Ibn Masal

Nadschm ad-Din Abu'l-Fath Salim ibn Muhammad ibn Masal ( Arabic نجم الدين أبو الفتح سليم بن محمد بن ماسال, DMG Naǧm ad-Dīn Abūʾl-Fatḥ Salīm ibn Muḥammad ibn Maṣāl ; † February 19, 1150 ), mostly just called Ibn Masal , was briefly a vizier of the Fatimid caliphate in Egypt .

biography

The Berber Ibn Masal came from the village of Lukk near Barqa in Kyrenaica . Like his father, he began his career as a falconer and veterinarian at the court in Cairo. At a young age he was a supporter of Prince Nizar against the vizier al-Afdal Shahansir at the death of Caliph al-Mustansir in December 1094 . He fled to Alexandria with the prince, but survived the end of the following year.

At the latest after the death of al-Afdal Shahanshah in 1121, Ibn Masal found connection to the caliph's court again. Under Caliph al-Hafiz he rose to the closest circle of friends until he finally held the position of the leading minister, which, however, was not yet synonymous with the vizier, as this remained vacant in the last years of al-Hafiz. It was not until the death of the caliph on October 10, 1149 that Ibn Masal opened the way to absolute power by first enthroning the young az-Zafir , bypassing the older prince, and then having himself formally elevated to vizier. The young caliph was then kept away from all state affairs. The rule of Ibn Masal established in this way was, however, not undisputed. He was able to quickly end an uprising in Upper Egypt , but he was unable to cope with the rise of the governor of Alexandria Ibn as-Sallar , as he was much more popular in the army as a socialized soldier. After the guard troops in Cairo had also gone over to the side of the rebel, Ibn Masal had to flee the city in January 1150, which ended his rule. In Upper Egypt he was able to raise an army made up of Luwata Berbers ( Libyans ), Bedouins and Sudanese, but an attack on Cairo was repulsed. The decision in the power struggle was made on February 19, 1150 in a battle near the town of Dalāṣ in the Upper Egyptian province of al-Bahnasa , in which Ibn Masal was defeated and killed against the stepson of his rival, Abbas . Stuck on a lance, his head was presented to the public in Cairo.

With the seizure of power of Ibn Masal began the last phase in the history of the Fatimid caliphate, which was marked by constant power struggles of the generals for the vizier, while the last three caliphs were unable to act. This state of anarchy was only ended when Saladin came to power in 1171, who abolished the Fatimid caliphate.

literature

• Heinz Halm , Caliphs and Assassins: Egypt and the Near East at the Time of the First Crusades 1074–1171. CH Beck, Munich 2014, ISBN 978-3-406-66163-1 .

swell

• Usama ibn Munqidh , "Book of Teachings by Examples" (Kitāb al-iʿtibār), ed. by Philip K. Hitti, An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Warrior in the period of the Crusades: Memoirs of Usāmah ibn-Munqidh (Kitāb al-iʿTibār). New York 1929, p. 31 f.
• Abu'l-Fida , "A Brief History of Humanity" (Muḫtaṣar taʾrīḫ al-bašar). In: RHC, Historiens Orientaux , Vol. 1 (1872), p. 28.
• Ibn al-Athir , "The Perfect Chronicle" (Al-Kāmil fī ʾt-taʾrīḫ). In: RHC, Historiens Orientaux, Vol. 1 (1872), p. 475.
• Ibn Challikan : "The Death of Eminent Personalities and the News of the Sons of Time" (Wafayāt al-aʿyān wa-Anbāʾ abnāʾ az-zamān) , ed. by William Mac Guckin de Slane : Ibn Khallikan's biographical dictionary, Vol. 2 (1843), p. 350.

Remarks

1. ↑ See Halm, p. 89 f.
2. ↑ See Halm, p. 223.
3. ↑ See Halm, p. 224.