Al-Mu'tasim (794-842) was the eighth Abbasid caliph, ruling from 833 until his death in 842, and a son of the earlier caliph Harun al-Rashid. He is best known for founding a new capital at Samarra, north of Baghdad, largely to house a growing corps of Turkic slave-soldiers, known as ghilman, whom he recruited in large numbers as a military force personally loyal to him rather than to the older Arab and Persian elites of the caliphate. This reliance on Turkic military slaves reshaped Abbasid politics for generations afterward, giving the military increasing influence over the caliphate's internal affairs. His reign also saw continued warfare against the Byzantine Empire, including a major campaign that captured the Byzantine city of Amorium in 838.
Facts
RoleEighth Abbasid caliph, ruling from 833 until his death in 842. 1 BirthplaceBaghdad, Abbasid Caliphate 1 Death PlaceSamarra, Abbasid Caliphate 1 Role
Role (category) FAQs
Why did Al-Mu'tasim found a new capital at Samarra?
He built it in 836 to house a military-centred regime away from the restive people of Baghdad.
In 836 Al-Mu'tasim established a new capital at Samarra to symbolize a new regime centred on the military, and particularly on his Turkish guard. The move also removed that regime from the restive populace of Baghdad. His reign is regarded as a watershed in Islamic history because of this military-centred government, and the Arab and Iranian elites that had played a major role in the early Abbasid state were increasingly marginalized.
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WikipediaAl-Mu'tasim
Abū Ishāq Muhammad ibn Hārūn al-Rashīd, better known by his regnal name al-Muʿtaṣim biʾʼllāh, was the eighth Abbasid caliph, ruling from 833 until his death in 842.
Al-Mu'tasim: Gender
Al-Mu'tasim (794-842) was the eighth Abbasid caliph, ruling from 833 until his death in 842, and a son of the earlier caliph Harun al-Rashid.
View the Source Wikidata: Al-Mu'tasim
Wikidata Q284550, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Al-Mu'tasim (Wikipedia)
- Wikipedia biography, role/occupation stated in lead section (w-bbfill-history3-0927)
In Era: The Post-Classical and Medieval Period, lead paragraph, lifespan
Abū Isḥāq Muḥammad ibn Hārūn al-Rashīd (Arabic: أبو إسحاق محمد بن هارون الرشيد; October 796 - 5 January 842), better known by his regnal name al-Muʿtaṣim biʾllāh (المعتصم بالله, lit. 'He who seeks refuge in God'), was the eighth Abbasid caliph, ruling from 833 until his death in 842.
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