The Caliphate revisited: The Abbasids of eleventh and twelfth century Baghdad.

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to provide a political narrative of the Abbasid dynasty during the 11$\sp{\rm th}$ and 12$\sp{\rm th}$ centuries showing that the caliphs were key figures in the political-cultural arena rather than impotent puppets as we have often portrayed them in the secondary literature. Through the active use of such resources as their traditional role as the head of the Sunni Islamic community, the fostering of supportive relationships with scholarly circles, and the maintenance of their position vis a vis their Buyid and Saljuq counterparts, the caliphs from al-Qadir billah (r. 381-422/991-1031) to al-Mustadi' bi-Amr Allah (r. 566-575/1170-1180) were able to secure not only the survival of the Caliphate but the expansion of its region of autonomy against almost insurmountable odds. Basing my analysis on the fluid nature of society and the power relationships therein, I argue that rather than view the Caliphate only as a traditional ruling institution in medieval Islam, we must also study the nature of Abbasid household politics, as well as the individual actions of the caliphs themselves; in so doing, we remove the Caliphate from the idealized theoretical vacuum to which we have relegated it, and return it to a more realistic basis for study. My study does not denude the Caliphate of its traditional prestige, rather it shows how the caliphs were able to use this resource, as well as myriad others, to advance their own agendas. Furthermore, my work does not attempt to show that the Caliphate retained its supreme position within medieval Islamic society, but rather that we should view the caliphs as being just one among many regional powers during this period. In order to prove my thesis, I have consulted the medieval chronicles, biographical dictionaries, and numismatic evidence in conjunction with the modern secondary literature on the period. In so doing, I believe I have established a clear narrative of caliphal actions for the 11$\sp{\rm th}$ and 12$\sp{\rm th}$ centuries that support my contention while also opening up further avenues for the study of one of the central institutions in Islamic history.