Editing Al-Mustarshid (section)

== Biography ==
Al-Mustarshid was born in 1092. He was son of Caliph [[Al-Mustazhir]]. His mother was a [[Slavs|Slavic]] concubine named Lubanah.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Арабский и исламский мир в Средние века : от Иберийского полуострова до Средней Азии |last=Kuzenkov |first=P. V. |publisher=[[Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences|Institute of Oriental Studies]] |year=2021 |location=Moskov |pages=18 |language=ru |editor-last=Mishin |editor-first=D. E. |chapter=Глава 1. Иностранные матери халифов |trans-chapter=Chapter 1. Foreign mothers of the chaliph}}</ref> She was from Baghdad. His was named Al-Fadl by his father. His full name was Al-Fadl ibn Ahmad al-Mustazhir and his [[Kunya (Arabic)|Kunya]] was ''Abu Mansur''. After the death of his father in 1118, he succeeded him as Caliph. He achieved more independence as a ruler while the [[Seljuq dynasty#Seljuq sultans of Hamadan|Seljuk sultan]] [[Mahmud II of Seljuq|Mahmud II]] was engaged in war in the East.

In 1122, al-Mustarshid deposed and imprisoned his vizier Amid al-dawla Jalal al-Din Hasan ibn Ali. Mahmud II then imposed [[Ahmad ibn Nizam al-Mulk]] as al-Mustarshid's vizier. Ahmad later fought against the ''Mazyadid'' chief Dubays ibn Sadaqa. Ahmad also fortified the walls around Baghdad.{{sfn|Bosworth|1968|p=127}}

One year later, Mahmud II removed Shams al-Mulk Uthman as his vizier, and had him executed. The Abbasid caliph then used this opportunity to get rid of Ahmad as his vizier.{{sfn|Bosworth|1968|p=122}} Ahmad then retired to a school in Baghdad which was founded by his father, the [[Nezamiyeh]], where he lived the last 25 years of his life, dying in 1149/1150.{{sfn|Bosworth|1984|pp=642–643}}

In 1123,  [[Banu Mazyad]] chieftain Dubais ibn Sadaqah tried to take advantage of the momentary lack of power and, after plundering [[Bosra]], attacked Baghdad together with a young brother of the sultan, [[Ghiyath ad-Din Mas'ud|Ghiyath ad-Din Mas’ud]] (known as Mas'ud). He was however crushed by an army under [[Imad al-Din Zengi|Zengi]] and Ahmad ibn Nizam al-Mulk. During the same year, al-Mustarshid removed Ahmad ibn Nizam al-Mulk as his vizier. In 1125, it was the time of al-Mustarshid to rebel. He sent an army to take [[Wasit]] but was defeated near [[Baghdad]] and imprisoned in his palace the next year.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

After the death of Mahmud II, a civil war broke out in the Seljuk western territories. Zengi was recalled to the east by certain rebel members, stimulated by the caliph and Dubais. Zengi was beaten and fled. The caliph pursued him to Mosul, and besieged him there but without success for three months. It was nonetheless a milestone in the revival of the military power of the caliphate.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

Zengi now resumed operations in Syria and, in 1134, laid siege to Damascus, but was induced, partly by the bravery of the enemy, partly at the instance of the caliph, to whom Zengi had made some concession in the public prayers, to relinquish the attempt. Recalled again by troubles in the east, he was unable to do much against the Crusaders till after al-Mustarshid's death.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}
[[File:Anonymous - Death of the Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mustarshid bi-llah, Assassinated During the Reign of Sultan Mas’ud, - 1965.51.6 - Yale University Art Gallery.jpg|thumb|right|Death of the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mustarshid bi-llah, Assassinated in the year 1135]]
Not long after the siege of Damascus, al-Mustarshid launched a military campaign against Seljuk sultan Mas'ud, who had obtained the title in Baghdad in January 1133 by the caliph himself. The rival armies met near [[Hamadan]].  The caliph, deserted by his troops, was taken prisoner, and pardoned on the promising not to quit his palace. Left in the caliphal tent, however, in the sultan's absence, he was found murdered while reading the Quran, as is supposed, by an emissary of the [[Order of Assassins|Assassins]], who had no love for the caliph.  Modern historians have suspected that Mas'ud instigated the murder although the two most important historians of the period [[Ibn al-Athir]] and [[Abu-al-Faraj Ibn Al-Jawzi|Ibn al-Jawzi]] did not speculate on this matter.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

Physically, al-Mustarshid was a red-haired man with blue eyes and freckles.<ref name="Maalouf2012">{{cite book|author=Amin Maalouf|title=The Crusades Through Arab Eyes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fj0hBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT81|date=15 July 2012|publisher=Saqi|isbn=978-0-86356-848-0|page=81}}</ref> He was succeeded by his son [[Al-Rashid (12th century)|al-Rashid]].