The Abbasid caliphs were the holders of the Islamic title of caliph who were members of the Abbasid dynasty, a branch of the Quraysh tribe descended from the uncle of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib.
The family came to power in the Abbasid Revolution in 748–750, supplanting the Umayyad Caliphate. They were the rulers of the Abbasid Caliphate, as well as the generally recognized ecumenical heads of Islam, until the 10th century, when the Shi'a Fatimid Caliphate (established in 909) and the Caliphate of Córdoba (established in 929) challenged their primacy. The political decline of the Abbasids had begun earlier, during the Anarchy at Samarra (861–870), which accelerated the fragmentation of the Muslim world into autonomous dynasties. The caliphs lost their temporal power in 936–946, first to a series of military strongmen, and then to the Shi'a Buyid Emirs that seized control of Baghdad; the Buyids were in turn replaced by the Sunni Seljuk Turks in the mid-11th century, and Turkish rulers assumed the title of "Sultan" to denote their temporal authority. The Abbasid caliphs remained the generally recognized suzerains of Sunni Islam, however. In the mid-12th century, the Abbasids regained their independence from the Seljuks, but the revival of Abbasid power ended with the Sack of Baghdad by the Mongols in 1258.
Most Abbasid caliphs were born to a concubine mother, known as umm al-walad (Arabic : أم الولد, lit. 'mother of the child'). The term refers to a slave woman who had a child from her owner; those women were renowned for their beauty and intelligence, in that the owner might recognize the legitimacy of his children from them to be legally free and with full rights of inheritance, and refrain from trading the mothers afterwards. [1] Those concubines mostly were Abyssinians, Armenians, Berbers, Byzantine Greeks, Turkish or even from Sicily. [2] [3] [4]
This is the list of Abbasid Caliphs. [5] [6]
No. | Reign | Regnal Name | Personal Name | Parents | Notable Events |
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1 | 750 – 8 June 754 | al-Saffāḥ | Abū’l-ʿAbbās ʿAbd Allāh |
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2 | 10 June 754 – 775 | al-Manṣūr | Abū Jaʿfar ʿAbd Allāh |
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3 | 775 – 4 August 785 | al-Mahdī bi-'llāh | Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad |
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4 | August 785 – 14 September 786 | al-Hādī | Abū Muḥammad Mūsā |
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5 | 14 September 786 – 24 March 809 | Hārūn al-Rashīd | Hārūn |
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6 | March 809 – 24/25 September 813 | al-Amīn | Abū Mūsā Muḥammad |
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7 | September 813 – 9 August 833 | al-Maʾmūn | Abū'l-ʿAbbās ʿAbd Allāh |
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8 | 9 August 833 – 5 January 842 | al-Muʿtaṣim bi-’llāh | Abū Isḥāq Muḥammad |
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9 | 5 January 842 – 10 August 847 | al-Wāthiq bi-'llāh | Abū Jaʿfar Hārūn |
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10 | 10 August 847 – 11 December 861 | al-Mutawakkil ʿalā 'llāh | Jaʿfar |
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11 | 861 – 7 or 8 June 862 | al-Muntaṣir bi-'llāh | Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad |
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12 | 862 – 866 | al-Mustaʿīn bi-ʾllāh | Aḥmad |
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13 | 866 – 869 | al-Muʿtazz bi-ʾllāh | Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad |
