Shibl al-Daula Nasr

Shibl al-Daula Nasr (d. 1038) was the Mirdasid amir of Aleppo from 1029 until his death. He was the son of Salih b. Mirdas.

Life

After their father was killed in battle against the Fatimid governor of Damascus, al-Duzbari, Nasr and his brother Mu'izz al-Daula Thimal shared power. They collected their forces in northern Syria, abandoning Hims. The Byzantine governor of Antioch, hoping to take advantage of the brothers' youth, sent an army to establish control over the Mirdasids, but the Kilab defeated it at Kaybar in July 1029. The following year, the Byzantine Emperor Romanos III personally led an army against the Mirdasids to avenge the defeat at Kaybar. In July 1030, the Arabs managed to gain victory over the imperial army near 'Azaz.

Nasr b. Salih had meanwhile taken advantage of his brother Thimal's absence to seize sole control of Aleppo. Fearing an attack from his brother, in spring 1031 he made peace with the Byzantines, agreeing to pay an annual tribute. He became a virtual vassal of the Emperor, allowing the Byzantines to move against his allies.

The governor of Damascus, al-Duzbari, found the Mirdasid alliance with the Byzantines to be unacceptable and called for a jihad. The Byzantines announced their desire for a truce with al-Duzbari, causing Nasr to worry that he would be sacrificed by the Greeks to the Fatimids. He, along with the Numayrids, Marwanids, and the Banu 'l-Djarrah and Kalb Arabs, sent envoys to Constantinople to determine the fate of the Muslims situated between the Fatimids and Byzantines. Nasr declared his submission to Romanos III, who claimed Aleppo as under his protection. The Fatimids refused to accept this, however, and after Romanos III died in 1034 his successor Michael IV recommended to Nasr that he accept Fatimid suzerainty.

Nasr eventually decided to establish friendly ties with the Fatimids, so he sent the plunder gained at the battle of 'Azaz to Cairo. In return, he was given permission to take control of Hims and his laqab was expanded. He also married the sister of the Numayrid Shabib b. Waththab. These developments did not please al-Duzbari, who together with the Fatimid governor of Hims launched a campaign against the Mirdasids. The two sides met near Latmin in May 1038; in the ensuing battle Nasr was killed and Thimal retreated to Aleppo with the Numayrid Shabib b. Wathab.

References

*Bianquis, Thierry. "Mirdas." Encyclopedia of Islam. New edition. 2005.