Episode 71: Al Mu’tazz, kill or be killed

Dilapidated by years of internal conflict and ruinous mismanagement, the caliphate was a mere shadow of its former self. The void left by its collapse had led to the rise of adversaries which now surrounded the capital province and threatened the state’s very existence. Not only ...  Show more

The death of Salih ibn Waseef left Musa ibn Bugha in charge of the caliphate’s armies. This newfound unity effectively ended the Anarchy in Samarra which had plagued the Abbasid state for almost a decade. While the dark period of civil war was over, the Abbasid state now had to c ...  Show more

In a time of anarchy and political upheaval, the established militant force in Samarra now has unprecedented power over the Caliph. In this episode Ali and Deana discuss the life of al-Mu’tazz, son of al-Mutawakkil and heir to the throne. From being the favorite child of his f ...

The Emperor Anastasius deals with more riots along with an invasion in the West by the Bulgars and the East by the Persians. He then begins to give in to his monophysite sympathies and is almost toppled after allowing his Patriarch to interfere with the O Hosted on Acast. See aca ...  Show more

Basra is starting to slip out of control with rampant crime and too much rebellion. Muawiyyah is ready to bring in someone new; however, this new guy has a scandalous past. In this episode, we're introduced to Ziyad ibn Abihi, Muawiyyah's brutal governor of Basra. We'll see how Z ...  Show more

Muslims spilled a lot of ink pondering what good government should look like, what a wise ruler should be like, and why it mattered for society. And this is the type of political intrigue that makes Baghdad, the city of Peace, into a place of civil war. The War of the Two Brot ...