Buyid Dynasty

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Buyid Persia, at its greatest extent.
See also: Persian Empire

Buyid dynasty or the Buyids (Persian: آل بویه Āl-e Buye, Caspian: Bowyiyün), also known as Buwaihids or Buyyids, were a Shī‘ah Iranian12345 dynasty that originated from Daylaman. They founded a confederation that controlled most of modern-day Iran and Iraq in the 10th and 11th centuries.

Contents

History

The Vakeel Bazaar of Shiraz was originally built during the Buyid era, possibly during the rule of 'Adud al-Daula.

The founders of the Būyid confederation were ‘Alī ibn Būyah and his two younger brothers, al-Hassan and Aḥmad. Originally a soldier in the service of the Ziyarids of Tabaristan, ‘Alī was able to recruit an army to defeat a Turkish general from Baghdad named Yaqut in 934. Over the next nine years the three brothers gained control of the remainder of the Abbasid Caliphate. While accepting the titular authority of the caliph in Baghdad, the Buyid rulers assumed effective control of the state.

The first several decades of the Buyid confederation were characterized by large territorial gains. In addition to Fars and Jibal, which were conquered in the 930s, and central Iraq, which submitted in 945, the Buyids took Kerman (967), Oman (967), the Jazira (979), Tabaristan (980), and Gurgan (981). After this, however, the Buyids went into a slow decline, with pieces of the confederation gradually breaking off and local dynasties under their rule becoming de facto independent.6

The approximate century of Buyid rule, coupled with the rise of other Iranian dynasties in the region, represents a period in Iranian history sometimes called the "Iranian Intermezzo" since it was an interlude between the rule of the Abbasid Arabs and the Saljuq Turks7. Indeed, as Dailamite Iranians the Buyids consciously revived symbols and practices of Persia's Sassanid dynasty.8 In fact, beginning with 'Adud al-Daula they used the ancient Sassanid title Shâhanshâh (Persian: شاهنشاه), literally king of kings.910

Iranian Buyid Daylaman soldier.

The Buyid confederation was split between and governed by multiple members of the dynasty. They nominally recognized the suzerainty of caliphs of Baghdad, who in reality had no temporal power within the state. The title used by the Buyid rulers was amir, meaning governor or prince. Generally one of the amirs would be recognized as having seniority over the others; this individual would use the title of amīr al-umarā'10, or senior amir. Although the senior amir was the formal head of the Buyids, he did not usually have any significant control outside of his own personal amirate; each amir enjoyed a high degree of autonomy within his own territories. As mentioned above, some of the stronger amirs used the Sassanid title of Shāhanshāh. Succession of power was hereditary, with fathers dividing their land among their sons.

The Buyid army consisted of their fellow Dailamite Iranians, who served as foot soldiers, and of the Turkish cavalry that had played a prominent role in the Abbasid military. The Dailamites and Turks often quarreled with each other in an attempt to be the dominant force within the army.11 To compensate their soldiers the Buyid amīrs often distributed iqta's, or the rights to a percentage of tax revenues from a province, although the practice of payment in kind was also frequently used12.

Like most Daylamites at the time, the Buyids were originally Zaydi or Fiver Shi'as. After taking power in Iran and Iraq, however, they began to lean closer to Twelver Shi'ism, possibly due to political considerations13. In fact, the Buyids rarely attempted to enforce a particular religious view upon their subjects except when in matters where it would be politically expedient. The Sunni Abbasids retained the caliphate, although they were deprived of all secular power. In addition, in order to prevent tensions between the Shi'a and Sunni from spreading to government agencies, the Buyid amirs occasionally appointed Christians to high offices instead of Muslims from either sect.14

The Fall

During the mid-1000s, the Buyid amirates gradually fell to the Ghaznavid and Saljuq Turks. In 1055, Tughrul conquered Baghdad, the seat of the caliphate, and ousted the last of the Buyid rulers. Like the Buyids, the Seljuks kept the Abbasid caliphate as the titular ruler.15

Buyid Rulers

Major Rulers

Generally, the three most powerful Buyid amirs at any given time were those in control of Fars, Jibal and Iraq. Sometimes a ruler would come to rule more than one region, but no Buyid rulers ever exercised direct control of all three regions.

Territory controlled by the Buyid dynasty in 970

Daylamids of Fars

Power in Fars seized by the Shabankara Kurdish Chief Fadluya

Buyid era art: Painted, incised, and glazed earthenware. Dated 10th century, Iran. New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Daylamids of Rey

To the Ghaznavids.

Daylamids of Iraq

To the Seljuks.

Minor Rulers

It was not uncommon for younger sons to found collateral lines, or for individual Buyid members to take control of a province and begin ruling there. Note: the following list is incomplete.

Buyids of Basra

To the Buyids of Fars.

Buyids of Hamadan

To the Kakuyids.

Buyids of Kerman

To the Buyids of Fars.

Buyids of Khuzistan

To the Buyids of Fars.

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ Encyclopedia Iranica: DEYLAMITES
  3. ^ Clifford Edmund Bosworth, The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual, Columbia University, 1996. pg 154-155.
  4. ^ "Buyid Dynasty." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 25 Jan. 2008 <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9018373>
  5. ^ JAN RYPKA. History of Iranian Literature. Dordrecht: D. REIDEL PUBLISHING COMPANY, 1968. pg 146
  6. ^ Examples of the former include the loss of Mosul in 990, and the loss of Tabaristan and Gurgan in 997. An example of the latter is the Kakuyid dynasty of Isfahan, whose fortunes rose with the decline of the Buyids of northern Iran.
  7. ^ Blair, Sheila (1992), The Monumental Inscriptions From Early Islamic Iran and Transoxiana., Leiden: E.J. Brill, ISBN 9004093672 
  8. ^ Arthur Goldschmidt, "A Concise History of the Middle East: Seventh Edition ", Westview Press, 2001. pg 87.
  9. ^ Clawson, Patrick; Rubin, Michael (2005), Eternal Iran: continuity and chaos, Middle East in Focus (1st ed.), New York: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 19, ISBN 1403962766 
  10. ^ a b Mafizullah, Kabir (1964), The Buwayhid dynasty of Baghdad, 334/946-447/1055, Calcutta: Iran Society 
  11. ^ Busse, Heribert (1975), "Iran Under the Buyids", in Frye, R. N., The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 4: From the Arab Invasion to the Saljuqs., Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, pp. 265, 298, ISBN 0521200938 
  12. ^ Sourdel-Thomine, J. "Buwayhids." The Encyclopedia of Islam, Volume I. New Ed. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1960. p. 1353.
  13. ^ Berkey, Jonathan Porter. The Formation of Islam London: Cambridge University Press, 2003. ISBN 0521588138. p. 135
  14. ^ Heribert, pp. 287-8
  15. ^ Bernard Lewis, The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years, (New York: Scribner, 1995) p. 89.

Another excellent discussion of the Buyids is Harvard professor Roy Mottahedeh's Loyalty and Leadership in an Early Islamic Society

See also

[6] The Buyid Domination as the Historical Background for the Flourishing of Muslim Scholarship During the 4th/10th Century by Dr. M. Ismail Marcinkowski*

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