Episode 70: Proxy fitna

As the last vestiges of Abbasid authority crumbled, the caliphate spiraled further into chaos. It wasn’t too long before an unremarkable conflict sparked a much wider conflagration and the umma was engulfed by civil war. The turks treated the Abbasids as little more than a banner, and each side rallied behind the candidate they understood would look after their interests the best. The fitna of 865 proved disastrous to Baghdad and Iraq, but the rest of the umma seemed to enjoy the downfall of the unpopular Turks, and they capitalized on their absence by exercising more independence. 

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Glossary

• Al Musta’in: the caliph was already in an unenviable position before any of today’s events, but the fitna compromised his situation even further. He was entirely reliant on his handlers, even after they were disgraced in their base of Samarra. 
• Little Bugha and Waseef: the pair of top generals had a good run, but they probably did not foresee the chaos that came in the wake of their elimination of Baghir. They kept a low profile in Baghdad, and prioritized repairing their relationship with the troops over championing their Abbasid. It worked, and they lived to betray another day.
• Baghir: I like the poetic symmetry of this guy’s contribution to Arab history. He earned influence by assassinating the caliph, used it to undermine the old guard, and in death unleashed enough chaos to bring everything down with him. 
• Baykabak: one of many prominent Turkish leaders around this point. He and Musa ibn Bugha were designated as generals to assist Talha in the war against Baghdad, while Seema al Turki took charge of security in the capital. There were others still, but we can safely skip most of them without materially compromising our coverage.
• Al Mu’tazz: al Mutawakkil’s son caught a break when the rebellious Turks needed a counterweight to al Musta’in. I his late teens by now, the young al Mu’tazz branded himself a restorer of Abbasid authority. He insisted that his cousin was a usurper who had been installed by traitors, but nobody was ready to follow his lead before he defeated his rival. 
• Al Mu’ayyad: the Turks designated al Mu’tazz’s younger brother his heir the same day they pledged to the new caliph. It wasn’t out of a sense of duty or loyalty, it just made their position seem stronger to have more than one Abbasid in their camp.
• Talha ibn il Mutawakkil: this son of al Mutawakkil was assigned as the general in charge of waging the war against al Musta’in. He did a fabulous job, and built strong ties with influential leaders like Musa ibn Bugha, connections that will serve him well in years to come. 
• Mohammad ibn Abdallah ibn Tahir: the governor of Baghdad was the general in charge of al Musta’in’s military response. He was totally loyal to the Abbasids, and unwilling to move against Waseef and little Bugha of his own initiative. Despite al Musta’in’s haplessness, the governor understood his own responsibility as a servant of the caliph’s until the very end, when he recognized that it was a lost cause and he had to negotiate with Talha.