812 



CALIPH. 



the Abbasside, Ibrahim, Merwan II. followed, will) 

 the Mil-name (respectable among the Arabs) of the 

 Att (al Hemar). Ibrahim, being dethroned and im- 

 priMHied by this prince, appointed his brother Abul 

 Abbas his successor, ami was, shortly after, murdered 

 in prison. Abdallah, Abul Abbas's uncle, now took 

 up arms against the caliph, who was, at that time, 

 fully occupied with a dangerous relx*llion in Persia. 

 Merwan was twice defeated, and fell (A. D. 752, I leg. 

 133). With him terminates the series of caliphs of the 

 race of Ommiyah. The furious Alxiallah treacher- 

 ously destroyed almost all the Ommiades, by a horri- 

 ble massacre at a meeting where they were all as- 

 sembled. Two only escaped. Abderames fled to 

 Spain, where he founded the independent caliphate of 

 Cordova (see Spaiii) ; another to a corner of Arabia, 

 where he was acknowledged as caliph, and his pos- 

 terity reigned till the Kith century. 



Abul Abbas, although innocent of that cruel ac- 

 tion, which secured him the throne, derived from it 

 the name of Sajfah (the Bloody). He died very soon, 

 eighteen years of age, of the small pox (A. D. 753, 

 Heg. 13J). His brother, Abu Giatar, called al 

 A/ansor (the Victorious), was obliged to contend with 

 a rival in his uncle, Abdallah, whom he, however, 

 overcame. His avarice made him many enemies, 

 whom he succeeded in suppressing by his perfidious 

 cunning. He acquired his surname by his victories 

 in Armenia, Cilicia, and Cappadocia. In the year 

 ?dl (Heg. 145), he founded the city of Bagdad on 

 the Tigris, and transferred thither the seat of the ca- 

 liphate (A. D. 768, Heg. 149). He died on a pil- 

 grimage to Mecca, leaving immense treasures (A. D. 

 775, Heg. 156). Mahadi, his son and successor, a 

 man of a noble character, had to contend with the tur- 

 bulent inhabitants of Chorasan, under the pretended 

 prophet Hakem, and died A, D. 785 (Heg. 166) ; and 

 Hadi, his grandson, met with the same opposition 

 from the Ali party, under Houssain, Ali's great- 

 grandson. Hadi caused the Zendists to be extermi- 

 nateda sect adhering to the doctrine of the two 

 principles of nature. 



According to the usual order of succession, and 

 Mahadi's provision, Hadi was followed, not by his son, 

 but by his brother Harun (A. D. 786, Heg. 167), 

 who was denominated al Raschid, on account of 

 his justice, and is famous for promoting the arts and 

 sciences. He concluded a truce (an actual peace 

 could never be made with Christians) with the Greek 

 empress Irene (788, Heg. 169), who consented to pay 

 him tribute. Jahir, an Alide, disputed with him the 

 possession of the throne, but subsequently submitted. 

 Harun, however, tarnished his reputation by the mur- 

 der of Jahir, and still more by the murder of his sister 

 Abbassah, and her favourite, the Barmecides Giafar, 

 and by the expulsion and persecution of the whole 

 family of the Barmecides, whose services to the state 

 and himself had been of very great value. Harun 

 divided the empire among his three sons. Al Amin, 

 as sole caliph, was to reign over Irak, Arabia, Syria, 

 Egypt, and the rest of Africa : under him, Al Mamun 

 was to govern Persia, Turkestan, Chorasan, and the 

 whole East ; and Motassem was to rule Asia Minor, 

 Armenia, and all the countries on the Black sea. The 

 younger brothers were to succeed Amin in the caliph- 

 ate. At Thus, in Chorasan, through which Harun 

 was passing, in order to quell a rebellion that had 

 broken out in Samarcand, he was arrested by death, 

 of which he had been forewarned by wonderful dreams 

 (A. D. 809, Heg. 190). 



