The Buyid dynasty, or the Buyids , was a Shia Iranian dynasty of Daylamite origin, which
mainly ruled over Iraq and central and southern Iran from 934 to 1062. Coupled with the rise
of other Iranian dynasties in the region, the approximate century of Buyid rule represents
the period in Iranian history sometimes called the 'Iranian Intermezzo' since, after the
Muslim conquest of Persia, it was an interlude between the rule of the Abbasid Caliphate
and the Seljuk Empire.
The Buyid dynasty was founded by 'Ali ibn Buya, who in 934 conquered Fars and made Shiraz
his capital. His younger brother Hasan ibn Buya conquered parts of Jibal in the late
930s, and by 943 managed to capture Ray, which he made his capital. In 945, the youngest
brother, Ahmad ibn Buya, conquered Iraq and made Baghdad his capital. He received the
laqab or honorific title of Mu'izz al-Dawla . The eldest, 'Ali, was given the title of
'Imad al-Dawla , and Hasan was given the title of Rukn al-Dawla .
As Daylamite Iranians, the Buyids consciously revived symbols and practices of Iran's Sasanian
Empire. Beginning with 'Adud al-Dawla, they used the ancient Sasanian title Shahanshah
, literally "king of kings".
At its greatest extent, the Buyid dynasty encompassed territory of most of today's Iran,
Iraq, Kuwait, and Syria, along with parts of Oman, the UAE, Turkey, Afghanistan and
Pakistan. During the 10th and 11th centuries, shortly before the invasion of the Seljuq
Turks, and particularly under king 'Adud al-Dawla, the Buyids were the most powerful and influential
dynasty in the Middle East. Origins
The word Būya is a Middle Persian name ending in the diminutive ـویه . The Buyids were
descendants of Panah-Khusrow, a Zoroastrian from Daylam. He had a son named Buya, who
was a fisherman from Lahijan, and later left Zoroastrianism and converted to Islam. Buya
later had three sons, named Ahmad, 'Ali, and Hasan, who would later carve out the Buyid
kingdom together. The Buyids claimed royal lineage from Bahram V, 15th king of the Sasanian
Empire.
History Rise
The founder of the dynasty, 'Ali ibn Buya, was originally a soldier in the service of
the Daylamite warlord Makan ibn Kaki, but later changed his adherence to the Iranian
ruler Mardavij, who had established the Ziyarid dynasty, and was himself related to the ruling
dynasty of Gilan, a region bordering Daylam. 'Ali was later joined by his two younger brothers,
Hasan ibn Buya and Ahmad ibn Buya. In 932, 'Ali was given Karaj as his fief, and thus
was able to enlist other Daylamites into his army. However, 'Ali's initiative proved too
much for Mardavij, who planned to have him killed, but 'Ali was informed of Mardavij's
plan by the latter's own vizier. The brothers, with 400 of their Daylamite supporters, then
fled to Fars, where they managed to take control of Arrajan. However, the Buyids and the Abbasid
general Yaqut shortly fought for control of Fars, with the Buyids eventually emerging
victorious. This victory opened the way for the conquest of the capital of Fars, Shiraz.
'Ali also allied with the landowners of Fars, which included the Fasanjas family, which
would later produce many prominent statesmen for the Buyids. 'Ali also enlisted more soldiers—including
Turks, who were made part of the cavalry. 'Ali then sent his brother Ahmad on an expedition
to Kerman, but was forced to withdraw after opposition from the Baloch people and the
Qafs. However, Mardavij, who sought to depose the Abbasid caliph of Baghdad and recreate
a Zoroastrian Iranian Empire, shortly wrested Khuzestan from the Abbasids and forced 'Ali
to recognize him as his suzerain.
Luckily for the Buyids, Mardavij was assassinated shortly thereafter in 935, which caused chaos
in the Ziyarid territories, a perfect situation for the Buyid brothers; Ali and Ahmad conquered
Khuzistan, while Hasan captured the Ziyarid capital of Isfahan, and, in 943, captured
Rey, which became his capital, thus conquering all of Jibal. In 945, Ahmad entered Iraq and
made the Abbasid Caliph his vassal, at the same time receiving the laqab Mu'izz ad-Dawla
, while 'Ali was given the laqab Imād al-Dawla , and Hasan was given the laqab Rukn al-Dawla
.
Height of power and Golden age In addition to the other territories the Buyids
had conquered, Kerman was conquered in 967, followed by Oman , the Jazira , Tabaristan
, and Gorgan . After this, however, the Buyids went into a slow decline, with pieces of the
confederation gradually breaking off and local dynasties under their rule becoming de facto
independent.
Decline and fall The death of Adud al-Dawla is considered the
start of the decline of the Buyid dynasty; his son Abu Kalijar Marzuban, who was in Baghdad
when he died, at first kept his death secret to ensure his succession and avoid civil war.
When he eventually made the death of his father public, he was given the title of "Samsam
al-Dawla". However, Adud's other son, Shirdil Abu'l-Fawaris, challenged his authority, and
the feared civil war occurred anyway. Meanwhile, a Kurdish Marwanid chieftain named Badh ibn
Dustak seized Diyabakr and forced Samsam al-Dawla to recognize him as the vassal ruler of the
region. Furthermore, Mu'ayyad al-Dawla also died during this period, and he was succeeded
by Fakhr al-Dawla, who, with the aid of Mu'ayyad al-Dawla's vizier Sahib ibn 'Abbad, became
the ruler of Mu'ayyad al-Dawla's possessions. Another son of Adud al-Dawla, Abu Tahir Firuzshah,
established himself as the ruler of Basra and took the title of "Diya' al-Dawla", while
another son, Abu'l-Husain Ahmad, established himself as the ruler of Khuzistan, taking
the title of "Taj al-Dawla".
Shirdil Abu'l-Fawaris quickly seized Oman from Samsam al-Dawla, and, in 983, the Turkic
troops of Samsam al-Dawla mutinied against him and some left Iraq for Fars, but most
of them were persuaded by his relative Ziyar ibn Shahrakawayh to stay in Iraq. However,
Iraq was in a grim state, and several rebellions occurred, which he managed to suppress, the
most dangerous being that of Asfar ibn Kurdawayh, who tried to make Abu Nasr Firuz Kharshadh
the ruler of Iraq. During the same period, Samsam al-Dawla also managed to seize Basra
and Khuzistan, forcing his two brothers to flee to Fakhr al-Dawla's territory.
During the mid-11th century, the Buyid amirates gradually fell to the Ghaznavid and Seljuq
Turks. In 1029, Majd al-Dawla, who was facing an uprising by his Daylami troops in Ray,
requested assistance from Mahmud of Ghazna. When Sultan Mahmud arrived, he deposed Majd
al-Dawla, replaced him with a Ghaznavid governor and ended the Buyid dynasty in Ray.
In 1055, Tughrul conquered Baghdad, the seat of the caliphate, and ousted the last of the
Buyid rulers. Like the Buyids, the Seljuqs kept the Abbasid caliphs as figureheads.