Nizam al-Mulk | |
|---|---|
نظامالملک | |
 | |
| Vizier of the Seljuk Empire | |
| In office 29 November 1064 – 14 October 1092 | |
| Monarch | Alp Arslan, Malik Shah I |
| Preceded by | Al-Kunduri |
| Succeeded by | Taj al-Mulk Abu'l Ghana'im |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 April 1018 Tus,Ghaznavid Empire |
| Died | 14 October 1092 (aged 74) Nahavand,Seljuk Empire |
| Spouse | UnnamedBagrationi princess[1][2] |
| Children | Ahmad ibn Nizam al-Mulk Shams al-Mulk Uthman Abulfath Fakhr al-Malik Mu'ayyid al-Mulk Jamal al-Mulk Fakhr al-Mulk Izz al-Mulk Imad al-Mulk Abu'l-Kasim Safiyya |
Abū ʿAlī Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī Ṭūsī (Persian:ابوعلی حسن بن علی طوسی) (1018 – 1092), better known by his honorific title ofNiẓām al-Mulk (Persian:نظامالملک,lit. 'Orderer of the Realm'[3]), was aPersian[4][5]scholar,jurist,political philosopher andvizier of theSeljuk Empire. Rising from a low position within the empire,[6] he became thede facto ruler of the empire for 20 years after the assassination of SultanAlp Arslan in 1072,[7] serving as the archetypal "good vizier".[6] Viewed by many historians as "the most important statesman inIslamic history", the policies implemented by Nizam ul-Mulk remained the basic foundation for administrative state structures in the Muslim world up until the 20th century.[8]
One of his most important legacies was the founding of a system ofmadrasas in cities across the Seljuk Empire which were called theNizamiyyas after him.[9] He also wrote theSiyasatnama (Book of Government), a political treatise that uses historical examples to discuss justice, effective rule, and the role of government in Islamic society.[10]
Abu Ali Hasan was born on 10 April 1018, in a small village named Radkan, nearTus, in Iran, to adehqan family.[11][12][13][14] Growing up he studied Shafi fiqh and the Ashari school of theology.[8] His fatherAli ibn Ishak served as a financial officer to theGhaznavids.[15] However, when the Seljuk Turks defeated the Ghaznavids at theBattle of Dandanaqan in 1040, and conqueredKhorasan, Abu Ali Hasan's father fled toGhazni. Hasan followed his father to Ghazni, and it is there where he first assumed a government office. He remained in Ghazni for three or four years, when he left the Ghaznavid court and entered service with the Seljuks.[15]
Around the year of 1043, Abu Ali Hasan stopped serving the Ghaznavids and entered the service of the Seljuk Turks. He later became chief administrator of the entire Khorasan province by 1059.[16] WhenTughril died childless in the city ofRay, he was succeeded by his nephew Suleiman which was contested byAlp Arslan, both of them sons of Tughril's brotherChaghri. His cousinKutalmish who had both been a vital part of his campaigns and later a supporter ofYinal's rebellion also put forth a claim. Alp Arslan, with the aid of Abu Ali Hasan, defeated Kutalmish and succeeded him on 27 April 1064.
After Alp Arslan had consolidated his power in the Sejluk realm, he appointed Abu Ali Hasan as his vizier who would remain in that position throughout the reigns of Alp Arslan (1063–1072) andMalik-Shah I (1072–1092). Abu Ali Hasan was also given the title of "Nizam al-Mulk" ("Order of the Realm").[citation needed]
Alp Arslan's strength lays in the military realm. Domestic affairs were handled by Nizam al-Mulk, who also founded the administrative organization that characterized and strengthened the sultanate during the reigns of Alp Arslan and his son, Malik Shah I. Militaryiqtā' (fiefs), governed by Seljuk princes, were established to provide support for the soldiery and to accommodate the nomadic Turks to the established Anatolian agricultural scene. This type of military fiefdom enabled the nomadic Turks to draw on the resources of the sedentary Iranians, and other established cultures within the Seljuk realm, and allowed Alp Arslan to field a huge standing army without depending on tribute from conquest to pay his soldiers. He not only had enough food from his subjects to maintain his military, but the taxes collected from traders and merchants added to his coffers sufficiently to fund his continuous wars.[citation needed]
Nizam accompanied Alp Arslan in all his campaigns and journeys, except a few. In February/March 1064 Alp Arslan, along with his son Malik-Shah I and Nizam al-Mulk, campaigned inByzantine Armenia, where they managed to captureAni. Several minor rulers then acknowledged Seljuk authority, while Alp Arslan and Nizam continued to penetrate deeper into theCaucasus, reachingGeorgia. The Georgian rulerBagrat IV, managed to make peace with Alp Arslan by giving his niece to him in marriage.[2][1]
Nizam also made some expeditions on his own and conquered the citadel ofEstakhr from theShabankara chieftainFadluya in 1067, and made another expedition inFars. These successful conquests are said to have greatly increased his reputation.[16] On 26 August 1071, the decisiveBattle of Manzikert was fought, which Nizam al-Mulk had missed because he had been sent to Persia with a convoy of materials.
