Editing Al-Muntasir (section)

==Early life==
[[File:Abbasids Ninth Century.svg|thumb|right|300px|Family tree of the ''Abbasid caliphs'' of the ninth century]]

Al-Muntasir was the eldest son of Abu al-Fadl Ja'far (future Abbasid caliph [[al-Mutawakkil]]). At the time of his birth, his father was fourteen years old. His given name was Muhammad. Al-Muntasir's mother was Hubshiya, a [[Byzantine Greeks|Greek]] slave.{{sfn|Kennedy|2006|p=173}}

In 849, al-Mutawakkil arranged for his succession, by appointing three of his sons as heirs and assigning them the governance and proceeds of the Empire's provinces: the eldest, al-Muntasir, was named first heir, and received the governorship of Egypt, the [[al-Jazira (caliphal province)|Jazira]], and the proceeds of the rents in the capital, [[Abbasid Samarra|Samarra]]; [[al-Mu'tazz]] was charged with supervising the domains of the governor in the [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]]; and [[al-Mu'ayyad]] was placed in charge of [[Bilad al-Sham|Syria]].{{sfn|Kennedy|2004|p=167}}

[[Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari]] records that in 236 AH (850–851) al-Muntasir led a pilgrimage. The previous year al-Mutawakkil had named his three sons as heirs and seemed to favor al-Muntasir. However, afterward, this seemed to change and al-Muntasir feared his father was going to move against him. So, he decided to strike first. Al-Mutawakkil was killed by a Turkish soldier on Wednesday 10 December 861.

===Involvement in the assassination of al-Mutawakkil===
Al-Mutawakkil had appointed his oldest son, al-Muntasir, as his heir in 849/50, but slowly had shifted his favor to his second son, al-Mu'tazz, encouraged by al-Fath ibn Khaqan and the vizier [[Ubayd Allah ibn Yahya ibn Khaqan]]. This rivalry extended into the political sphere, as al-Mu'tazz's succession appears to have been backed by the traditional Abbasid elites as well, while al-Muntasir was backed by the Turkic and ''[[Maghariba (Abbasid troops)|Maghariba]]'' guard troops.{{sfn|Gordon|2001|p=82}}{{sfn|Kennedy|2004|p=169}} In late autumn 861, matters came to a head: in October, al-Mutawakkil ordered the estates of the Turkic general [[Wasif al-Turki|Wasif]] to be confiscated and handed over to al-Fath. Feeling backed into a corner, the Turkic leadership began a plot to assassinate the Caliph.{{sfn|Kraemer|1989|p=171}}{{sfn|Kennedy|2004|pp=168–169}} They were soon joined, or at least had the tacit approval, of al-Muntasir, who smarted from a succession of humiliations: on 5 December, on the recommendation of al-Fath and Ubayd Allah, he was bypassed in favor of al-Mu'tazz for leading the [[Friday prayer]] at the end of [[Ramadan]], while three days later, when al-Mutawakkil was feeling ill and chose al-Muntasir to represent him on the prayer, once again Ubayd Allah intervened and persuaded the Caliph to go in person. Even worse, according to the historian [[al-Tabari]], on the next day, al-Mutawakkil alternately vilified and threatened to kill his eldest son, and even had al-Fath slap him on the face. With rumors circulating that Wasif and the other Turkish leaders would be rounded up and executed on 12 December, the conspirators decided to act.{{sfn|Kennedy|2004|p=169}}{{sfn|Kraemer|1989|pp=171–173, 176}}

According to al-Tabari, a story later circulated that al-Fath and Ubayd Allah were forewarned of the plot by a Turkic woman, but had disregarded it, confident that no one would dare carry it out.{{sfn|Kraemer|1989|pp=xx, 181}}{{sfn|Kennedy|2006|p=265}} On the night of 10/11 December, about one hour after midnight, the Turks burst in the chamber where the caliph and al-Fath were having supper. Al-Fath was killed trying to protect the Caliph, who was killed next. Al-Muntasir, who now assumed the caliphate, initially claimed that al-Fath had murdered his father and that he had been killed after; within a short time, however, the official story changed to al-Mutawakkil choking on his drink.{{sfn|Kraemer|1989|pp=171–182, 184, 195}}{{sfn|Kennedy|2006|pp=264–267}}