Rukn al-Daula

Hasan (d. September 976) was the first Buyid amir of northern and central Iran (c. 935-976). He was the son of Buya.

truggle for power

In around 928, Hasan's brother 'Ali joined the services of Makan, who was the Samanid governor of Ray. 'Ali then managed to gain military positions for Hasan and another brother named Ahmad. At the time, Hasan was about thirty years old. When Makan attacked his Samanid overlords and was subsequently defeated by the Ziyarid prince Mardavij, the brothers transferred their allegiance to the latter.

In the following years, 'Ali repudiated his subservience to Mardavij and, after some time, managed to create an empire in Fars. During this time, Hasan distinguished himself in the battles over that province. Mardavij, however, marched south and forced 'Ali to recognize his authority in around 934. Hasan was sent to Madavij's court as a hostage. The death of Mardavij in 935 allowed Hasan to escape, and also provided an opportunity for the Buyids to expand into central Iran. 'Ali therefore sent Hasan to take Isfahan. The Ziyarids, now under Vushmgir, were busy dealing with the Samanids, allowing the Buyid to easily take the city. This success did not last, however. Internal disruptions, combined with an invasion by Vushmgir, forced Hasan to abandon Isfahan to the Ziyarids three years later.

Although he did not receive much support from 'Ali, Hasan continued to be involved in central Iran. In 940 he recaptured Isfahan, then defeated Vushmgir in battle and occupied Ray, which had been taken by the Samanids, in 943. Meanwhile, in 945 Hasan's brother Ahmad had managed to capture Baghdad, occupying the Caliphate. The caliph gave Ahmad the title of "Mu'izz al-Daula", while Ali' received the title of "'Imad al-Daula". Hasan himself was bestowed with the title "Rukn al-Daula".

That same year, 945, saw Rukn al-Daula expelled from all of central Iran by Ibn Muhtaj, the governor of Samanid Khurasan. Only in 946 or 947 was he able to make his return to Ray. He was, however, able to expand his territory after doing so, stripping Vushmgir of Gurgan and Tabaristan.

In 948 or 949, the Sallarid ruler of Azerbaijan, al-Marzuban, became angry over a diplomatic insult sent to him by Mu'izz al-Daula. He sought revenge against the Buyids by attempting to seize Ray from Rukn al-Daula. The amir, however, convinced al-Marzuban by diplomatic measures to delay his expedition until his brothers sent him additional armies; he then defeated al-Marzuban near Qazvin and imprisoned him.

enior amir

In around 948 'Imad al-Daula named Rukn al-Daula's eldest son, Fana Khusrau ('Adud al-Daula) as his successor. In September 949 he died, and Rukn al-Daula claimed the title of senior amir for himself. He traveled to Shiraz and stayed there for at least nine months in order to secure his son's succession there, despite the fact that the Samanids were threatening his own possessions. Mu'izz al-Daula, meanwhile, accepted Rukn al-Daula's position of senior amir and also sent troops to Shiraz to assist 'Adud al-Daula.

With his substantial territories in central Iran, as well as pledges to respect his authority by both Mu'izz al-Daula and 'Adud al-Daula, Rukn al-Daula was now the most powerful ruler in the Buyid empire. The center of power therefore shifted from Shiraz to Ray. As a consequence of this, Rukn al-Daula was able to request troops from the other Buyid rulers. His own position was not secure; during his time in Shiraz the governor of Samanid Khurasan seized Jibal for a time.

Following his defeat of the Sallarids, Rukn al-Daula sent Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Razzaq, who was formerly the governor of Samanid Tus, to Azerbaijan with orders to take control of the province. The latter suffered difficulties, however, and returned in 949 or 950 to Ray. In 952 or 953 al-Marzuban escaped, and after some fighting retook control of Azerbaijan. By 955, Rukn al-Daula made peace with him, and married his daughter.