Following Alp Arslan's assassination in 1072, Malik-Shah I was challenged in battle by his uncle,Kavurt. In January 1074, their armies met nearHamadan. Kavurt's troops consisted of the traditionalTurkmen elements from Alp Arslan's army, while Malik's consisted ofghulams and contingents of Kurdish and Arab troops. Due to Turkmen defections to Malik's army, Kavurt was defeated and, despite Malik's consideration for mercy, later poisoned, presumably on the orders of Nizam al-Mulk.[17]
Under Nizam's excellent guidance the Seljuk armies contained the Ghaznavids in Khorasan, rolled back theFatimids in Syria, defeated other Seljuk pretenders to the throne,invaded Georgia and reduced it to a tributary state, compelled the submission of regional governors, and kept theAbbasid Caliphs in a position of impotence.[18]
Nizam al-Mulk left a great mark on organization of the Seljuk governmental bodies and hence the title Nizam al-Mulk which translates as "Order of the Realm." He bridged political gaps among theAbbasids, theSeljuks, and their various rivals such as theFatimids. The Seljuk military was heavily mixed of different ethnicity, including Turks, Armenians, Greeks, Arabs, and Slavs. Nizam, however, favored Iranian soldiers, such as theDailamites,Khorasanis, and theShabankara. He also favored non-Iranian soldiers such as the Georgians.[19]
Nizam al-Mulk's many political objectives included:[citation needed]
In 1081/1082,Ibn Bahmanyar, one of the many enemies of Nizam, tried to poison him, but failed and was blinded by Nizam. After the blinding of Ibn Bahmanyar, the enemies of Nizam made false stories about him and his son. This greatly angered Nizam's son Jamal al-Mulk, who tore out the tongue of Ja'farak, one of the perpetrators of the false stories. Malik Shah had no power to intervene in the event, but instead had Jamal poisoned.[19]
In 1091, a group ofQarmatians sackedBasra, while theIsma'ilis under the leadership ofHassan-i Sabbah seized the fortress ofAlamut. Moreover, the succession to the sultanate was complicated by the death of two of Malik-Shah's eldest sons: Dawud (died 1082) and Ahmad (died 1088), whom both were sons of theKara-Khanid PrincessTerken Khatun. She also had a son namedMahmud (born 1087) whom she wanted to succeed his father, while Nizam and most of the Seljuk army was in favor ofBerkyaruq,[19] the oldest of all Malik-Shah's living sons and born to a Seljuk princess. Terken Khatun then allied withTaj al-Mulk Abu'l Ghana'im to try to remove Nizam from his post. Taj even accused Nizam of corruption before the sultan. Malik Shah I, however, did not dare to dismiss Nizam.[20] Nizam later besieged Alamut, but was forced to withdraw.
In 1092, Nizam, just before his death, knowing that his enemies were planning plots against him, made a famous speech at the court:
Tell the Sultan, If you have not already realized that I am your co-equal in the work of ruling, then know that you have only attained to this power through my statesmanship and judgement. Does he not remember when his father was killed, and I assumed responsibility for the conduct of affairs and crushed the rebels who reared their heads, from his own family and from elsewhere. Tell him that the stability of that regal cap is bound up with this vizierial inkstand, and that the harmony of these two interests is the means of securing all objects soughts after and the ultimate cause of all objects gained. If ever I close up this inkstand, that royal power will topple.[19]
Aside from his extraordinary influence as vizier with full authority, he is also well known for systematically founding a number of schools of higher education in several cities likeBaghdad,Isfahan,Amol,Nishapur,Mosul,Basra, andHerat, the famousNizamiyyah schools, which were named after him.
