All in the Family? Al-Mutaims Succession to the Caliphate as Denouement to the Lifelong Feud between al-Mamūn and his Abbasid Family
Abstract This article contends that the caliph al-Mutaim came to power as the result of Abbasid opposition to his predecessor al-Mamūn whose rule is generally considered the ‘Golden Age’ of the caliphate. This opposition had already started during the Civil War between al-Amīn and al-Mamūn and it co...
| Published in: | Oriens |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2010
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| In: |
Oriens
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| Further subjects: | B
decline of Abbasid Caliphate
B al-Mamūn B isha B al-Abbās b. al-Mamūn B Ibn Ā B al-Mutaim B Ibrāhīm b. al-Mahdī B Abbasid Caliphate |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Abstract This article contends that the caliph al-Mutaim came to power as the result of Abbasid opposition to his predecessor al-Mamūn whose rule is generally considered the ‘Golden Age’ of the caliphate. This opposition had already started during the Civil War between al-Amīn and al-Mamūn and it continued during the latter’s reign after winning the Civil War. In the end, al-Mamūn was able to quell the opposition by accepting al-Mutaim, at a later stage, as a member of his own inner circle. Nevertheless, ultimately al-Mamūn’s reign ended in a victory for the anti-Mamūn wing of his family. With this change, the Mamūnite vision of a strong caliphal institution passed away and henceforth the Abbasid caliphate commenced its slow decline — confirmed later by the lack of an efficient central authority and the ensuing chaos. Thus, the collapse of the Abbasid dynasty-caliphate started much earlier — after the first three decades of the ninth century CE and not during the second half of that century, contrary to what most textbooks on Islamic history state. |
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| ISSN: | 1877-8372 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Oriens
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/187783710X536662 |