Episode 62: Princely ambitions

Al Mu’tasim’s armies were among the strongest ever fielded by the caliphate. They reliably triumphed over their foes and faced no problems putting down any resistance to the caliph’s authority. Al Afshin and the Ushrusania were some of their most important elements, responsible for some of the umma’s most celebrated victories. Their reputation took a nosedive in the last few years of the caliph’s reign after al Afshin’s ambition got the best of him.

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Glossary

• Mohammad al Jawwad: the son of Ali al Rida, Mohammad was only 7 years old when his father passed away, making him the ninth Imam. He spent most of his life in Medina, though al Ma’mun did invite him to Baghdad on at least two occasions, first in 820, then again in 830. The second time Mohamad went to the capital he was wed to the caliph’s daughter. The marriage did not lead to any children, and Mohammad died a few years later, in al Mu’tasim’s reign, at the young age of 24. Some accounts claim he was assassinated by al Ma’mun’s daughter, but there’s no evidence of his abuse by the Abbasids so they’re hard to take seriously.
• Al Afshin: the prince of Ushrusana has a mixed reputation: his bravery is celebrated, but he is also attacked as an outsider who was hypocritical in his islam and his loyalty to the umma. He is quoted being derisive of the Arabs, the Maghariba, and even the Turks. His downfall was swift and vengefully celebrated in our sources.
• Babak: the leader of the Khurramites led a long-lived rebellion against the umma.,Although Azerbaijan is quite distant from Khurasan, his position is often likened to the one held by Abu Muslim in Khurasan back in the day. His Khurramite movement was quite different though, it pushed for effective independence from the caliphate, and rallied around Zoroastrianism as a cultural anchor. The forbidding terrain of Azerbaijan, their unity in the face of the umma’s armies, and Babak’s leadership helped them keep their cause going for over 20 years. 
• Maziyar: the Ispahbad of Tabaristan is a clear villain in our sources, though not a particularly dangerous one. For such a minor character, there’s a surprising amount of material on him, much of it defamatory. Most of his decisions seem badly calculated and self destructive, from clashing with Abdallah ibn Tahir to rebelling against the caliphate, probably due to he hostility against him in our sources. 
• Abdallah ibn Tahir: the governor of Khurasan continued doing an amazing job ruling the province for the Abbasids. It was a complicated job, and I now regret skipping over so many of its details in our coverage as that really hides how vibrant and wild the East remained. Maybe I’ll have an episode on the subject some day down the line. Abdallah ibn Tahir was the only true winner of al Afashin and Maziyar’s constant trouble-making in the East, and he secured control of both their territories. 

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