The Second Abbasid Period (1191-1258 CE) was mostly remarkable for the city of Baghdad which is usually estimated to have had about 1 million inhabitants at the time of the Mongol sack in 1258 CE.
With the Mongol sack of Baghdad in 1258 CE "the culture, science and learning for which Baghdad had been known for centuries simply disappeared in a period of a week."
[1]
The city was defended by a garrison of just 10,000 soldiers.
[2]
In 1200 CE the Abbasids held Iraq and part of western Iran south of the Caspian, the territories holding perhaps 3.9 million inhabitants. The governance system was still Perso-Islamic with a vizier chief bureaucrat who oversaw government departments.
[3]
The reign of al-Nasir (1180-1225 CE) was notable for being absolutely repressive "the caliph’s spies were so efficient and the caliph himself so ruthless that a man hardly dared to speak to his own wife in the privacy of his home."
[4]
[1]: (DeVries 2014, 209) Kelly DeVries in Morton, N. John, S. eds. 2014. Crusading and Warfare in the Middle Ages: Realities and Representations. Essays in Honour of John France. Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
[2]: (DeVries 2014, 207) Kelly DeVries in Morton, N. John, S. eds. 2014. Crusading and Warfare in the Middle Ages: Realities and Representations. Essays in Honour of John France. Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
[3]: (Shaw 1976, 5) Stanford J Shaw. 1976. History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey: Volume 1, Empire of the Gazis: The Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Empire 1280-1808. Cambridge University Press.
[4]: (Bray 2015, xxi) Shawkat M Toorawa ed. 2015. Consorts of the Caliphs: Women and the Court of Baghdad. NYU Press.
| eg_ayyubid_sultanate nominal allegiance to iq_abbasid_cal_2 | 1191 CE 1250 CE |
| alliance with [---] |
| Perso-Islamic |
| Il-khanate |
| 3,500,000 km2 |
| continuity |
| UNCLEAR: [continuity] |
| unitary state |
| inferred present |
| present |
| unknown |
| inferred absent |
| inferred present |
| absent |
| absent |
| inferred present |
| present |
| absent |
| Year Range | Abbasid Caliphate II (iq_abbasid_cal_2) was in: |
|---|---|
| (1191 CE 1207 CE) | Southern Mesopotamia Susiana |
Al-Nasir (r.1180-1225 CE)
"Modern scholars, most notably Angelika Hartmann, argue that we was the last truly effective caliph in the Abbasid dynasty and ’restored this specifically Islamic institution to its former prestige."
[1]
The Caliphate of the late 12th to early 13th century "was a very different institution than the one into which al-Qadir billah entered ... we should view al-Qadir and al-Nasir’s caliphates as milestones in the history of the Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Nasir’s caliphate was a culmination of caliphal revitalization, a process that did not follow a distinctly linear path, but rather was affected by the unique actions of each of the previous caliphs, starting with al-Qadir, who began the process with his attempts to reassert the caliphal position in Baghdad."
[1]
1226 CE since Az-Zahir built an army.
[1]: (Hanne 2007, 204) Hanne, Eric J. 2007. Putting the Caliph in His Place: Power, Authority, and the Late Abbasid Caliphate. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press.
Al-Nasir (r.1180-1225 CE)
Az-Zahir (r.1225-1226 CE)
Al-Mustansir (r.1236-1242 CE)
Al-Musta’sim (r.1242-1258 CE)
"Abbasid architecture was influenced by three architectural traditions: Sassanian, Central Asian (Sogdian) and later, during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Seljuk." [1] "traditional Perso-Islamic administrative apparatus developed in late Abbasid times". [2]
[1]: (Petersen 2002, 1)Petersen, Andrew. 2002. Dictionary of Islamic Architecture. Routledge.
[2]: (Shaw 1976, 5) Shaw, Stanford J. 1976. History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey: Volume 1, Empire of the Gazis: The Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Empire 1280-1808. Cambridge University Press.
km squared. Region of Iraq, Iran, Central Asia, and Afghanistan.
in squared kilometers
750,000: 1200 CE.
1207 CE lost Persian territory to Khwarezm Empire.
People.
In 1200 CE the Abbasids held Iraq and part of western Iran south of the Caspian.
