Abu Nasr Firuz Kharshadh (; died December 22, 1012), better known by his ''
laqab
Arabic names have historically been based on a long naming system. Many people from Arabic-speaking and also non-Arab Muslim countries have not had given name, given, middle name, middle, and family names but rather a chain of names. This system ...
'' of Baha al-Dawla () was the
Buyid
The Buyid dynasty or Buyid Empire was a Zaydi and later Twelver Shi'a dynasty of Daylamite origin. Founded by Imad al-Dawla, they mainly ruled over central and southern Iran and Iraq from 934 to 1062. Coupled with the rise of other Iranian dyna ...
amir of
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
(988–1012), along with
Fars and
Kerman
Kerman (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kerman County), Central District of Kerman County, Kerman province, Kerman province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district.
History
Kerman was founded as a def ...
(998–1012). His early reign was dominated by struggles with his rival relatives over control of the western
Persian provinces, but by 998 he managed to establish his supremacy over the Buyid confederation. His reign nevertheless saw the increasing encroachment of neighbouring powers on Buyid territory, and marks the beginning of the decline of the Buyids' power. He was the third son of
'Adud al-Dawla
Fannā (Panāh) Khusraw (), better known by his laqab of ʿAḍud al-Dawla (; 24 September 936 – 26 March 983) was an emir of the Buyid dynasty, ruling from 949 to 983. At the height of his power, he ruled an empire stretching from Makran ...
.
Early life
In 986, a
Dailamite officer named
Asfar ibn Kurdawayh rebelled against the ruler of Iraq,
Samsam al-Dawla, and changed his allegiance to
Sharaf al-Dawla
Shirdil Abu'l-Fawaris () (c. 960-September 7, 988 or September 6, 989) was the Buyid amir of Kerman and Fars (983-988/9), as well as Iraq (987-988/9). He was the eldest son of 'Adud al-Dawla.
Early life
When Kerman was conquered by his fath ...
. However, Asfar quickly changed his mind, and declared allegiance to the latter's other brother Abu Nasr Firuz Kharshadh, who was shortly given the honorific epithet of "Baha' al-Dawla." However, Samsam al-Dawla, with the aid of
Fuladh ibn Manadhar, suppressed the rebellion, and imprisoned Baha al-Dawla. Samsam al-Dawla shortly made peace with Sharaf al-Dawla, and agreed to release Baha al-Dawla. Sharaf al-Dawla shortly betrayed Samsam al-Dawla, conquered Iraq, and had him imprisoned in a fortress.
Reign
Upon the death of Sharaf al-Dawla in 988, Baha' al-Dawla succeeded him, whereupon he took the additional title of ''Diya' al-Milla''. Samsam al-Dawla, who managed to flee from prison, prevented Baha' al-Dawla from gaining all of Sharaf al-Dawla's possessions by taking control of
Fars,
Kerman
Kerman (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kerman County), Central District of Kerman County, Kerman province, Kerman province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district.
History
Kerman was founded as a def ...
and
Khuzestan
Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's ...
. Both Baha' al-Dawla and Samsam al-Dawla, however, were threatened by their granduncle
Fakhr al-Dawla, the ruler of
Jibal
Jibāl (), also al-Jabal (), was the name given by the Arabs to a region and province located in western Iran, under the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates.
Its name means "the Mountains", being the plural of ''jabal'' ("mountain, hill"), highlight ...
, who invaded Khuzestan in an attempt to drive a wedge between the two brothers' territories. This act prompted the brothers to draw up an alliance. Samsam al-Dawla recognized Baha' al-Dawla as the ruler of Iraq and Khuzestan, while he himself kept
Arrajan, Fars and Kerman. Both promised to consider each other as equals, and took the title of king (''
malik
Malik (; ; ; variously Romanized ''Mallik'', ''Melik'', ''Malka'', ''Malek'', ''Maleek'', ''Malick'', ''Mallick'', ''Melekh'') is the Semitic term translating to "king", recorded in East Semitic and Arabic, and as mlk in Northwest Semitic d ...
''). In 990, Baha' al-Dawla appointed
Sabur ibn Ardashir as his ''
vizier
A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...
''.
In 991 Baha' al-Dawla attempted to gain supremacy over Samsam al-Dawla's realm. He took the ancient Persian title of ''
Shâhanshâh'' and invaded the latter's territory. His forces were defeated, however, and Samsam al-Dawla regained Khuzestan and even gained control of the Buyid territories in
Oman
Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...
. He then recognized Fakhr al-Dawla as senior ''
amir
Emir (; ' (), also transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or ceremonial authority. The title has ...
