List of Fatimid caliphs

This is a list of an Arab dynasty, the Shi'ite caliphs of the Fatimid dynasty (909–1171). The Shi'ite caliphs were also regarded at the same time as the imams of the Isma'ili branch of Shi'a Islam.

Fatimid Caliph
Gold dinar of al-Mustansir, with the inscriptions in the concentric circles typical of Fatimid coinage
Residence
FormationNovember 909
First holderAbdallah al-Mahdi Billah
(873 AD - Al-Salamiyah, Syria)
AbolishedSeptember 1171
# Coin Kunya Given name Regnal name Reign Birth Death Remarks refs
1 Gold coin of Caliph al-Mahdi, Mahdiyya, 926 Abu Muhammad
أبو محمد
Abd Allah
عبد الله
al-Mahdi bi'llah
المهدي
27 August 909 –
4 March 934
873
Salamiyah, Syria
4 March 934 His claim to be the Mahdi caused the Qarmatian schism in 899. Fled Salamiya in 903, and settled at Sijilmasa in 905 while Abu Abdallah al-Shi'i overthrew the Aghlabids and established the Fatimid Caliphate in his name in 909. Fatimid rule over Ifriqiya was consolidated and extended to Sicily, but three attempts to invade Egypt and thence attack the Abbasids failed.
2 Abu'l-Qasim
ابو القاسم
Muhammad
محمد
al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah
القائم بأمر الله
4 March 934 –
17 May 946
893
Salamiyah, Syria
17 May 946 Only son of al-Mahdi bi'llah, his reign was dominated by the Kharijite revolt of Abu Yazid, who reduced the Fatimids to their palace city, al-Mahdiya.
3 Abu Tahir
أبو طاهر
Isma'il
اسماعیل
al-Mansur bi-Nasr Allah
المنصور بنصر الله
17 May 946 –
18 March 953
913
Raqqada
18 March 953 Defeated the rebellion of Abu Yazid, and resumed the war against the Byzantines in southern Italy.
4 Gold coin of Caliph al-Mu'izz, Cairo, 969 Abu Tamim
أبو تميم
Ma'ad
معد
al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah
المعز لدين الله
19 March 953 –
18 December 975
26 September 931 18 December 975 His general Jawhar occupied most of the Maghreb for him, and proceeded to conquer Egypt in 969. In 973, al-Mu'izz moved the Fatimid court and capital to newly founded Cairo. The Zirids were left in Ifriqiya as Fatimid viceroys.
5 Abu Mansur
أبو منصور
Nizar
نزار
al-Aziz bi'llah
العزيز بالله
18 December 975 –
13 October 996
10 May 955 14 October 996 Succeeded in expanding Fatimid control over most of Syria, where he entered into conflict with the Byzantines over Aleppo. [1]
6 Gold coin of Caliph al-Hakim, Sicily, 1010 Abu Ali
أبو علي
Mansur
المنصور
al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah
الحاكم بأمر الله
14 October 996 –
13 February 1021
13 August 985 13 February 1021 (disappeared) Concluded a lasting peace with the Byzantines in 1000. He is a respected religious figure due to his divine knowledge and extra ordinary personality. He disappeared, and was likely murdered, during a night excursion.
7 Abu'l-Hasan
ابو الحسن
Ali
علي
al-Zahir li-i'zaz Din Allah
الظاهر لإعزاز دين الله
13 February 1021 –
13 June 1036
20 June 1005 13 June 1036 His reign represents a return to normality after al-Hakim's turbulent final years.
8 Gold coin of Caliph al-Mustansir, Egypt, 1055 Abu Tamim
أبو تميم
Ma'ad
معد
al-Mustansir bi'llah
المستنصر بالله
13 June 1036[a]
29 December 1094/ 6 January 1095[6][7]
2 July 1029
Cairo
29 December 1094/ 6 January 1095[8][9]
Cairo
The longest-reigning Fatimid caliph, his reign saw increasing political instability and the near collapse of the dynasty at the hands of the Sunni warlord Nasir al-Dawla ibn Hamdan. The Armenian general Badr al-Jamali restored order and saved the dynasty, but installed himself as a virtual military dictator ("vizier of the sword") independent of the caliph.
9 Gold coin of Caliph al-Musta'li, Tripoli, 1101 Abu'l-Qasim
ابو القاسم
Ahmad
أحمد
al-Musta'li bi'llah
المستعلي بالله
29 December 1094/6 January 1095[10][11]–1101
16 September 1074
Cairo
12 December 1101 Probably the youngest son of al-Mustansir, he was raised to the throne by Badr's son and successor, al-Afdal Shahanshah. This caused the rebellion and death of his older brother Nizar, and split the Isma'ili movement into rival Musta'li and Nizari branches. A puppet of al-Afdal, his reign saw the arrival of the First Crusade.
10 Gold coin of Caliph al-Amir, Tyre, 1118 Abu Ali
أبو علي
Mansur
منصور
al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah
الآمر بأحكام الله
1101 – 8 October 1130 31 December 1096 8 October 1130 Raised to the throne as a child by al-Afdal, who was his uncle and became his father-in-law. Until al-Afdal's murder in 1021. His reign saw the progressive loss of the coastal cities of the Levant to the Crusaders.
Interregnum due to al-Amir dying without a stable succession other than the infant al-Tayyib, who died or was killed soon after. Regency of Abd al-Majid (the future al-Hafiz) and usurpation of Kutayfat.
11 Abu'l-Maymun
أبو الميمون
Abd al-Majid
عبد المجيد
al-Hafiz li-Din Allah
الحافظ لدين الله
23 January 1132 –
8 October 1149
1074/5 8 October 1149 The oldest surviving grandson of al-Musta'li, he became regent following al-Amir's death, and claimed the caliphate following the murder of Kutayfat. His irregular succession caused the split of Musta'li Isma'ilism into Hafizi and Tayyibi branches. His reign was relatively peaceful abroad, but turbulent domestically, as he had to confront over-mighty viziers and even the ambitions of his own sons. He was the last Fatimid caliph to exercise true authority over the government.
12 Abu Mansur
أبو منصور
Isma'il
اسماعیل
Al-Zafir bi-Amr Allah
الظافر بأمر الله
1149–1154 February 1133 March 1154 His rule marks the beginning of the end for the Fatimid state: from then on the caliphs were underage youths, sidelined and mere puppets [12]
13 Abu'l-Qasim
ابو القاسم
Isa
عيسى
al-Fa'iz bi-Nasr Allah
الفائز بيناصر الله
1154–1160 1149 23 July 1160 Raised to the throne at the age of five after the murder of his father by the vizier Abbas ibn Abi al-Futuh, and spent his entire life as a puppet of Abbas' successor, Tala'i ibn Ruzzik. Experiencing epileptic seizures, al-Fa'iz died from an episode at the age of eleven, and his nephew, al-Adid, the final Fatimid caliph, succeeded him.
14 Abu Muhammad
أبو محمد
Abdallah
عبدالله
al-Adid li-Din Allah
العاضد لدين الله
1160–1171 16 May 1151 13 September 1171 Al-Adid, a child ruler, became a puppet of powerful figures as the Fatimid Caliphate crumbled. Saladin took control, dismantled the regime, and suppressed Isma'ilism.

