Tuzun was a Turkish military officer of the Abbasid Caliphate, holding from 943 until 945 the title of amir al-umara. Tuzun was a close companion of Bajkam, amir al-umara under the Caliphs al-Radi and al-Muttaqi, having served with him as ghilman, or military slaves, to the Ziyarid ruler Mardavij. Upon Mardavij's assassination, Bajkam and Tuzun relocated to the Abbasid capital of Baghdad; by 940, Bajkam had ascended to the role of amir al-umara, and Tuzun took on the role of his subordinate. During the anarchy ensuing Bajkam's murder in 941, Tuzun retained the support of the Caliphate's Turkish and Daylamite mercenaries, replacing the amir al-umara Nasir al-Dawla after his expulsion at the hands of those forces. Mistrusted by the Caliph al-Muttaqi, Tuzun arranged a meeting with his nominal superior during which al-Muttaqi was blinded and deposed. He subsequently established al-Mustakfi upon the throne, and further solidified his power by defeating the forces of the expanding Buyid dynasty. His death shortly thereafter enabled the Buyids to seize power in Baghdad and to attain the powers of effective regents, formerly held by the amir al-umara.
Life
editMilitary service
editIt is known that Tuzun was of Turkish origins and served as a ghulam of Mardavij, the founder of the Ziyarid dynasty. Among Mardavij's other ghilman was Abū al-Husayn Bajkam al-Mākānī; both were complicit in the assassination[1] of Mardavij in 935. After the assassination, Bajkam and Tuzun travelled to Baghdad, seat of the Abbasid Caliphate, where Bajkam quickly attained senior military and civil offices. Bajkam defeated his principal political rival, ibn Ra'iq, in 938, and was granted the title of amir al-umara by the Caliph al-Radi.[2] After arranging for the installation of al-Muttaqi as Caliph upon al-Radi's death, Bajkam was confirmed in his position.[3]
Bajkam engaged in a series of military campaigns, against the powerful Hamdanid emir of Mosul, Nasir al-Dawla and the Iranian Buyid and Baridi dynasties.[3] During this period, Tuzun appears to have served as one of Bajkam's subordinates.[4]
After achieving victory against the Baridis, Bajkam participated in a hunting excursion and was murdered by Kurdish brigands.
References (temporary)
edit- ^ Tilman Nagel (1990). Encyclopedia Iranica, Vol. IV. Iranica Online. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
- ^ Muir, William (1924). The Caliphate: Its Rise, Decline, and Fall. Edinburgh: John Grant. p. 569.
- ^ a b Muir, William (1924). The Caliphate: Its Rise, Decline, and Fall. Edinburgh: John Grant. p. 572.
- ^ Michael Jan de Goeje (1910). Hugh Chisholm (ed.). The Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. V (11 ed.). New York: The Encyclopedia Britannica Company. pp. 51–52. Retrieved 30 November 2012.