391:('the Lady'), utterly "dominated her son to the exclusion of the other women in his harem, including his wives and concubines"; al-Muqtadir would spend much of his time in his mother's quarters. As a result, government business came to be determined in the private quarters of the sovereign rather than the public palace dominated by the bureaucracy; Because the seal of the caliph, the symbol of government power, which handles all checks and issues official documents, was in the hands of the Caliph's mother. Saghab as Queen-Mother became one of the most influential and powerful figures of her son's reign, interfering in the appointments and dismissals of officials, execution and forgiveness of sinners, decide on many major events, handling of government checks, utilitarian relationship with powerful officials and officers, making financial contributions to the treasury, and undertaking charitable activities. Indeed, a common feature of all accounts by medieval sources is that "mentions of al-Muqtadir are indissolubly tied to mentions not only of his viziers, but also of his female household", and this was one of the main points of criticism for subsequent historians. Thus the contemporary historian
442:, who were free to exit the harem and act as agents to her interests in the outside world. These women wielded considerable influence, especially as intermediaries between the harem and the court; their influence with Shaghab could lead to the dismissal of even the vizier. The first incumbent was one Fatima, who drowned in the Tigris when her boat was caught in a storm. She was followed by Umm Musa, a descendant of one of the Abbasid clan's junior branches. Her plotting for her favourites, the corruption of her family, and her hostility towards the "good vizier"
315:—who is usually portrayed as a villain by Miskawayh—proposing instead someone weak, pliable, and easy to be manipulated by the senior officials. The vizier concurred, and Shaghab's thirteen-year-old son was chosen as heir; when the testament of al-Muktafi was opened, he too had chosen his brother as his successor. A different story is reported by the
335:
that had underpinned al-Mu'tadid's regime. The Caliph recovered before a final choice had been made, and nominated Ja'far as his heir, before dying. The two stories highlight different aspects of al-Muqtadir's accession: on the one hand, a cabal of officials choosing a weak and pliable ruler, "a
336:
sinister development" that inaugurated one "of the most disastrous reigns in the whole of
Abbasid history a quarter of a century in which all of the work of predecessors would be undone", while on the other hand, the issue of dynastic succession, and especially the loyalty of al-Mu'tadid's
278:. Until his death in 917, Gharib was one of the leading commanders and provincial governors of the state. When al-Mu'tadid died and al-Muktafi became caliph, al-Muqtadir was the target of various palace intrigues, but Shaghab could count on the devotion of al-Mu'tadid's old
503:, Thumal carried out her duties well enough to achieve popularity among the public in her office, especially because of the new reforms which lowered the cost for a plaintiff to initiate a case: however, her appointment was described in Muslim history, among others by
400:, regarded al-Muqtadir as a "squanderer" who let "matters concerning his reign were run by women and servants, while he was busy satisfying his pleasure". Shaghab in particular is usually portrayed as a "rapacious and short-sighted schemer" by later historians.
403:
Although she sometimes challenged conventions of the role of a woman—it is reported that in 918 she even dared to go out in public riding a horse—Shaghab spent most of her life confined in the harem. There she ran her own parallel bureaucracy, with secretaries
395:
condemned al-Muqtadir's reign as one where "those who had power were women, servants and others", while the Caliph himself "did not concern himself with State affairs", leaving his officials to govern the state. Likewise, the 13th-century chronicler
362:
468:, was the antithesis of Thumal: her house was used to jail several senior officials after they were dismissed, but it was a comfortable captivity, and she often provided refuge to those persecuted by their political rivals.
498:
courts, in effect minister of justice or chief administrator of justice and supervisor of the qadis, who opposed to be supervised by a woman, but was forced to accept the appointment. According to the historian
262:) remained the first heir, it was widely expected that her son would reign, since al-Muktafi was of sickly disposition. She also avidly promoted the careers of her own family, her sister Khatif, her brother
1131:
1126:
446:, who was dismissed due to her machinations in 917, are underlined in the chronicles of the period. However, when she married her niece to Abu'l-Abbas, a grandson of
450:(r. 847–861), her rivals were quick to accuse her of aspiring to overthrow the Caliph and place her nephew on the throne. In 922/3, she was arrested and replaced by
244:('turbulent'). This was a common practice at the time for girls, so as to "draw attention from their beauty, or, possibly, to ward off jealousy and misfortune".
327:. The choice of the latter would represent a major political departure, in effect a repudiation of al-Mu'tadid's coup that had deprived the offspring of Caliph
1121:
292:
In 908, al-Muktafi fell ill, and was evidently nearing his end. The issue of succession had been left open, and with the Caliph incapacitated, the
510:
During her de facto reign, Shaghab also spent large sums on ostentatious public charity, which gave her some popularity among the general public.
