Episode 57: Interregnum

Al Ma’mun’s surprise victory over his brother left him in charge of the entire caliphate. But the conclusion of the great fitna did not bring an end to its miseries: the chaos of war had spread throughout the land and the new caliph possessed neither the experience nor the resources to return peace to his umma. To everyone’s detriment, the caliph’s most trusted advisors displayed a myopic obsession with personal control and proved wholly inadequate at administering the state. 

Glossary

• Al Ma’mun: the latest Abbasid to lead the umma won control of the caliphate without ever leaving the safety of his court in Merv. He didn’t even have to assign any of the commanders or give them any orders, all that was handled by his trusty wazir, al Fadl ibn Sahl.
• Fadl ibn Sahl: there’s a fair share of material about this figure, but the hostility we find in our sources makes it difficult to ascertain how truthful their assertions about him are. Originally from the Sawad of Iraq – its fertile and productive lands around the rivers, he grew close to the Baramika after faithful service as a tax collector. He and his brother attached themselves to al Ma’mun soon after the downfall of the house of Barmak. They went to Khurasan ahead right after he was made its governor and urged him to establish himself in the region as soon as he had the chance. He joined them after about a year, and they became indispensable to him ever after. 
• Hasan ibn Sahl: Fadl’s brother Hasan was made governor of Iraq and Iran, an assignment he was entirely unprepared for. To be fair to him he encountered unnaturally uniform (if disunited) opposition from its people, but his unimaginative approach of trying to beat them into submission proved ineffective and should have been abandoned. He failed to take advantage of the many splits between the various factions in Iraq and was instead one of the few things that united them in opposition. 
• Tahir: the general who led the armies that defeated the caliphate and vanquished al Amin. Instead of being celebrated for his victory he received orders to hand over everything to al Hasan ibn Fadl, and march off to war once again. He knew better than to oppose orders no matter how insulting he found them. Tahir went off to Raqqa, but with unpaid and exhausted troops, he struggled against the local tribal leader who had taken control of the region.
• Harthama: this leader of the abna’ and general of al Ma’mun’s did not deserve the ignoble end the caliph’s wazir gave him. His reputation is really clean in our sources, which makes his tragic tale all the sadder. I almost named this episode after him. RIP king.
• Abul Saraya: this charismatic leader was a banner-man in Harthama’s army before deciding to surf the wild waves of discontent that swelled across Iraq. He used the Hashemites as an excuse because they were the only ones who stood a shot at dethroning the Abbasids, and because their lack of leadership meant he could sit much closer to power. He is said to have assassinated the Hashemite he first rebelled with in Kufa and replaced him with a Hashemite child whom he never had pay. His rebellion lasted from January until October of 815, but the Abbasids proved capable of taking him out when they were led and supported by the incomparable Harthama.
• Mansur ibn il Mahdi: the caliph’s uncle was a respected member of the clan who fit the bill when the Iraqis were looking for someone to represent their interests instead of the hated governor al Hasan ibn Sahl. He seems to have been level-headed and well aware of the severe limitations his office faced, which is to say that he never tried to do anything besides lead sermons. 
• Ibrahim ibn il Mahdi: Ibrahim accepted the mantle of leadership after the caliph nominated the Hashemite Ali ibn Musa as his successor. Al Mahdi’s love for music and singing was legendary, and Ibrahim was his son from an African songstress he kept, and was a skilled singer and poet himself. He seems like the last person you’d expect to be caliph, which makes his nomination come off like a harmless joke. 
• Ali ibn Musa: Ali ibn Musa is better known as Ali il Rida, “Ali of accordance”, or “the accepted Ali” a title some narrations claim he was bestowed by al Ma’mun after his nomination. Most sources say his death was suspicious, and I suppose getting involved in politics does substantially increase the odds of such an end, but I still don’t suspect the caliph and find a natural death more plausible.