'', submitting to his authority.
Fakhr al-Dawla's death in 997, coupled with Samsam al-Dawla's increasing troubles within his realm, provided Baha' al-Dawla with the opportunity to assert his authority in
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
. He gained the support of the
Hasanwayhid ruler
Badr ibn Hasanwayh and prepared for the expedition. The invasion began in December 998; scarcely had it commenced when Samsam al-Dawla was killed by one of the sons of
'Izz al-Dawla who had risen in revolt. Baha' al-Dawla then took
Shiraz
Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...
, defeated 'Izz al-Dawla's sons, and was joined by the Dailamites of Fars under
Ibn Ustadh-Hurmuz. For the rest of his life Baha' al-Dawla remained in Fars. He also managed to gain indirect control over northern Iran, where Fakr al-Dawla's two sons
Majd al-Dawla and
Shams al-Dawla recognized him as senior ''amir'' by 1009 or 1010. In 1001, Baha' al-Dawla appointed Ibn Ustadh-Hurmuz as the governor of
Ahvaz
Ahvaz (; ) is a city in the Central District of Ahvaz County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is home to Persians, Arabs and other groups such as Qashqai and Kurds. Languages spok ...
, and one year later, appointed him as the governor of Iraq, where he kept order by solving disputes between different religious sects, and by defeating bandits who had caused chaos in the region.
He also managed to defeat the former governor of Iraq, Abu Ja'far al-Hajjaj, who was supported by
Kurds
Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...
and
Shayban Arabs
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...
. In 1007, Baha' al-Dawla made peace with the
Al-Mazeedi ruler
Ali ibn Mazyad
Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until his assassination in 661, as well as the first Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Born to Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib an ...
, who was given the honorific title of "Sanad al-Dawla", and agreed to become a vassal of Baha' al-Dawla in return for recognition of his rule. This treaty was highly in favor of Baha' al-Dawla, who managed to use Ali ibn Mazyad as the keeper of Buyid influence in Iraq and its surrounding regions. In 1011, Ibn Ustadh-Hurmuz died and was succeeded by Baha' al-Dawla's new vizier
Fakhr al-Mulk as the governor of Iraq.
Baha' al-Dawla's reign coincided with the beginning of the decline of the Buyids. The
Kurd
Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...
ish chief Badh laid the foundations for the
Marwanid amirate in
Diyarbakr, while the initially subservient '
Uqaylids of
Mosul
Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...
expanded into Iraq at the Buyids' expense. By the time Baha' al-Dawla died,
Baghdad
Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
and
Wasit were the only two major Iraqi cities directly under his control. In the north, where Fakhr al-Dawla's sons ruled, the Buyid frontier also fell back, as the
Ziyarids of
Gorgan
Gorgan (; ) is a city in the Central District (Gorgan County), Central District of Gorgan County, Golestan province, Golestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It lies approximately to the nor ...
and
Tabaristan
Tabaristan or Tabarestan (; ; from , ), was a mountainous region located on the Caspian coast of northern Iran. It corresponded to the present-day province of Mazandaran, which became the predominant name of the area from the 11th-century onward ...
permanently wrested themselves from Buyid control. The
Ghaznavids
The Ghaznavid dynasty ( ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a Persianate Muslim dynasty of Turkic peoples, Turkic ''mamluk'' origin. It ruled the Ghaznavid Empire or the Empire of Ghazni from 977 to 1186, which at its greatest extent, extended from the Oxus ...
kept putting pressure on the
Khurasan
KhorasanDabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 (; , ) is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plateau in West Asia, West and Central Asia that encompasses wes ...
border, while the
Kakuyids
The Kakuyids (also called Kakwayhids, Kakuwayhids or Kakuyah) () were a Shia Muslim dynasty of Daylamite origin that held power in western Persia, Jibal and Kurdistan (c. 1008–c. 1051). They later became ''atabegs'' (governors) of Yazd, Isfa ...
began to set up a state in
Isfahan
Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...
.
Death
For various reasons, Baha' al-Dawla did not actively defend the borders. Having gained undisputed control of the Buyid state, he seemed content to allow external enemies to seize territories in the west and north. He died in Arrajan in December 1012. Shortly before his death, he named his son
Sultan al-Dawla as his successor.
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baha al-Dawla
971 births
1012 deaths
Buyid emirs of Fars
Buyid emirs of Iraq
Buyid emirs of Kerman
10th-century monarchs in the Middle East
11th-century monarchs in the Middle East
10th-century Iranian people
11th-century Iranian people
Shahanshahs
Amir al-umara of the Abbasid Caliphate