507:, as a proof on the decadence of the reign of al-Muqtadir and one example of a series of "scandals whose equal has not been seen to this day".
458:—was hidden. Thumal enjoyed a reputation for cruelty; her first master, Abu Dulaf, had used her to punish servants who displeased him. Another
1037:
968:
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894:
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to the queen-mother was more beneficial to himself than the vizierate. The most important members of her court were the stewardesses or
1014:
454:, who tortured Umm Musa, her brother, and her sister, until they had revealed where her treasure—reportedly valued at one million
350:
Al-Muqtadir was the first underage Caliph in Muslim history, and as such during the early years of his reign, a regency council (
194:
161:), and wielded a considerable influence over state affairs during the reign of her son. She was commonly referred to only as
1030:
Crisis and
Continuity at the Abbasid Court: Formal and Informal Politics in the Caliphate of al-Muqtadir (295-320/908-32)
961:
Crisis and
Continuity at the Abbasid Court: Formal and Informal Politics in the Caliphate of al-Muqtadir (295-320/908-32)
887:
Crisis and
Continuity at the Abbasid Court: Formal and Informal Politics in the Caliphate of al-Muqtadir (295-320/908-32)
482:
refused to recognize her son as Caliph because of his age, Shaghab had him executed. She stated that the affairs of the
1106:
357:
304:
427:
308:
324:
845:
The New
Cambridge History of Islam, Volume 1: The Formation of the Islamic World, Sixth to Eleventh Centuries
376:
323:, whereby the vizier dithered between the candidacies of Ibn al-Mu'tazz and another older Abbasid prince,
488:, especially justice, was better administered with a woman in charge, and appointed her female assistant
1116:
443:
423:
479:
223:
1111:
806:
Mernissi, Fatima; Mary Jo
Lakeland (2003). The forgotten queens of Islam. Oxford University Press.
789:
Mernissi, Fatima; Mary Jo
Lakeland (2003). The forgotten queens of Islam. Oxford University Press.
772:
Mernissi, Fatima; Mary Jo
Lakeland (2003). The forgotten queens of Islam. Oxford University Press.
519:
275:
247:
Shaghab was influential at court, especially after the death of al-Mu'tadid's first wife, princess
430:
in 925 due to her own and her sister's influence, he regretted the appointment, since his post as
910:
The
Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates: The Islamic Near East from the 6th to the 11th Century
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274:, many of whom were of Greek origin, around al-Mu'tadid, such as the future commander-in-chief
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took it upon himself to seek out a successor. Two different stories are told on the events:
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When
Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World: The Rise and Fall of Islam's Greatest Dynasty
303:
reports that the vizier sought the advice of the most important bureaucrats, with
982:
932:
908:
227:
151:
127:
99:
416:) devoted to both civil and military affairs. Her power was such that when her
1009:. Translated by Mary Jo Lakeland. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
455:
316:
252:
823:
Chris Wickham: The Inheritance of Rome: A History of Europe from 400 to 1000
370:
300:
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29:
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207:('gentle'), at some point—it is not recorded how or when—she entered the
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293:
266:, and her nephew Harun. Gharib became one of close circle of senior
180:
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of al-Mu'tadid's, Dastanbuwayh. Saghab, usually known simply as
320:
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987:. Translated by Herbert Mason. Princeton University Press.
847:. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 305–359.
606:
604:
555:
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551:
538:
536:
534:
193:. She was originally a slave of Umm Qasim, a daughter of
251:, who had one day threatened to cut off her nose. While
957:"The Reign of al-Muqtadir (295–320/908–32): A History"
865:
The Life and Times of ʿAlí Ibn ʿÍsà, ‘The Good Vizier’
356:, 'the masters') was set up, comprising, according to
342:
to his son, evidently also played an important role.
984:
The Passion of Al-Hallaj: Mystic and Martyr of Islam
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to his offspring to ward off any danger to her son.
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85:
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62:
51:
47:
39:
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331:(r. 870–892) of power, and of the officials and
1132:10th-century people from the Abbasid Caliphate
146:) (died 933) was the mother of the eighteenth
1127:10th-century women from the Abbasid Caliphate
8:
839:(2010). "The waning of empire, 861–945". In
226:. After giving birth to Ja'far, the future
1046:
367:, his mother Shaghab, her personal agent (
18:
868:. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
760:
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307:suggesting the older and experienced
7:
913:(Second ed.). Harlow: Longman.
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712:
700:
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676:
652:
16:Mother of Abbasid caliph Al-Muqtadir
889:. Leiden: BRILL. pp. 165–185.