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14 | 869 – 21 June 870 | al-Muhtadī bi-'llāh | Abū Isḥāq Muḥammad |
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15 | 21 June 870 – 15 October 892 | al-Muʿtamid ʿalā ’llāh | Abū'l-ʿAbbās Aḥmad |
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16 | October 892 – 5 April 902 | al-Muʿtaḍid bi-'llāh | Abū'l-ʿAbbās Aḥmad |
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17 | 5 April 902 – 13 August 908 | al-Muktafī bi-'llāh | Abū Muḥammad ʿAlī |
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18 | 13 August 908 – 929 | al-Muqtadir bi-'llāh | Abū'l-Faḍl Jaʿfar |
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19 | 929 | al-Qāhir bi-'llāh | Abū al-Manṣūr Muḥammad |
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(18) | 929 – 31 October 932 | al-Muqtadir bi-'llāh | Abū'l-Faḍl Jaʿfar |
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(19) | 31 October 932 – 934 | al-Qāhir bi-'llāh | Abū al-Manṣūr Muḥammad |
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20 | 934 – 23 December 940 | al-Rāḍī bi-'llāh | Abū'l-ʿAbbās Aḥmad/Muḥammad |
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21 | 940 – 944 | al-Muttaqī li-'llāh | Abū Isḥāq Ibrāhīm |
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22 | September 944 – 29 January 946 | al-Mustakfī bi-ʾllāh | ʿAbd Allāh |
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23 | 29 January 946 – 974 | al-Muṭīʿ li-ʾllāh | Abū'l-Qāsim al-Faḍl |
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24 | 974 – 991 | al-Ṭāʾiʿ li-amri ʿllāh | Abd al-Karīm |
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25 | 1 November 991 – 29 November 1031 | al-Qādir bi-'llāh | Aḥmad |
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26 | 29 November 1031 – 2 April 1075 | al-Qāʾim bi-amri 'llāh | Abu Ja'far Abdallah |
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27 | 2 April 1075 – February 1094 | al-Muqtadī bi-amri ’llāh | Abū'l-Qāsim ʿAbd Allāh |
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28 | February 1094 – 6 August 1118 | al-Mustaẓhir bi-'llāh | Abū l-ʿAbbās Aḥmad |
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29 | 6 August 1118 – 29 August 1135 | al-Mustarshid bi-'llāh | Abū'l-Manṣūr al-Faḍl |
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30 | 29 August 1135 – 1136 | al-Rāshid bi-'llāh | Abu Jaʿfar al-Manṣūr |
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31 | 1136 – 12 March 1160 | al-Muqtafī li-ʾamri ’llāh | Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad |
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32 | 12 March 1160 – 20 December 1170 | al-Mustanjid bi-'llāh | Abū'l-Muẓaffar Yūsuf |
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33 | 20 December 1170 – 30 March 1180 | al-Mustaḍīʾ bi-amri ʾllāh | al-Ḥasan |
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34 | 2 March 1180 – 4 October 1225 | al-Nāṣir li-Dīn Allāh | Abu'l-ʿAbbās Aḥmad |
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35 | 5 October 1225 – 11 July 1226 | al-Ẓāhir bi-amri’llāh | Abu Nasr Muḥammad |
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36 | 11 July 1226 – 2 December 1242 | al-Mustanṣir bi-'llāh | Abū Jaʿfar al-Manṣūr | ||
37 | 2 December 1242 – 20 February 1258 | al-Mustaʿṣim bi-'llāh | ʿAbd Allāh |
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In 1261, the Abbasid dynasty was re-established by a cadet branch of the dynasty at Cairo, under the auspices of the local Mamluk sultans but these caliphs were purely religious and symbolic figures, while temporal power rested with the Mamluks. The revived caliphate in Cairo lasted until the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517, after which the caliphal title passed to the Ottoman dynasty.