McEvedy and Jones
[1]
Iraq 1.5m in 1200 CE. Northernmost part of Iraq. Not controlled by Abbasids. However, likely most populated regions were under their control so will estimate 1.4m.
Iran 5m in 1200 CE. However, significant population centers e.g. Shiraz and Gulf coast region, Khurasan not controlled by Abbasids. Will estimate half of total for region: 2.5m
[1]: (McEvedy and Jones 1978, 151-153) McEvedy, Colin. Jones, Richard. 1978. Atlas of World Population History. Penguin Books Ltd.
levels.
1. Capital (Baghdad)
2. Regional city (e.g. Isfahan)3. Smaller city/town (e.g. port, Basra)4. Town/Village5. Hamlet?
levels.
1. Caliph
"As the nominal leader of the Dar al-Islam (Abode of Islam), the caliph was charged with a variety of tasks, both temporal and spiritual."
[1]
2. Imams, successors of the prophet and leaders of the muslim world.
[1]: (Hanne 2007, 22) Hanne, Eric J. 2007. Putting the Caliph in His Place: Power, Authority, and the Late Abbasid Caliphate. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press.
levels.
Based on data for preceding polities at least 5 levels.
levels.
Based on data for preceding polities of the Perso-Islamic type at least 5 levels.
1. Caliph
_Central government_
Totalitarian
The reign of al-Nasir "was unprecedentedly totalitarian ... the caliph’s spies were so efficient and the caliph himself so ruthless that a man hardly dared to speak to his own wife in the privacy of his home."
[1]
Mercenary
Recruited mercenaries "from across ethnic and tribal communities that they hoped would be more loyal. Among people they recruited were Turks ... The Abbasid plan backfired, however, and eventually their hired guns took over running the affairs of the state."
[2]
Perso-Islamic
"traditional Perso-Islamic administrative apparatus developed in late Abbasid times".
[3]
2. Vizier
3. ???
4. ???
5. ???
_Provincial government_
2.
3. ???
4. ???
5. ???
[1]: (Bray 2015, xxi) Toorawa, Shawkat M ed. 2015. Consorts of the Caliphs: Women and the Court of Baghdad. NYU Press.
[2]: (Volk 2015) Volk, Lucia ed. 2015. The Middle East in the World: An Introduction. Routledge.
[3]: (Shaw 1976, 5) Shaw, Stanford J. 1976. History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey: Volume 1, Empire of the Gazis: The Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Empire 1280-1808. Cambridge University Press.
"decentralized administration of the iqta type". [1] Iqta system of land revenue grants used to pay military in late Abbasid times. [2] Recruited mercenaries "from across ethnic and tribal communities that they hoped would be more loyal." [3]
[1]: (Roberts 1973, 529) Roberts, J. 1973. Civilization: The emergence of man in society. CRM Books.
[2]: (Lapidus 2014, 286) Lapidus, Ira M. 2014. A History of Islamic Societies. Cambridge University Press.
[3]: (Volk 2015) Volk, Lucia ed. 2015. The Middle East in the World: An Introduction. Routledge.
"ulama (scholars), both in Baghdad and the outlying provinces."
[1]
"The Qur’an and all the sciences related in one way or another to the study of this sacred book of Islam found a place in the teaching carried on in the cathedral mosques : traditions (hadīth), exegesis (tafsīr), law and legal theory (fiqh, usūl al-fiqh), grammar (nahw), adab (literature). There, also, professors gave legal opinions (fatwā) and sermons (wa’z), and held disputations on matters of law (munāzara)...On the other hand, a class on law was smaller. For law was a more specialized religious science attracting principally those who were preparing for a professional career"
[2]
Ibn al-Sa’i mentions female benefactors who built law schools.
[3]
[1]: (Hanne 2007, 22) Hanne, Eric J. 2007. Putting the Caliph in His Place: Power, Authority, and the Late Abbasid Caliphate. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press.
[2]: (Makdisi, G., 1961. Muslim institutions of learning in eleventh-century Baghdad. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 24(1), pp.1-56. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/3D6X5HUM/item-list)
[3]: (Bray 2015, xiv) Toorawa, Shawkat M ed. 2015. Consorts of the Caliphs: Women and the Court of Baghdad. NYU Press.