143:
297:al-Abbas ibn al-Hasan al-Jarjara'i
115:Al-Sayyida Shaghab Umm al-Muqtadir
14:
1122:Concubines of the Abbasid caliphs
1085:late August 908 – 31 October 932
1032:. Leiden: BRILL. pp. 49–61.
963:. Leiden: BRILL. pp. 13–47.
379:, her sister Khatif, and another
346:The harem and Shaghab's influence
937:. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press.
881:El Cheikh, Nadia Maria (2013).
257:
217:
195:Muhammad ibn Abdallah ibn Tahir
156:
305:Mahmud ibn Dawud ibn al-Jarrah
1:
1007:The Forgotten Queens of Islam
201:in 851–867. Originally named
230:, in 895, she was set free (
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165:(mother of al-Muqtadir) or
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197:, the Tahirīd governor of
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345:
177:Shaghab was reportedly a
114:
105:
325:Muhammad ibn al-Mu'tamid
309:Abdallah ibn al-Mu'tazz
1024:Osti, Letizia (2013).
862:Bowen, Harold (1928).
444:Ali ibn Isa al-Jarrah
238:) and given the name
598:, pp. 122, 186.
288:Reign of al-Muqtadir
185:, that is to say of
71:, Abbasid Caliphate
1079:Deputy head of the
763:, pp. 174–178.
751:, pp. 192–193.
739:, pp. 169–170.
667:, pp. 185–186.
628:, pp. 168–169.
520:Thumal the Qahraman
1107:9th-century births
841:Robinson, Chase F.
222:), and became his
1095:
1094:
1088:Succeeded by
1039:978-90-04-25271-4
970:978-90-04-25271-4
920:978-0-582-40525-7
896:978-90-04-25271-4
854:978-0-521-83823-8
812:978-0-19-579868-5
795:978-0-19-579868-5
778:978-0-19-579868-5
715:, pp. 50–51.
640:, pp. 17–21.
492:in charge of the
133:
132:
119:
118:
57:Abbasid Caliphate
43:895 – 5 April 902
1144:
1070:Preceded by
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626:El Cheikh 2013
615:
613:, p. 186.
611:Massignon 1994
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596:Massignon 1994
588:
586:, p. 189.
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564:
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560:El Cheikh 2013
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543:Massignon 1994
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1026:"The Caliph"
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249:Qatr al-Nada
246:
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169:(the lady).
166:
162:
135:
134:
883:"The Harem"
456:gold dinars
361: [
329:al-Mu'tamid
228:al-Muqtadir
213:al-Mu'tadid
152:al-Muqtadir
100:al-Muqtadir
90:al-Mu'tadid
1112:933 deaths
1101:Categories
526:References
393:al-Mas'udi
388:al-Sayyida
358:al-Tanukhi
319:historian
253:al-Muktafi
211:of Caliph
173:Early life
167:al-Sayyida
725:Osti 2013
713:Osti 2013
701:Osti 2013
689:Osti 2013
677:Osti 2013
653:Osti 2013
471:When the
461:qahramana
439:qahramana
382:umm walad
371:qahramana
301:Miskawayh
234:umm walad
224:concubine
55:Baghdad,
30:Umm walad
1051:Shaghab
1005:(1993).
981:(1994).
955:(2013).
931:(2006).
907:(2004).
514:See also
505:Ibn Hazm
410:, sing.
377:Umm Musa
317:Andalusi
124:Religion
96:Children
22:Shaghab
1057: ?
843:(ed.).
830:Sources
495:mazalim
353:al-sada
339:ghilman
333:ghilmān
281:ghilman
270:ghilman
241:Shaghab
199:Baghdad
181:Rumiyya
150:caliph
148:Abbasid
136:Shaghab
80:Baghdad
69:Baghdad
32:of the
1060:
1036:
1013:
991:
967:
941:
917:
893:
874:386849
872:
851:
810:
793:
776:
501:Tabari
490:Thumal
466:Zaydan
452:Thumal
428:vizier
407:kuttab
311:, but
294:vizier
204:Na'ima
140:Arabic
86:Spouse
76:Burial
66:c. 933
40:Period
1073:Jijak
1062:Died:
1055:Born:
433:katib
419:katib
413:katib
365:]
209:harem
187:Greek
128:Islam
110:Names
1034:ISBN
1011:ISBN
989:ISBN
965:ISBN
939:ISBN
915:ISBN
891:ISBN
870:OCLC
849:ISBN
808:ISBN
791:ISBN
774:ISBN
485:umma
475:qadi
321:Arib
63:Died
52:Born
24:شغب
1064:933
144:شغب
1103::
1028:.
959:.
885:.
645:^
618:^
603:^
550:^
533:^
464:,
422:,
375:)
363:ar
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