The Cairo Abbasids were largely ceremonial caliphs under the patronage of the Mamluk Sultanate that existed after the takeover of the Ayyubid dynasty. [19] [20]
No. | Reign | Regnal Name | Personal Name | Parents | Notable Events |
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1 | 13 June 1261 – 28 November 1261 | al-Mustanṣir bi-llāh | Abū'l-Qāsim Aḥmad |
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2 | 16 November 1262 – 19 January 1302 | al-Ḥākim bi-Amri'llāh I | Abū'l-ʿAbbās Aḥmad |
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3 | 20 January 1302 – February 1340 | al-Mustakfī bi-llāh I | Abū ar-Rabīʾ Sulaymān |
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4 | February 1340 – 17 June 1341 | al-Wāthiq bi-'llāh I | Abū ʾIsḥāq ʾIbrāhīm |
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5 | 1341 – 1352 | al-Ḥākim bi-Amri'llāh II | Abū'l-ʿAbbas ʾAḥmad |
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6 | 1352 – 1362 | al-Muʿtaḍid bi-'llāh I | Abū al-Fatḥ Abū Bakr |
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7 | 1362 – 1377 | al-Mutawakkil ʿalā'llāh I | Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad |
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8 | 1377 | al-Mustaʿṣim bi-'llāh | Abū Yaḥya Zakarīyāʾ |
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(7) | 1377 – 1383 | al-Mutawakkil ʿalā'llāh I | Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad |
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9 | September 1383 – 13 November 1386 | al-Wāthiq bi-'llāh II | Abū Ḥafṣ ʿUmar |
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(8) | 1386 – 1389 | al-Mustaʿṣim bi-'llāh | Abū Yaḥya Zakarīyāʾ |
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(7) | 1389 – 9 January 1406 | al-Mutawakkil ʿalā'llāh I | Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad |
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10 | 22 January 1406 – 9 March 1414 | al-Mustaʿīn bi-'llāh | Abū al-Faḍl al-ʿAbbas |
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11 | 1414 – 1441 | al-Muʿtaḍid bi-'llāh II | Abū al-Fatḥ Dāwud |
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12 | 1441 – 29 January 1451 | al-Mustakfī bi-llāh II | Abū al-Rabīʿ Sulaymān |
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13 | 1451 – 1455 | al-Qāʾim bi-ʾamr Allāh | Abū al-Baqāʾ Ḥamza |
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14 | 1455 – 7 April 1479 | al-Mustanjid bi-'llāh | Abū al-Maḥāsin Yūsuf |
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15 | 5 April 1479 – 27 September 1497 | al-Mutawakkil ʿalā'llāh II | Abū al-ʿIzz ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz |
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16 | 1497 – 1508 | al-Mustamsik bi-'llāh | Abū al-Ṣabr Yaqūb |
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17 | 1508 – 1516 | al-Mutawakkil ʿalā'llāh III | Muḥammad |
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(16) | 1516 – 1517 | al-Mustamsik bi-'llāh | Abū al-Ṣabr Yaqūb |
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(17) | 1517 | al-Mutawakkil ʿalā'llāh III | Muḥammad |
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Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Harun ; March 822 – 11 December 861, commonly known by his regnal name al-Mutawwakil ala Allah, was the tenth Abbasid caliph, ruling from 847 until his assassination in 861. He succeeded his brother, al-Wathiq, and is known for expanding the empire to its maximum extent. He was deeply religious, and is remembered for discarding the Muʿtazila, ending the Mihna, and releasing Ahmad ibn Hanbal. He is also known for his tough rule, especially with respect to non-Muslim subjects.
Abū Isḥāq Muḥammad ibn al-Wāthiq, better known by his regnal name al-Muhtadī bi-'llāh, was the Caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from July 869 to June 870, during the "Anarchy at Samarra".
Abū Muḥammad ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad, better known by his regnal name al-Muktafī bi-llāh, was the caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from 902 to 908. More liberal and sedentary than his militaristic father al-Mu'tadid, al-Muktafi essentially continued his policies, although most of the actual conduct of government was left to his viziers and officials. His reign saw the defeat of the Qarmatians of the Syrian Desert, and the reincorporation of Egypt and the parts of Syria ruled by the Tulunid dynasty. The war with the Byzantine Empire continued with alternating success, although the Arabs scored a major victory in the Sack of Thessalonica in 904. His death in 908 opened the way for the installation of a weak ruler, al-Muqtadir, by the palace bureaucracy, and began the terminal decline of the Abbasid Caliphate that ended in 946 with the caliphs becoming puppet rulers under the Buyid dynasty.
Abu’l-Faḍl Jaʿfar ibn Ahmad al-Muʿtaḍid, better known by his regnal name al-Muqtadir bi-llāh, was the eighteenth caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from 908 to 932 AD, with the exception of a brief deposition in favour of al-Qahir in 929.
Abu Mansur Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Mu'tadid, usually known simply by his regnal title al-Qahir bi'llah, was the nineteenth caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from 932 to 934. He was born 286 AH and died 339 AH.
