The Rise and Fall of the early ʿAbbasid Political and Military Elite

Kennedy, Hugh

Abstract

This paper explores the composition and role of the military and political elite of the early ʿAbbāsid caliphate (750 –809) whose support enabled the caliphs to maintain sovereignty over their far-flung domains. It considers the importance of different groups, including members of the ʿAbbāsid family, military commanders from Khurāsān and members of powerful and wealthy families like the Muhallabīs and the Shaybāni tribal chiefs. The paper concludes with a discussion of the reasons for the disappearance and effective extinction of this elite in the years after the great civil war that followed Hārūn al-Rashīd’s death in 809.

Citation

Kennedy, H. (2020). The Rise and Fall of the early ʿAbbasid Political and Military Elite. In H.-L. Hagemann, & S. Heidemann (Eds.), Transregional and Regional Elites - Connecting the Early Islamic Empire (100-113). De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110669800-005

• Acceptance Date: Mar 22, 2025
• Publication Date: Feb 24, 2020
• Deposit Date: Jul 27, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 27, 2020
• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Pages: 100-113
• Series Title: Studies in the History and Culture of the Middle East
• Book Title: Transregional and Regional Elites - Connecting the Early Islamic Empire
• ISBN: 9783110666489
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110669800-005