Editing Al-Muntasir (section)

==Reign==
On the same day as the assassination, al-Muntasir succeeded smoothly to the throne of the Caliphate with the support of the Turkic faction. The Turkic party then prevailed on al-Muntasir to remove his brothers from the succession, fearing they would seek revenge for his involvement in the murder of their father. In their place, he was to appoint his son as heir apparent. On 27 April 862, both brothers wrote statements of abdication, although al-Mu'tazz did so after some hesitation.

Al-Muntasir became caliph on December 11, 861, after his father al-Mutawakkil was assassinated by members of his Turkic guard.<ref>Bosworth, "al-Muntasir," p. 583</ref> Although he was suspected of being involved in the plot to kill al-Mutawakkil, he was able to quickly take control of affairs in the capital city of [[Abbasid Samarra|Samarra]] and receive the [[Bay'ah|oath of allegiance]] from the leading men of the state.<ref>Kennedy, 266-68</ref> Al-Muntasir's sudden elevation to the Caliphate served to benefit several of his close associates, who gained senior positions in the government after his ascension. Included among these were his secretary, [[Ahmad ibn al-Khasib]], who became [[vizier]], and [[Wasif al-Turki|Wasif]], a senior Turkic general who had likely been heavily involved in al-Mutawakkil's murder.<ref>Gordon, pp. 88-91</ref>

Al-Muntasir was lauded because, unlike his father, he loved the house of ʻAlī ([[Shi'a Islam|Shīʻa]]) and removed the ban on pilgrimage to the tombs of [[Hasan ibn Ali|Hassan]] and [[Husayn ibn Ali|Hussayn]]. He sent Wasif to raid the Byzantines.

===War with Byzantines===
Shortly after securing his position as caliph, al-Muntasir decided to [[Capture of Faruriyyah|send an Abbasid army against the Byzantines]]. According to al-Tabari, this decision was prompted by Ahmad ibn al-Khasib; the vizier had recently had a falling out with Wasif, and he sought to find an excuse to get him out of the capital. Ahmad ultimately decided that the best way to accomplish this was to put him at the head of a military campaign. He was eventually able to convince the caliph to go along with the plan, and al-Muntasir ordered Wasif to head to the [[Al-'Awasim|Byzantine frontier]].<ref>Al-Tabari, v. 34: p. 204; Ibn al-Athir, p. 111. Al-Mas'udi, p. 300, states that al-Muntasir ordered the campaign to disperse the Turkish army and remove them from Samarra.</ref>

Having completed their preparations for the campaign, Wasif and the army departed for the Byzantine frontier in early 862. Upon arriving at the [[Syria (region)|Syrian]] side of the frontier zone,<ref>"''Thughūr al-Shāmiyyah,''" the Syrian frontier. The ''thughūr'' or forward frontier zone stretched along the northern regions of both Syria and the Jazira; Bonner, p. 17</ref> They set up camp there in preparation for their incursions into Byzantine territory.<ref name="Tabari35">Al-Tabari, v. 35: pp. 7-8; Ibn al-Athir, p. 119</ref>

Before Wasif had a chance to make any serious progress against the Byzantines, however, the campaign was overshadowed by events back at the capital. After a reign of only six months, al-Muntasir died around the beginning of June, of either illness or poison. Following his death, the vizier Ahmad ibn al-Khasib and a small group of senior Turkish commanders met and decided to appoint [[al-Musta'in]] as caliph in his stead. They presented their decision to the Samarran military regiments and were eventually able to force the soldiers to swear allegiance to their candidate.<ref>Gordon, p. 90; al-Tabari, v. 35: pp. 1-5</ref>

The death of al-Muntasir did not immediately result in the termination of the military campaign. Wasif, upon learning of the passing of the caliph, decided that he should still persist with the operation, and led his forces into Byzantine territory. The army advanced against a Byzantine fortress called Faruriyyah<ref>Al-Tabari, v. 35: pp. 7-8. Bosworth, "The City of Tarsus," p. 274, refers to ''F.rūriyya'' as being "dubiously identifiable."</ref> in the region of [[Tarsus, Mersin|Tarsus]].<ref>Al-Mas'udi; p. 300</ref> The defenders of the fortress were defeated and the stronghold was conquered by the Muslims.<ref name="Tabari35" />

Ultimately, however, the change of government in Samarra brought the expedition to a premature conclusion. The ascension of al-Musta'in could not be ignored indefinitely by Wasif; having already missed the opportunity to play a role in the selection of the new caliph, he needed to make sure his interests back in the capital were protected. As a result, he decided to abandon the Byzantine front, and by 863 he was back in Samarra.<ref>Gordon, pp. 91, 220 n. 189; al-Tabari, v. 35: p. 11</ref>