The Middle and Late Abbasid Era

Chapter 7 (1 of 4)

A Pain in the Abbasid

Abbasid caliphs spent lavishly

(remember the marble palaces), ruining empires

finances and upsetting the

masses

There was constant political

divisions and turmoil, often

over the succession of

caliphs

Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi

al-Mahdi3rd Abbasid caliph

775-785

Lived lavish lifestyle

Failed in attempt at peace with

Shi’ites

Had many sons but never picked a successor, leading to

major problems

Harun al-Rashid (786-809)

Son of al-Mahdi

His death set of civil war over succession

Over next 10 years, 4 caliphs were murdered

Lived in extreme luxury, hurting empire’s finances

Harun was one of al-Mahdi’s sons, emerged as caliph

Most famous Abbasid caliph

Caliphs Hire Slave Armies for Protection

1

Potential caliphs hire big armies of Turkic nomads

for protection

2

Abbasids can’t afford to pay the slave armies

3

Slaves are leading cause of social unrest amongst the people, start revolts

4

Slaves become so strong they kill the caliph in 846

and replace him with slave as caliph

50 Years Later…Abbasids Finally Control Slaves by end of 800s

To pay for it, Abbasids

raised taxes

Cost a fortune

to do this

Paid local

chiefs to

control

slaves

Chief CorruptionWhile some helped,

most chiefs took advantage of people

Little money coming in, needed irrigation

projects not built

People fled to avoid the corrupt chiefs and

heavy taxes

Peasant Had Enough!

Die from

disease, famine

flood, violence

Many flee to

surrounding kingdoms

Others revolted,

often Shia sects

Women’s Status

The Harem and the

Veil

Women were secluded and kept at home

Harem – many women that men had at home

Concubines – slave women kept by men(part of harem)

Slaves often better educated, caliphs spent more time with them than with wives

Concubines could gain freedom if bore healthy son

Abbasid elite in cities had huge # of slaves – got through conquest over non-MuslimsThe

Harem

At 1st only applied to city elites, but spread to towns and the countryside

Interestingly, concubines usually didn’t

Veils show how women (wives) losing status

Thought was women had insatiable lust, so needed to be veiled and secluded at home

Also thought that men could not resist lures of women, so veil needed

Women had to wear veils in publicThe Veil

By end of Abbasid Era,

rights women had in early Islam gone

Rich women not allowed a

career

Poor women could farm or weave clothes

Married young (9 years old),

expected to be homemakers

Women could plot to enhance

son’s political career

Due to internal problems, caliphs can’t prevent loss of land – parts of empire break away and nomadic groups begin to gain control

Oh Buyid, Abbasids in Trouble

Buyid – Rebel group in Abbasid empire,

able to conquer Baghdad in 945 and

gain control

Allowed Abbasid caliphs to remain, but

they were figureheads (no

power), real Buyid rulers called sultans

Seljuk Turks Gain Control of Abbasid Empire

Buyids couldn’t prevent Abbasid

empire from continuing to fall

apart

Seljuk Turks conquered Buyids

and took control of Abbasid empire in

1055

Seljuk Turks – nomads from

central Asia who invaded via Persia

The Seljuk Turks Rule Abbasid Empire

Seljuk Turks were Sunni, and got rid of Shi’ite, who rose to power

under Buyid control

For a time, the Seljuk Turks stabilized the Abbasid empire

(stopped threat from Shia Egypt)

Beat Byzantines, who attacked b/c thought Abbasid empire weak b/c

of infighting, got Asia Minor (would become Ottoman Empire)

Umayyads (661)

Abbasid (750)

Buyid (945)

Seljuk Turks (1055)

Note: Buyid and Seljuk Turks ruled over what was still considered Abbasid Empire

THE CRUSADES

THE CRUSADES

Shortly after the Seljuk Turks come to power,

Christian crusaders attack

There were 8 Crusades (Christians attack to gain control of holy land) the

first in 1096

For the next 200 years, European Christians control the region

In 1099, Christians gain control of the holy city of Jerusalem, slaughtering

Muslims and Jews

SaladinIn 1190, Saladin united Muslims

and began driving out Christian

Crusaders

In 1291, the last Christians kingdom in the region (Acre)

is defeated

Crusades Impact

Europeans much more

than they did Muslims

Middle Eastern Goods in Demand

Damascene swords

Rugs and Textiles adorned wealthy Europeans homes

Games like chess began to be played in Europe

Europeans Impacted in Art and ScienceRegained

lost ancient learning

(preserved by Arabs)

Europeans learned

Arab math and science

advances

Europeans used Arabic numbers +

decimal system

Richard the Lionhearted

preferred Arab

doctors

Some Arab and Persian words begin to be used in Europe

Europeans got all of this not only

through the Crusades, but the years of trade that

followed

Muslim culture not affected much by the Crusades

The trade was one-sided –

Muslims were not very interested in European goods

and culture

Click here for brief video on impact of the Crusades