Muhammad ibn Ra'iq
Muhammad ibn Ra'iq | |
---|---|
amir al-umara of the Abbasid Caliphate | |
In office 21 September 941[1] – 13 February 942[1] | |
Monarch | al-Muttaqi |
Preceded by | Kurankij |
Succeeded by | Abu Abdallah al-Baridi (as vizier) |
amir al-umara of the Abbasid Caliphate | |
In office 10 November 936[1] – 9 September 938[1] | |
Monarch | al-Radi |
Preceded by | Ibn Muqla (as vizier) |
Succeeded by | Bajkam |
Personal details | |
Died | 13 February 942 |
Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ra'iq (died 13 February 942), usually simply known as Ibn Ra'iq, was a senior official of the Abbasid Caliphate, who exploited the caliphal government's weakness to become the first amir al-umara ("commander of commanders", generalissimo and de facto regent) of the Caliphate in 936. Deposed by rival Turkish military leaders in 938, he regained the post in 941 and kept it until his assassination in February 942.
Biography
Early career
Muhammad ibn Ra'iq's father was of
Defection from Mu'nis and the death of al-Muqtadir
When Mu'nis assumed full control of the government in 931, dismissing the Caliph's favourites, he appointed Muhammad and Ibrahim, again jointly, as the caliph's chamberlains (hajib).[5] They used this position to acquire considerable influence over al-Muqtadir, thus reducing their dependency, and loyalty, to their patron Mu'nis: when the caliphal faction gained ascendancy over Mu'nis with the appointment of al-Husayn ibn al-Qasim as vizier, the two brothers quickly shifted their allegiance after being told of a rumour that Mu'nis was considering dismissing them.[6]
Following Mu'nis' departure from Baghdad, the two brothers joined the faction of Muhammad ibn Yaqut, who opposed a rapprochement with him, and urged al-Muqtadir to oppose a return of the general to Baghdad by force. Al-Muqtadir vacillated long between them and the faction around the vizier al-Fadl ibn Ja'far ibn al-Furat and the caliph's influential cousin, Harun ibn Gharib, who were in favour of a reconciliation.[7] When Mu'nis marched on Baghdad, the Caliph rode out to confront him and was killed in the ensuing battle. Mu'nis thus emerged as the undisputed king-maker and dictator of the Caliphate.[8]
Return to office
With the triumph of Mu'nis and the accession of al-Qahir (r. 932–934), Muhammad and his brother abandoned Baghdad, as did the other members of the court who had opposed Mu'nis. The two sons of Ra'iq were soon enticed back, however, as Muhammad was offered the governorship of Basra.[9][2] Returning to favour, he obtained the governorship of Wasit on the accession of al-Radi (r. 934–940).[2]
The frequent coups and violent struggle for control of the Caliphate had by this time greatly enfeebled the central government. Effective control over the
First emirate and downfall
In this atmosphere of disintegration, Ibn Ra'iq likewise refused to send his province's revenue to Baghdad.[2][10] The Caliph's vizier, Ibn Muqla, tried to restore central control, but his expedition against the Hamdanids in 935 failed to achieve any lasting results and his attempt to campaign against Ibn Ra'iq in the next spring failed to even get off the ground, and he was himself arrested.[11]
Al-Radi was now forced to turn to Ibn Ra'iq for support, even though he had dismissed such a proposal in 935. Thus, in 936 Ibn Ra'iq came to Baghdad and assumed de facto control over the caliphal government with the title of amir al-umara ("commander of the commanders"). The post entailed overall command over the army, as well as the supervision of the civil administration, hitherto the province of the vizier. The caliph was deprived of any say in affairs of state, and sidelined to a purely symbolic role.[2][12]