Family tree of Fatimid caliphs

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Abu Muhammad Abdallah
al-Mahdi bi'llah

(r. 909–934)
Abu'l-Qasim Muhammad
al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah

(r. 934–946)
Abu Ali AhmadOther children
al-Qasim§Abu Tahir Isma'il
al-Mansur bi'llah

(r. 946–953)
Other children
Abu Tamim Ma'ad
al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah

(r. 953–975)
Abd al-Rahim§
TamimAbdallah§Abu Mansur Nizar
al-Aziz bi'llah

(r. 975–996)
Sitt al-MalikRashidaAbdaOther children
Sitt al-MulkAbu Ali Mansur
al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah

(r. 996–1021)
Other children
Abu'l-Hasan Ali
al-Zahir li-I'zaz Din Allah

(r. 1021–1036)
Abu Tamim Ma'ad
al-Mustansir bi'llah

(r. 1036–1094)
Abu Mansur Nizar§Abu AbdallahAbdallahIsma'ilAbu'l-Qasim MuhammadOther childrenAbu'l-Qasim Ahmad
al-Musta'li bi'llah

(r. 1094–1101)
al-HusaynNizari imams
(claimed descent)
Abu'l-Maymun Abd al-Majid
al-Hafiz li-Din Allah

(r. 1132–1149)
Abu Ali Mansur
al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah

(r. 1101–1130)
Ja'farOther children
Sulayman§Haydara§Hasan§Abu Mansur Isma'il
al-Zafir bi-Amr Allah

(r. 1149–1154)
YusufOther childrenAbu'l-Qasim al-Tayyib§
Abu'l-Qasim Isa
al-Fa'iz bi-Nasr Allah

(r. 1154–1160)
Abu Muhammad Abdallah
al-Adid li-Din Allah

(r. 1160–1171)
Tayyibi hidden imams
(claimed descent)
Dawud
Sulayman
§ denotes designated heirs who did not accede to the throne
   denotes ruling Fatimid caliphs (with regnal names in bold and regnal dates)

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ While the year 1035 is cited by some historians as the year in which he ascended the throne,[2][3] the year 1036 is cited more frequently, particularly by Muslim scholars.[4][5]

References

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  1. ^ Canard, Marius (1960). "al-ʿAzīz Biʾllāh". In Gibb, H. A. R.; Kramers, J. H.; Lévi-Provençal, E.; Schacht, J.; Lewis, B. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume I: A–B. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 823–825. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_0953. OCLC 495469456.
  2. ^ Hitti, Philip K. (2002). A Short History of the Arabs: From the Earliest Times to the Present (Revised 10 ed.). Macmillan Education UK. ISBN 0333631420.
  3. ^ O'Leary, De Lacy (1923). A Short History of the Fatamid Caliphate. p. 193.
  4. ^ "MÜSTA'LÎ-BİLLÂH el-FÂTIMÎ - TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi". TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish).
  5. ^ "MUSTANSIR BILLAH I (427-487/1036-1095), 18TH IMAM". ismaili.net. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  6. ^ "MÜSTA'LÎ-BİLLÂH el-FÂTIMÎ - TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi". TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish).
  7. ^ "MUSTANSIR BILLAH I (427-487/1036-1095), 18TH IMAM". ismaili.net. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  8. ^ "MÜSTA'LÎ-BİLLÂH el-FÂTIMÎ - TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi". TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish).
  9. ^ "MUSTANSIR BILLAH I (427-487/1036-1095), 18TH IMAM". ismaili.net. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  10. ^ "MÜSTA'LÎ-BİLLÂH el-FÂTIMÎ - TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi". TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish).
  11. ^ "MUSTANSIR BILLAH I (427-487/1036-1095), 18TH IMAM". ismaili.net. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  12. ^ Daftary, Farhad (2011). The Ismā'īlīs: Their History and Doctrines (2. ed., repr. with corr ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge Univ. Press. pp. 250–252. ISBN 978-0-521-61636-2.