Battle of Baziqiya (1002)
Battle of Baziqiya The battle between the Buyids, backed by the Kurdish Annazids, and the Uqaylid, backed by the Banu Assad, at Baziqiya, 10 kilometers south of Nahr Kutha and 15 kilometers north of Qasr Ibn Hubayra.
| Battle of Baziqiya | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Buyid - Uqaylid war | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Buyid dynasty Annazids |
Uqaylid dynasty Banu Mazyad | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Baha al-Dawla Al-Hajjaj ibn Ustadh Hurmuz | Qirwash ibn al-Muqallad | ||||||
Background
changeQirwash was the oldest son of al-Muqallad ibn al-Musayyab, the Emir of Mosul, who was assassinated in 1001, while plotting to seize Baghdad from the Buyids.[1][2] During his brief reign (996–1001), al-Muqallad had managed to take over a number of towns in Iraq, including Anbar and Tikrit, and other settlements almost to the gates of Baghdad.[3] The Uqaylid institutions were tribal, depending on the Bedouin for military support rather than a salaried, standing army.[4] As a result, al-Muqallad's unexpected death threw the loose tribal confederation into turmoil, as Qirwash and his uncle, al-Hasan ibn al-Musayyab|al-Hasan, both claimed the tribe's leadership.[5] The two were soon forced to come to a compromise, however, and make common cause against the claims of another tribesman, Qarrad ibn Ladid. As a result, the revenue of Mosul was split between them, while Qirwash inherited his father's rule over Kufa. There he had to force out the Khafaja tribe that had taken control of the city, and drive them into the Syrian Desert.[6]
War
changeIn 1002, Qirwash allied with the Banu Asad tribe against the Buyids, and moved to capture al-Mada'in.[7] The Buyid army moved against the allies, but was defeated near Kufa on 22 July 1002.[7] The Buyid commander al-Hajjaj ibn Ustadh Hurmuz then called upon the Khafaja and the Kurdish Annazids for assistance, and this time scored a major victory at Baziqiya. The Uqaylid–Asadid alliance broke, and the two armies were defeated again separately.[7][8] The women of the Khafaja were able to loot the Uqayl camp in the aftermath, a major humiliation according to traditional Bedouin mores.[9] Even worse, al-Hajjaj's politically astute brother, al-Hasan ibn Ustadh Hurmuz|al-Hasan, was appointed governor of Iraq, and soon adopted a divide and ruleapproach that left the Uqaylids isolated: the Banu Asad were conciliated and their leader, Ali ibn Mazyad, given the position Qirwash had held, while the Khafaja likely received back control of Kufa.[10]
After War
changeThe revival of Buyid fortunes left Qirwash trying to reassert control over the towns his father had claimed in Iraq. The most the Uqaylids could achieve during the next years were raids and kidnappings.[9] The situation changed when the Khafaja joined the uprising of Abu'l-Abbas ibn Wasil in Basra. To counter them, in 1005/6 the Buyids again assigned Kufa to Qirwash.[11] Not only that, but Qirwash visited Baghdad, where Caliph al-Qadir awarded him the title Muʿtamid al-Dawla (lit. 'Support of the Dynasty') and confirmed him in the leadership of the Bedouin and all rights held by Muqallad.[12] At the same time, the death of the last of Qirwash's uncles in 1006/7, left him the undisputed leader of his tribe.[9] His campaign against Kufa in 1006/7 failed,[1] and the Buyids were forced to a rapprochement with Ibn Mazyad, but Qirwash was still able to extend his influence in Iraq.[13] In 1008/9, the Uqaylids even seized Rahba from its pro-Fatimid governor, the Khafaji leader Abu Ali ibn Thimal.[14]
References
change- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Zetterstéen 1927, p. 781.
- ↑ Kennedy 2004, pp. 296–297.
- ↑ Busse 2004, pp. 74–75.
- ↑ Kennedy 2004, pp. 283, 296.
- ↑ Busse 2004, p. 75.
- ↑ Busse 2004, pp. 75, 79.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Busse 2004, p. 79.
- ↑ Kennedy 2004, pp. 293, 297.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Kennedy 2004, p. 297.
- ↑ Busse 2004, pp. 81, 84.
- ↑ Busse 2004, pp. 84–85.
- ↑ Donohue 2003, pp. 107, 222.
- ↑ Busse 2004, p. 85.
- ↑ Busse 2004, pp. 85–86.
Sources
change- Bosworth, C. E. (2000). "ʿUḳaylids". In Bearman, P. J.; Bianquis, Th.; Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E. & Heinrichs, W. P. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Edition, Volume X: T–U. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 786–787. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_1274. ISBN 978-90-04-11211-7.
- Busse, Heribert (2004) [1969]. Chalif und Grosskönig - Die Buyiden im Irak (945-1055) [Caliph and Great King - The Buyids in Iraq (945-1055)] (in German). Würzburg: Ergon Verlag. ISBN 3-89913-005-7.
- Zetterstéen, K. V. (1927). "Ḳarwās̲h̲". The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Volume II: E–K. Leiden and London: E. J. Brill. pp. 781–782. doi:10.1163/2214-871X_ei1_SIM_3957.