Abbasid Caliphate (jan 1, 750 – jan 1, 1258)

Description:

The Abbasid Caliphate controlled land from the Iberian Peninsula to China. Its demise was a result of the centralized power which made it vulnerable as such a large empire.

The second Abbasid Caliph al-Mansur founded the city of Bagdad as their capital later on Al-Ma'mun would construct the House of Wisdom in Bagdad. Al-Ma'mun's father Harun al-Rashid is also was a powerful caliph who had an instrumental role in shaping the caliphate although his decision to cede his position to al-Amin rather than the more capable al-Ma'mun lead to conflict following his death.

Also notable in the Abbasid caliphate were the Barmakids who served as advisors to the caliph. They held enormous influence and helped to decide the outcome of internal instability and at times created it.

In the second half of the caliphate instability became increasingly prevalent. The empire began to unravel from within and there was increasing violence accompanied by attempted coups. This instability was aided by poor decision making and poor government structure.

Nonetheless, the caliphate had contributed much to international trade including introducing new foods and goods into markets. They also brought Islam to the far reaches of their empire motivated by the popularity and the tax assigned to non-Muslims within the empire.

Additional Sources:

Nawas, John. "Abbasid Caliphate." Encyclopedia of Empire, edited by John Mackenzie, Wiley, 2016. Credo Reference, http://ezproxy.macalester.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/wileyempire/abbasid_caliphate/0?institutionId=742. Accessed 30 Apr. 2018.

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