Presumably the late Abbasids employed qadi (judge).
Late Abbasid period: "the religious establishment - that is, the ulama - were responsible for education, administering the awqaf, and the administration of justice".
[1]
[1]: (Elbendary 2015, 40) Elbendary, Amina. 2015. Crowds and Sultans: Urban Protest in Late Medieval Egypt and Syria. The American University in Cairo Press.
Islamic law, shari’a.
"Medieval scholars accepted the view that although the caliphs were the legitimate bearers of temporal authority within the Sunni Muslim community, the ulama were the true "heirs of the Prophet" in terms of religious authority."
[1]
[1]: (Hanne 2007, 22) Hanne, Eric J. 2007. Putting the Caliph in His Place: Power, Authority, and the Late Abbasid Caliphate. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press.
multiple references to courts in following sources [1] [2] [3]
[1]: (Tillier, M., 2009. Women before the Qādī under the Abbasids. Islamic Law and Society, 16(3-4), pp.280-301. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/7SKACCD7/item-list).
[2]: (Tillier, M., 2009. Qadis and the political use of the mazalim jurisdiction under the’Abbasids. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/I4769ESG/item-list)
[3]: (Ziadeh, F., 1996. Compelling defendant’s appearance at court in Islamic law. Islamic Law and Society, 3(3), pp.305-315. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/TWIBVCXP/item-list)
Roads built to facilitate both commerce and the Hajj.
With the Mongol sack of Baghdad in 1258 CE "the culture, science and learning for which Baghdad had been known for centuries simply disappeared in a period of a week." [1]
[1]: (DeVries 2014, 209) DeVries, Kelly in Morton, N. John, S. eds. 2014. Crusading and Warfare in the Middle Ages: Realities and Representations. Essays in Honour of John France. Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
With the Mongol sack of Baghdad in 1258 CE "the culture, science and learning for which Baghdad had been known for centuries simply disappeared in a period of a week." [1]
[1]: (DeVries 2014, 209) DeVries, Kelly in Morton, N. John, S. eds. 2014. Crusading and Warfare in the Middle Ages: Realities and Representations. Essays in Honour of John France. Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
With the Mongol sack of Baghdad in 1258 CE "the culture, science and learning for which Baghdad had been known for centuries simply disappeared in a period of a week." [1]
[1]: (DeVries 2014, 209) DeVries, Kelly in Morton, N. John, S. eds. 2014. Crusading and Warfare in the Middle Ages: Realities and Representations. Essays in Honour of John France. Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
With the Mongol sack of Baghdad in 1258 CE "the culture, science and learning for which Baghdad had been known for centuries simply disappeared in a period of a week." [1]
[1]: (DeVries 2014, 209) DeVries, Kelly in Morton, N. John, S. eds. 2014. Crusading and Warfare in the Middle Ages: Realities and Representations. Essays in Honour of John France. Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
Ibn al-Sa’i (1197-1276 CE), "a Baghdadi man of letters", historian and librarian who wrote "Consorts of the Caliphs, Both Free and Slave" about influential women just before 1258 CE. [1] This time was "an age of historians." [2]
[1]: (Bray 2015, xviii, xix, xx) Toorawa, Shawkat M ed. 2015. Consorts of the Caliphs: Women and the Court of Baghdad. NYU Press.
[2]: (Bray 2015, xviii) Toorawa, Shawkat M ed. 2015. Consorts of the Caliphs: Women and the Court of Baghdad. NYU Press.
Poets, including many female poets.
[1]
Poets included "almost any contemporary Arabic speaker with any claim to literacy and social competence."
[2]
[1]: (Bray 2015, xiv) Toorawa, Shawkat M ed. 2015. Consorts of the Caliphs: Women and the Court of Baghdad. NYU Press.
[2]: (Bray 2015, xxiv) Toorawa, Shawkat M ed. 2015. Consorts of the Caliphs: Women and the Court of Baghdad. NYU Press.
Baghdad was a metropolis and a trade center.
Dinars. "Toward the end of the Abbasid reign, from 1160 to 1258, a series of poorly struck, light-weight coins were issued in Baghdad. Most of these coins were, in effect, no more than coin ingots and were not consistent with any definite monetary standard." [1]
[1]: http://www.muslimheritage.com/article/abbasid-coins-750-1258ce
Baghdad was a metropolis and a trade center.