The main pillars of Ibn Ra'iq's regime were the Turkish troops under
The struggle between Bajkam and Ibn Ra'iq had one long-term and disastrous consequence: trying to impede Bajkam's advance towards Baghdad, Ibn Ra'iq ordered the blocking of the Nahrawan Canal to flood the countryside. This action did not avail Ibn Ra'iq, but it heavily impaired the local agriculture for centuries to come, since the canal played a central role in the ancient irrigation system of the Sawad.[14] As Hugh N. Kennedy writes, "the breach of the Nahrawan canal was simply the most dramatic example of a widespread phenomenon of the time; and it was symbolic of the end of ‘Abbasid power just as the breach of the Marib Dam was of the end of the prosperity of pre-Islamic south Arabia".[14]
Second emirate and death
Bajkam remained amir al-umara until his death in April 941.[15][16] Bajkam's unexpected death created a power vacuum in Baghdad, with disagreements between Daylamite and Turkish forces prompting the former to join the defeated al-Baridi, while many of the latter fled north to Mosul and thence came to join Ibn Ra'iq in Damascus.[17][18] The Baridis briefly captured Baghdad, but a revolt of their soldiery drove them out, and the Daylamite chief named Kurankij became amir al-umara.[19][20] Al-Muttaqi appealed to Ibn Ra'iq for assistance against Kurankij. Ibn Ra'iq marched on Baghdad and managed to sideline and imprison Kurankij. The Daylamites who had been his mainstay were massacred, and Ibn Ra'iq was re-appointed as amir al-umara on 23 September.[21][22]
He did not long enjoy it, however, as in early 942 he was assassinated at the orders of the Hamdanid prince Nasir al-Dawla, who soon succeeded him as amir al-umara.[2][23]
Family
Ibn Ra'iq was married to a sister of Ja'far ibn al-Furat, scion of an Iraqi bureaucratic dynasty and the longtime vizier of the Ikhshidid dynasty of Egypt. Their son Muzahim was originally held as a hostage in the Ikhshidid court, but later rose to become a senior commander in the Ikhshidid army and marry an Ikhshidid princess.[24]
References
- ^ a b c d Donohue 2003, p. 9.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Sourdel 1971, p. 902.
- ^ a b c d Bowen 1928, p. 291.
- ^ Bowen 1928, pp. 281–286.
- ^ Bowen 1928, p. 299.
- ^ Bowen 1928, pp. 311–312.
- ^ Bowen 1928, pp. 317–318.
- ^ Bowen 1928, pp. 318–321.
- ^ Bowen 1928, pp. 326, 345.
- ^ a b Kennedy 2004, p. 194.
- ^ Kennedy 2004, pp. 194–195.
- ^ a b c Kennedy 2004, p. 195.
- ^ Kennedy 2004, pp. 195, 197, 204.
- ^ a b Kennedy 2004, p. 197.
- ^ Amedroz & Margoliouth 1921, pp. 9–10.
- ^ Bowen 1928, pp. 365–366.
- ^ Bowen 1928, pp. 366–367.
- ^ Amedroz & Margoliouth 1921, pp. 13–14, 20–21.
- ^ Bowen 1928, pp. 370–371.
- ^ Amedroz & Margoliouth 1921, pp. 15–18.
- ^ Bowen 1928, p. 373.
- ^ Amedroz & Margoliouth 1921, pp. 20–24.
- ^ Kennedy 2004, pp. 195–196.
- ^ Bianquis 1972, p. 58.
Sources
- Amedroz, Henry F.; Margoliouth, David S., eds. (1921). The Eclipse of the 'Abbasid Caliphate. Original Chronicles of the Fourth Islamic Century, Vol. V: The concluding portion of The Experiences of Nations by Miskawaihi, Vol. II: Reigns of Muttaqi, Mustakfi, Muzi and Ta'i. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
- S2CID 259055451.
- Bowen, Harold (1928). The Life and Times of ʿAlí Ibn ʿÍsà, ‘The Good Vizier’. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. OCLC 386849.
- Donohue, John J. (2003). The Buwayhid Dynasty in Iraq 334 H./945 to 403 H./1012: Shaping Institutions for the Future. Leiden and Boston: Brill. ISBN 90-04-12860-3.
- ISBN 978-0-582-40525-7.
- OCLC 495469525.