Al Amin the faithful (his proper name was Moham- 

 med) was undeserving of this name. Untrue to his 

 obligations as a ruler, and addicted to all kinds of 

 sensuality, he left the discharge of his duties to his 

 vizier, Fadhel. The vizier, from hatred of Mamun, 



persuaded the caliph to appoint his son his successor, 

 and deprive Motassem of his portion of territory. A 

 war arose between the brothers. Mamun's general, 

 Thaller, defeated the armies of the caliph, took ISag- 

 dad, and caused Amin to be put to death (A.D. 8IM, 

 I leg. 194). 



Mamun was recognized as caliph. Nobler in his 

 inclinations than Amin, he cherished the arts and 

 sciences ; but, like his brother, he left the govern- 

 ment and armies to his ministers. His measures to 

 secure the caliphate to the Alides, in order to please 

 Iliza, his favourite, excited the powerful AblxisMilf- 

 to an insurrection. They declared Mamun to have 

 forfeited the throne, and proclaimed Ibrahim caliph, 

 but submitted again, after the death of Riza, when 

 the caliph had changed his sentiments. The vast 

 empire of the Arabs, embracing numberless provinces 

 in two quarters of the globe, could hardly be held 

 under his sceptre. There is but one step, and that an 

 easy one, under a weak sovereign, from a viceroyalty 

 to a kingdom. The wisdom of the former Abbassiiles 

 could only retard this evil ; the faults of the latter 

 precipitated it Even under Ilarun al llaschid, the 

 Agladides had founded an independent empire in 

 Tunis (A.D. 800, Heg. 181), as had likewise the 

 Edrisides in Fez. Thaher, having been appointed 

 governor of Chorasan, made himself independent. 

 From him the Thaherides derived their origin. Ma- 

 mun sent Thomas, a Greek exile, with an army against 

 the Greek emperor, Michael II. the Stammerer. Tho- 

 mas depopulated Asia Minor, and laid siege to Con- 

 stantinople ; but a storm destroyed his fleet (A.D. 

 823, Heg. 207). A second attack on the imperial 

 city was repelled by the aid of the Bulgarians. Tho- 

 mas was taken prisoner, and executed. Towards the 

 many religious sects, into which the Mussulmans were 

 then divided, Mamun acted with toleration. He died 

 A.D. 833 (Heg. 2 18). During his government (about 

 830, Heg. 215), the African Arabs conquered Sicily 

 and Sardinia, where they maintained themselves about 

 200 years, till the former island was torn from them 

 by the Normans, in 1035, and the latter island by the 

 Pisans, in 1051. 



Motassem, at first named Billah (by the grace of 

 God), Harun's third son, built a new city, Samara, 

 fifty-six miles from Bagdad, and transferred thither 

 his residence. In his wars against the Greeks and 

 rebellious Persians, he first used Turkish soldiers. 

 From grief at the death of his private physician, Mo- 

 tassem became insane, and died A.D. 842, Heg. 227. 



Vathek Billah, his son, member of the Motazelite 

 sect, exerted himself to promote the advancement of 

 science ; but he was an enervated voluptuary, and 

 died of nervous weakness (A.D. 846, Heg. 232). A 

 contest for the succession, between his brother Mota- 

 wackel and his son Mothadi, was decided by the al- 

 ready powerful and arrogant Turkish body guard in 

 favour of the most unworthy competitor, the former. 

 Under Motawackel, it became more and more custom- 

 ary to carry on all wars by means of Turkish mercen- 

 aries. Thus the Arabs were rendered un warlike and 

 effeminate, as must necessarily be the case, in a hot 

 climate, with those who do not live in constant activi- 

 ty. Motawackel manifested a blind hatred of the 

 Alides, not sparing even the memory of the deceased. 

 He moreover evinced a malignant spirit, and a prone- 

 ness to sensuality and cruelty. His own son, Mont- 

 asser, educated in the indulgence of both these vices, 

 and often barbarously treated by him, conspired 

 against him with the Turkish body guards, and ef- 

 fected his murder (A.D. 861, Heg. 247). 



The Turks, who now arrogated the right of electing 

 the caliphs, called the murderer to the throne of the 

 faithful, and compelled his brothers, who were inno- 

 cent of the atrocious act, and whose revenge they 



