The Fourth Fitna was a civil war that resulted from the conflict between half-brothers al-Amin and al-Ma'mun for the position of caliph of the Abbasid Empire following the death of their father Harun al-Rashid in 809.[1]
History[]
Harun al-Rashid, while living, had named al-Amin as his first successor but also named al-Ma'mun as the second, granting him the region of Khurasan.[2] After his death, he was succeeded in Baghdad by al-Amin.[3] Encouraged by the court at Baghdad, al-Amin began trying to subvert the autonomous status of Khurasan, gaining, therefore, power over the region commanded by al-Ma'mun as well. In response, al-Ma'mun sought support from the elites of the region and made moves to maintain his autonomy. In 811, al-Amin assembled a large army and marched against Khurasan, but al-Ma'mun's own forces defeated them before invading Iraq.[2]
Al-Ma'mun besieged Baghdad from August 812 to September 813, gaining the upper hand over his opponent.[3] al-Amin was captured, executed, and his head was displayed at the Iron Gate as a warning,[4] while his mother Zubaydah bint Ja'far was exiled from Baghdad, but allowed to return some years later.[3]
The civil war generated a demand of troops loyal only to the caliph,[5] with al-Ma'mun's solution being the creation of a professional military made largely of enslaved boys and men from Turkic-speaking tribes in Central Asia. The episode also created lasting tensions between the groups of elites who had supported each of the two brothers.[6]
Appearances[]
- Echoes of History (first mentioned) (indirect mention only)
- Assassin's Creed: Mirage (indirect mention only)
References[]
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Mirage – Notes from Basim's travels: Trouble at the Court
- ↑ 2.0 2.1
Fourth Fitna on Wikipedia
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Assassin's Creed: Mirage – Database: Zubaydah bint Ja'far
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Mirage – Database: Gates of Baghdad
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Mirage – Database: Abbasid Army
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Mirage – Database: Ghilman (Servant Soldiers)
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