Instead of bringing about a measure of peace, the end of the civil war signaled a return to the anarchy that had preceded it. The new caliph was restricted by the same men whose influence had checked

As the last vestiges of Abbasid authority crumbled, the caliphate spiraled further into chaos. It wasnt too long before an unremarkable conflict sparked a much wider conflagration and the umma was en

Al Muntasirs sudden passing took the caliphate into uncharted political territory. It had only been six months since the plot against his father had succeeded, and he was still much too young for suc

Its difficult to overstate the impact al Mutawakkils usurpation had on the political reality of the caliphate. Not only did it completely hijack control of the state, but it also had decisive implic

Succession planning presented a sporadic problem for the caliphate. The great fitna was the last disaster spawned by ill-conceived designs, and it proved absolutely ruinous to the state. Al Mutawakkil

Despite the religious overtones of the caliphate, there was nothing very islamic about the state when it came to policy. The inquisition marked the first time an administration tried to interfere in m

Considering their invincibility on the battlefield, the caliphates armies probably felt assured that they would remain the states number one priority. Al Mutawakkils purge of the administration onl

For the first time in Arab history, a council of administrators selected the man who would become the next caliph. The umma had come a long way since it was first united by the prophet and this develo

Despite the general unpopularity of al Mutasims Turkish inner-circle, the paradigm he established proved so stable that it endured throughout the reign of his son and successor, Haoon al Watheq. The

Al Mutasims armies were among the strongest ever fielded by the caliphate. They reliably triumphed over their foes and faced no problems putting down any resistance to the caliphs authority. Al Afs