The fight between the Buyids and the Ziyarids, along with their Samanid overlords over Gurgan and Tabaristan also continued until 955, with control of the provinces switching hands several times. Rukn al-Daula was forced to sign a treaty with the Samanids, in which he promised to respect the independence of the Ziyarids in exchange for peace. The peace did not last long, however; in 958 Vushmgir occupied Ray for a short time, while in 960 Rukn al-Daula briefly gained control of Gurgan. In 962, the Buyid managed to take both Gurgan and Tabaristan for a short time. Eventually, this fighting began to work in Rukn al-Daula's favor, and he was able to sign a less humiliating treaty with the Samanids in 971 or 972, though he continued to pay tribute.

In 974 Rukn al-Daula sent 'Adud al-Daula to suppress a large revolt against 'Izz al-Daula, who had succeeded Mu'izz al-Daula in Iraq in 967. 'Izz al-Daula had also recognized Rukn al-Daula as senior amir, but he and 'Adud al-Daula had a dislike of each other. 'Adud al-Daula successfully destroyed the rebellion, but ended up deposing his cousin as well and proclaimed himself the ruler of Iraq. Rukn al-Daula, however, vehemently protested this, claiming that the line of Mu'izz al-Daula could not be removed from power. 'Adud al-Daula's offer to his father to pay tribute for his possession of Iraq was rejected, and he reluctantly reinstated 'Izz al-Daula and returned to Fars.

'Adud al-Daula began to grow concerned that his father would deny him the succession as senior amir. Although he had never been explicitly designated as successor, it was assumed that as the eldest son that the position would be his upon Rukn al-Daula's death. The fiasco in Iraq, however, cooled the relationship between the two. At this point, Abu'l-Fath ibn al-'Amid, Rukn al-Daula's vizier, attempted to reconcile them by arranging a meeting in Isfahan in January of 976.

The meeting proved to be a success, at least for 'Adud al-Daula. Rukn al-Daula may have been pressured to give in to his son's demands; in any case he agreed to name 'Adud al-Daula as his successor to the senior amirate. All he asked for in exchange was that Ray would go to his second son, Fakhr al-Daula, while Hamadan would go to a third son, Mu'ayyad al-Daula. Both sons would recognize 'Adud al-Daula as senior amir. The issue of Iraq was not discussed.

Death and legacy

Only a few months later, Rukn al-Daula died. He was succeeded by his two younger sons in Ray and Hamadan, while 'Adud al-Daula claimed the senior amirate. 'Izz al-Daula, however, refused to recognize this, paving the way for conflict between the two sides.

Rukn al-Daula's campaigns in central Iran were done almost entirely without the support of 'Imad al-Daula. As a result of this, Rukn al-Daula was in nearly all aspects independent of his brother. His coins bear only his name after that of the caliph's, and he was considered by contemporary sources to be an independent ruler. For the remainder of the Buyid presence in central Iran, the amirs there were either independent of the rest of the empire, or were the senior amirs that ruled the empire.

The failure of 'Imad al-Daula to extend his authority over the Buyids of central Iran was later to present problems for the Buyid state, as the descendants of both brothers each considered themselves to be the best candidate for the senior amirate. This led to multiple independent rulers, destroying the unity of the Buyid state and allowing for internal dissent.

In terms of a capital, Isfahan at first served Rukn al-Daula's his city of choice, and continued to be a favorite even after Ray was captured and the court was moved there. His successors would continue to use Ray as the capital. Like the other Buyids, Rukn al-Daula was a Shi'ite. While he recognized the authority of the caliph of his coins and allowed the caliph's name to be said in the Friday prayers, in all other aspects he ruled as a Shi'ite. On the other hand, he was no fanatic; he recognized that the Sunni citizens of his empire must be protected in order to prevent internal discord.

References

* R. N. Frye (1975). "The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume Four: From the Arab Invasion to the Saljuqs". ISBN 0-521-20093-8

*Nagel, Tilman. "Buyids", Encyclopaedia Iranica. http://www.iranica.com/articles/search/searchpdf.isc?ReqStrPDFPath=/home1/iranica/articles/v4_articles/buyids&OptStrLogFile=/home/iranica/public_html/logs/pdfdownload.html