"As long-distance trade grew, so, too, did the institutions supporting it. Investment patterns, for example. shifted from mostly land based in the late eighth century to a variety of commercial applications, including ships, horses, and shops in the ninth century. A private express courier service augmented the official Abbasid courier system." (Gutelius 2015, 2) [1]
[1]: (Pomeranz, K., Northrup, C.C., Bentley, J.H., Topik, S., Eckes Jr, A.E. and Manning, P., 2015. Encyclopedia of World Trade: From Ancient Times to the Present: From Ancient Times to the Present. Routledge.)
Moats were used in this region in the Middle Ages. No specific reference.
Earth ramparts were used in this region in the Middle Ages. No specific reference.
Ditches were used in this region in the Middle Ages. No specific reference.
The earlier Abbasids had the manjaniq, a swing beam engine similiar to the Western Trebuchet. [1] The Manjaniq was man-powered [2] not gravity powered.
[1]: Kennedy, The Armies of the Caliphs p. 184
[2]: (Nicolle 2003, 14) Nicolle, David. 2003. Medieval Siege Weapons (2): Byzantium, the Islamic World and India AD 476-1526. Osprey Publishing.
First known use of the counter-weight trebuchet was in 1165 CE by the Byzantines at the siege of Zevgminon. [1] Need to confirm with an expert source whether a scholar named Mardi bin Ali al-Tarsusi created an "instruction manual" on the counter-weight trebuchet for Saladin (Ayyubid Sultanate) in 1187 CE. It’s logical copies would soon be made of this effective new technology.
[1]: (Turnball 2002) Turnball, S. 2002. Siege Weapons of the Far East (1): AD 612-1300. Osprey Publishing.
Under the earlier Abbasids, ’Arab’ and Persian’ bows mentioned in sources, both composite bows. [1] More powerful composite bow likely used at the expense of the self bow.
[1]: (Kennedy 2001, 177-178) Kennedy, Hugh N. 2001. The Armies of the Caliphs: Military and Society in the early Islamic State. Vol. 352. Routledge.
The thrown spear was present as a weapon of war during the first Abbasid [1] period and under the Buyids. [2]
[1]: (Nicolle 1982, 20) Nicolle, D. 1982. The Armies of Islam, 7th-11th Centuries. Osprey Publishing.
[2]: (Bosworth 1998, 113) in Bosworth, C E and Asimov M S. and Bosworth CE. 1998. History of Civilizations of Central Asia, Volume 4. UNESCO.
Earlier Abbasids had the crowboss. [1] Abbasids referred to the crossbow as the qaws al-rijl, first mentioned in 881 CE. [2]
[1]: Kennedy, Hugh N. The armies of the caliphs: military and society in the early Islamic state. Vol. 3 Routledge, 2001. pp. 168-182
[2]: Nicolle,David, Medieval Siege Weapons (2): Byzantium, the Islamic World and India AD 476-1526(Osprey Publishing 2003)
Under the Abbasids, ’Arab’ and Persian’ bows mentioned in sources, both composite bows. [1] The Abbasids used Turkish mercenaries who likely used the composite bow.
[1]: (Kennedy 2001, 177-178) Kennedy, Hugh N. 2001. The Armies of the Caliphs: Military and Society in the early Islamic State. Vol. 352. Routledge.
"In the seventh century the Arab Caliphate overran the Sāssānian Empire and, as far as we can tell, no great changes took place in the Persian equipment then or for a long time afterwards." [1] Earlier Abbasids had the mace. [2]
[1]: (Robinson 1967) Robinson, H. Russell. 1967. Oriental Armour. Walker and Co. New York.
[2]: (Nicolle and Hook 1998) Nicolle D, Hook A. 1998. Armies of the Caliphates 862-1098. Osprey Publishing.
thrown-spears are known. were handheld-spears such as a lance used?
"In the seventh century the Arab Caliphate overran the Sāssānian Empire and, as far as we can tell, no great changes took place in the Persian equipment then or for a long time afterwards." [1] Earlier Abbasids had the dagger. [2] had daggers.
