muʾnis al-Muẓaffar". In ISBN 978-90-04-09419-2.
- OCLC 495469525.
- ISBN 3-406-35497-1.
- ISBN 978-0-582-40525-7.
- Lilie, Ralph-Johannes; Ludwig, Claudia; Pratsch, Thomas; Zielke, Beate (2013). Prosopographie der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit Online. Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Nach Vorarbeiten F. Winkelmanns erstellt (in German). Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter.
- ISBN 0-521-20093-8.
- ISBN 0-691-01919-3.