Episode 65: Al Mutawakkil

Considering their invincibility on the battlefield, the caliphate’s armies probably felt assured that they would remain the state’s number one priority. Al Mutawakkil’s purge of the administration only touched one member of the military hierarchy, and the caliph could not kill off its leadership if he required an effective fighting force. Although he sought to weaken the Turkish grip on the military, al Mutawakkil still needed them to win his many, many wars. Neither side could do without the other, but it was an uneasy relationship as the caliph looked for ways out of it.

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Glossary

• Fat’h ibn Khaqan: al Mutawakkil’s childhood companion remained his best friend even after he rose to power. Fat’h was a constant companion, and he features in most narrations about the caliph, sort of like Ja’far al Barmaki and Harun al Rashid. He was a man of refinement, learning, and high culture.
• Ubaydallah ibn Yahya ibn Khaqan: this official became the caliph’s wazir after proving to be a skilled, loyal, and dedicated administrator. By the end of al Mutawakkil’s reign, Ubaydallah held ultimate control over the treasury. Fun fact, al Tabari once served as tutor to Ubaydallah’s children.
• Najah: the ambitious official who tried and failed to get between the caliph and his vizier, but suffered a brutal and precipitous fall from grace instead. 
• Itakh: the only military leader whom al Mutawakkil moved against, he was arrested and killed within the caliph’s first two years in charge.
• Waseef: as the most senior of al Mu’tasim’s old guard, Waseef inherited Itakh’s position, as Itakh had once inherited it from Ashinas. He was responsible for everything west of Samarra, except the two lands governed by little Bugha. 
• Big Bugha: although the elder Bugha was the next most senior after Waseef, he was too much of a soldier to get involved with court intrigues and the like. He was always on the battlefield, commanding troops in one conflict or another. This made him extremely popular with the troops, and an invaluable military asset. His razing of Tiflis was a terrible tragedy, and the Khazar probably had plenty of Armenian blood on his hands as well.
• Little Bugha: the cupbearer had become a fully-fledged general, with conquests and everything. He was responsible for Azerbaijan and Armenia, provinces that had once been the charge of al Afshin. His victories in the first five years of al Mutawakkil’s legitimized him in the eyes of the troops, and he made important connections that would serve him well down the line. He returned to Samarra and became an important representative of the old guard at court. 
• Mohammad ibn Ba’eeth: the Mesopotamian tribal leader who led the rebellion in Azerbaijan had actually started al Mutawakkil’s reign behind bars. Little Bugha vouched for him and so he was released under probation. In 849 he got some bad info that the caliph had passed away from a disease, so he thought he had a good opportunity to the fortified palace he had inherited, just north of his ancestral lands. 
• Biqrat bin Ashut: the Armenian nobleman whose exile led to the province’s rebellion in 851. He seems to have spent an uneventful time in Samarra while the caliphate brutally suppressed the Armenians. He would eventually return to lead his people into a form of independence. 
• Is’haq ibn Ismail: after over 20 years in charge of the Georgian city, the governor of Tiflis had gone native. His dominance of their neighboring rivals made him very popular among the locals. He was wary about losing his position to the Turks, who had come to dominate the state. His attempt to distance himself ended up putting him on their of enemies, and he was taken out by big Bugha.
• Ali ibn Yahya: the Armenian Arab who led the umma’s forces in the important city of Tarsus. His location meant that he almost always led the summer raids against the Byzantines. 
• Omar al Aqta’: the Arab in charge of Malatya had also become renowned in the umma for his heroism against the Byzantines. His title means “the amputee” as he had lost an arm in battle. He’d joined al Afshin’s armies back during the campaign for Amorium, and together they had bested the emperor himself. His standing in the umma was unparalleled, perhaps especially because he was one of the few Arabs left in an army dominated by Turks. 

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