[1]: (Robinson 1967) Robinson, H. Russell. 1967. Oriental Armour. Walker and Co. New York.
[2]: (Nicolle 1982, 20) Nicolle, D. 1982. The Armies of Islam, 7th-11th Centuries. Osprey Publishing.
"In the seventh century the Arab Caliphate overran the Sāssānian Empire and, as far as we can tell, no great changes took place in the Persian equipment then or for a long time afterwards." [1] Earlier Abbasids had the battle axe. [2] had battle axes.
[1]: (Robinson 1967) Robinson, H. Russell. 1967. Oriental Armour. Walker and Co. New York.
[2]: (Nicolle and Hook 1998, Cover Illustration) Nicolle D, Hook A. 1998. Armies of the Caliphates 862-1098. Osprey Publishing.
The Buyids employed the Turks to be their cavalry [1] and the late Abbasids also hired mercenary Turks, which presumably were cavalry.
[1]: Busse, H. 1975. Iran under the Būyids. In Frye, R. N. (ed.) The Cambridge History of Iran. Volume 4. The period from the Arab Invasion to the Saljuq’s. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p.251
"In the seventh century the Arab Caliphate overran the Sāssānian Empire and, as far as we can tell, no great changes took place in the Persian equipment then or for a long time afterwards." [1] Used for shields by the preceding Abbasids [2]
[1]: (Robinson 1967) Robinson, H. Russell. 1967. Oriental Armour. Walker and Co. New York.
[2]: Kennedy, the Armies of the Caliphs pp. 168-178
"In the seventh century the Arab Caliphate overran the Sāssānian Empire and, as far as we can tell, no great changes took place in the Persian equipment then or for a long time afterwards." [1] The earlier Abbasids had scale armour. [2]
[1]: (Robinson 1967) Robinson, H. Russell. 1967. Oriental Armour. Walker and Co. New York.
[2]: Kennedy, the Armies of the Caliphs pp. 168-178
"In the seventh century the Arab Caliphate overran the Sāssānian Empire and, as far as we can tell, no great changes took place in the Persian equipment then or for a long time afterwards." [1] Some evidence of lamellar leggings in the sources for soldiers in the armies of the earlier Abbasids. [2]
[1]: (Robinson 1967) Robinson, H. Russell. 1967. Oriental Armour. Walker and Co. New York.
[2]: Kennedy, the Armies of the Caliphs pp. 168-178
"In the seventh century the Arab Caliphate overran the Sāssānian Empire and, as far as we can tell, no great changes took place in the Persian equipment then or for a long time afterwards." [1] The earlier Abbasids likely used lamellar e.g. for leg protection. [2]
[1]: (Robinson 1967) Robinson, H. Russell. 1967. Oriental Armour. Walker and Co. New York.
[2]: Kennedy, the Armies of the Caliphs pp. 168-178
"In the seventh century the Arab Caliphate overran the Sāssānian Empire and, as far as we can tell, no great changes took place in the Persian equipment then or for a long time afterwards." [1] Widely available for soldiers in the armies of the earlier Abbasids. [2]
[1]: (Robinson 1967) Robinson, H. Russell. 1967. Oriental Armour. Walker and Co. New York.
[2]: Kennedy, the Armies of the Caliphs pp. 168-178
"In the seventh century the Arab Caliphate overran the Sāssānian Empire and, as far as we can tell, no great changes took place in the Persian equipment then or for a long time afterwards." [1] "The early Islamic sources treat the coast of mail as a standard piece of military equipment." [2]
[1]: (Robinson 1967) Robinson, H. Russell. 1967. Oriental Armour. Walker and Co. New York.
[2]: (Kennedy 2001, 168) Kennedy, H. 2001. The Armies of the Caliphs. Routledge. London.
"In the seventh century the Arab Caliphate overran the Sāssānian Empire and, as far as we can tell, no great changes took place in the Persian equipment then or for a long time afterwards." [1] Some evidence of breastplates in the sources in the armies of the earlier Abbasids. [2]
[1]: (Robinson 1967) Robinson, H. Russell. 1967. Oriental Armour. Walker and Co. New York.
[2]: Kennedy, the Armies of the Caliphs pp. 168-178
Likely had some military vessels as they had a southern port on the Gulf, but not extensive.