Nizam al-Mulk is also widely known for his voluminous treatise on kingship titledSiyasatnama (Book of Government) which was written after Malik Shah had requested that his ministers produce books on government, administration and the troubles facing the nation. However, the treatise made by Nizam was the only one to receive approval and was consequently accepted as forming "the law of the constitution of the nation".[21] The treatise uses historical examples to discuss justice, effective rule, and the role of government in Islamic society, and has been compared toMachiavelli'sThe Prince.[10] The work also discusses various aspects of state surveillance and spying, advising rulers to establish an extensive espionage network.[22]
He also wrote a book titledDastur al-Wuzarā, written for his son,Abu'l-Fath Fakhr al-Malik, which is not dissimilar to the famous book ofQabus nama.
Nizam al-Mulk was assassinated en route fromIsfahan to Baghdad on 10Ramadan 485 A.H. (14 October 1092) The mainstream literature says he was stabbed by the dagger of a member of theAssassins, sent by the notoriousHassan-i Sabbah nearNahavand, as he was being carried on his litter. The killer approached him disguised as aSufi.[23][24]
This account is particularly interesting in light of a possibly apocryphal story that first appeared in English in the introduction toEdward Fitzgerald's translation of theRubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. In this story a pact is formed between a young Nizam al-Mulk (at that time known as Abdul Khassem) and his two friends,Omar Khayyam and Hassan-i-Sabbah. Their agreement stated that if one should rise to prominence, that they would help the other two to do likewise. Nizam al-Mulk was the first to do this when he was appointed vizier to the sultan Alp Arslan. To fulfill the pact he offered both friends positions of rank within the court. Omar refused the offer, asking instead to be given the means to continue his studies indefinitely. This Nizam did, as well as building him an observatory. Although Hassan, unlike Omar, decided to accept the appointment offered to him, he was forced to flee after plotting to depose Nizam as vizier. Subsequently, Hassan came upon and conquered the fortress of Alamut, from where he established the Assassins. According toBernard Lewis, this tale is unlikely to be true because Hassan-i Sabbah died in 1124, and Omar Khayyam in 1123 at the earliest. Since Nizam al-Mulk was born in 1020 at the latest, the three were not of similar ages and were probably not students together.[25]
Nizam al-Mulk was a skilled and effective vizier, he represented the majesty, splendor and hospitality of theBarmakids, historians and poets describe him as a great organizer and an ideal soldier and scholar.[26] Because of his talents, it was possible for the Seljuk Turks to establish a powerful empire in their new home.[27] Nizam was not only the leader of the Persian-dominated bureaucratic (divan), but was also anatabeg who served in the royal court (dadgar) and played an important role between the politically and culturally different Iranians and Turks. He was also responsible for establishing distinctly Persian forms of government and administration which would last for centuries.[28] Because of his excellent tutorship and close friendship with Malik-Shah, he was usually called "father" by him.[16] He was even greatly respected by hisghulams, who, after the death of Nizam, took revenge on several of his rivals, such as Taj al-Mulk Abu'l Ghana'im.[16]
Even after his death his family continued to play an important role in theSeljuk Empire. He was married to a niece or daughter ofBagrat IV of Georgia, who had previously been married or betrothed to Alp Arslan.[29] All of his twelve sons held important offices in the Seljuk Empire, the most prominent of his sons were:Ahmad ibn Nizam al-Mulk, served as the vizier of the Seljuk SultanMuhammad I Tapar and theAbbasid caliphal-Mustarshid;[1] Shams al-Mulk Uthman was the governor ofMerv and head of the Seljuk military; Fakhr al-Mulk served as the vizier ofBerkyaruq and Muhammad I Tapar; Jamal al-Mulk (who died before Nizam) served as the governor ofBalkh; Izz al-Mulk andMu'ayyid al-Mulk served as viziers of Berkyaruq;[30] Imad al-Mulk Abu'l-Kasim served as the vizier of the Seljuk governor ofBalkh.
In Iran, the Seljuks established their capital at Esfahan, where they built important monuments such as the congregational mosque which remains functional today. Their prime minister, Hasan of Tus (known as Nezam ol-Molk, or Orderer of the Realm), set up a system of seminaries, called nezamiyyas, and also reformed the army and the tax system
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| Preceded by | Vizier of theGreat Seljuq Empire 29 November 1064 – 14 October 1092 | Succeeded by |
