al-Mahdi (Abbasids)

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Dirham with the name al-Mahdis from Kerman

al-Mahdi ( Arabic أبو عبد الله محمد بن عبد الله المنصور بن محمد بن علي المهدي بالله, DMG Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad b. ʿAbd Allaah al-Manṣūr b. Muḥammad b. ʿAlī al-Mahdī bi-'llāh ; * 743/44 or 745; † 4 August 785 ) was the third Caliph of the Abbasid (775-785).

Life

As the designated heir to the throne, al-Mahdi took over rule from his father al-Mansur in 775 . Even under the government of his father, he had distinguished himself as a general during the conquest of Tabaristan south of the Caspian Sea (756), and from 758/59 he also served as governor in Rey .

Under his government, the expansion of the imperial administration continued and al-Mansur's political course was maintained. Like him, al-Mahdi also relied mainly on Abbasid family members. Unlike his two predecessors, al-Mahdi seems to have attached more weight to the religious aspect of his office, which is also clear from the chosen ruler name "al- Mahdi ".

Apart from the uprising of the Muqanna in Khorassan (775 / 76-779) and the ongoing unrest of the Kharijites in Ifrīqiya / Maghreb and in Iran , the empire was pacified, his reign is characterized as a period of peace and prosperity. Under Prince Harun (ar-Raschid) campaigns against Byzantium began again in 780 as a reaction to enemy attacks . In 782, the Muslim troops pushed further into Byzantine territory and were able to force Byzantine tributes. Al-Mahdi tried to pursue a policy of reconciliation with the Alids ; at least he managed to ensure that there were no major disturbances in this regard during his reign.

In contrast to the "modest" court of al-Mansur, al-Mahdi ran a very splendid court in Baghdad based on Persian models (especially based on the Sassanids ) and promoted culture and science. The learned Syrian Christian Theophilos von Edessa worked as an astrologer at his court and was promoted by al-Mahdi.

Towards the end of the government there were harem intrigues when the Berber harem lady Haizuran gained influence and tried to secure the succession to the throne for her son Harun. However, al-Mahdi confirmed the succession to the throne of his son Musa ( al-Hādī ) (785-786), but set Hārūn ar-Raschīd as his successor.

literature

  • Hugh Kennedy: Al-Mahdi, Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad. In: The Encyclopaedia of Islam. New Edition . Volume 5, 1986, pp. 1238f.
  • Hugh Kennedy: The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates. The Islamic Near East from the sixth to the eleventh century. 2nd Edition. Pearson Longman, Harlow et al. 2004, ISBN 0-582-40525-4 ( A history of the Near East ).

Remarks

  1. Kennedy (1986), p. 1238.
  2. Kennedy (1986), p. 1239.
predecessor Office successor
al-Mansour Abbasid Caliph
775–785
al-Hādī