Amr ibn al-Layth or Amr-i Laith Saffari was the second ruler of the Saffarid dynasty of Iran from 879 to 901. He was the son of a whitesmith and the younger brother of the dynasty's founder, Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar.
Abu 'Abdallah Muhammad ibn Tahir ibn 'Abdallah was the last Tahirid governor of Khurasan, from 862 until 873. He was the governor during the period of Extreme instability in Abbasid Caliphate and Civil war of 865–866. His career spanned under four caliphs al-Musta'in, al-Mu'tazz, al-Muhtadi and al-Mu'tamid. He was later appointed as governor of Baghdad by caliph al-Mu'tamid from 885 to 889.
The Battle of Dayr al-Aqul was fought on 8 April 876, between forces of the Saffarid ruler Ya'qub ibn Laith and the Abbasid Caliphate. Taking place some 80 km southeast (downstream) of Baghdad, the battle ended in a decisive victory for the Abbasids, forcing Ya'qub to halt his advance into Iraq.
Zubaidah bint Ja`far ibn al-Mansur was the best known of the Abbasid princesses, and the wife and double cousin of Harun al-Rashid. She is particularly remembered for the series of wells, reservoirs and artificial pools that provided water for Muslim pilgrims along the route from Baghdad to Mecca and Medina, which was renamed the Darb Zubaidah in her honor. The exploits of her and her husband, Harun al-Rashid, form part of the basis for The Thousand and One Nights.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh or Muḥammad al-Imām was the son of Ali ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Abbas and great-grandson of al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib, the uncle of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. He was the father of the two first 'Abbâsid caliphs, Al-Saffah and Al-Mansur, and as such was the progenitor of the Abbasid dynasty.
The Anarchy at Samarra was a period of extreme internal instability from 861 to 870 in the history of the Abbasid Caliphate, marked by the violent succession of four caliphs, who became puppets in the hands of powerful rival military groups.
The Abbasid dynasty or the Abbasids were an Arab clan within the Quraysh tribe who were the ruling family of the Caliphate between 750 and 1258 and later as ceremonial rulers of the Mamluk Sultanate from 1261 to 1517. A subclan of the Banu Hashim descended from al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, the Abbasids overthrew the Umayyad dynasty in 750 through the Abbasid Revolution.
Abu 'Abdallah Ahmad ibn Abi Du'ad al-Iyadi was an Islamic religious judge (qadi) of the mid-ninth century. A proponent of Mu'tazilism, he was appointed as chief judge of the Abbasid Caliphate in 833, and became highly influential during the caliphates of al-Mu'tasim and al-Wathiq. During his tenure as chief judge he sought to maintain Mu'tazilism as the official ideology of the state, and he played a leading role in prosecuting the Inquisition (mihnah) to ensure compliance with Mu'tazilite doctrines among officials and scholars. In 848 Ibn Abi Du'ad suffered a stroke and transferred his position to his son Muhammad, but his family's influence declined during the caliphate of al-Mutawakkil, who gradually abandoned Mu'tazilism and put an end to the mihnah.
Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Mus'ab was a Mus'abid military commander and provincial official for the Abbasid Caliphate. He served as the governor of Fars from 846–7 until his death.
ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib was an ancestor of the Abbasids. He was a grandson of al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib and the grandfather of the first two Abbasid caliphs al-Saffah and al-Mansur.
Muḥammad ibn al-Muʿtaṣim was an Abbasid prince, the son of Caliph al-Mu'tasim. He was a contemporary of the caliph al-Wathiq and al-Mutawakkil. His son Ahmad became the twelfth Abbasid caliph as al-Musta'in. Muhammad was the first prince in Abbasid history whose son became a caliph, no other Abbasid prince before him had this prestige.
Marājil was an umm walad of caliph Harun al-Rashid and mother of caliph al-Ma'mun.
Maridah bint Shabib was the favourite Umm walad of Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid and mother of eighth Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tasim.
Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Abi Du'ad was an acting chief judge (qadi) of the mid-ninth century. A proponent of Ahmad ibn Abi Du'ad's Mu'tazili views, he was an acting chief judge of the Abbasid Caliphate in 848, however he was not influential and was merely a puppet of the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil.