al-Adid facts for kids

al-Adid li-Dīn Allāh (born 1151, died 1171) was the fourteenth and last caliph of the Fatimid dynasty. He was also the twenty-fourth Imam of the Hafizi Isma'ili branch of Shi'a Islam. He ruled from 1160 to 1171. His full name was Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh ibn Yūsuf ibn al-Ḥāfiẓ. His special title, al-ʿĀḍid li-Dīn Allāh, means "Strengthener of God's Faith."

Like the two caliphs before him, al-Adid became ruler when he was a child. He spent his time as a "puppet ruler," meaning he was controlled by powerful officials called viziers. These viziers were the real power behind the throne. Al-Adid watched as the Fatimid Caliphate slowly fell apart.

The vizier who put al-Adid on the throne, Tala'i ibn Ruzzik, was removed from power in 1161. His son, Ruzzik ibn Tala'i, took his place. Then, Shawar overthrew Ruzzik in 1163. But Shawar himself was removed by Dirgham a few months later. These constant power struggles in Cairo made the Fatimid state very weak.

This weakness allowed both the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Sunni ruler of Syria, Nur al-Din, to try and take control of Egypt. The Crusaders invaded Egypt many times, demanding money and hoping to conquer it. Nur al-Din supported Shawar's return to power and sent his general Shirkuh to fight the Crusaders. For a while, Shawar tried to play the Crusaders and Syrians against each other. But in January 1169, Shirkuh took over Cairo and became vizier. When Shirkuh died soon after, his nephew, Saladin, became the new vizier.

Saladin was friendly to al-Adid at first. But he quickly took full control of Egypt. He slowly began to dismantle the Fatimid government. Soldiers loyal to the Fatimids were replaced with Syrian troops. This led to a failed uprising called the Battle of the Blacks. Saladin's family members became governors. Many government workers supported the new rule. Al-Adid was pushed aside, even from important ceremonies. Finally, the official religion of the state, Isma'ilism, was slowly replaced by Sunni Islam. In September 1171, the rule of the Abbasid caliph was officially announced. Al-Adid died a few days later. His family was kept under house arrest. Saladin's new Ayyubid government persecuted Isma'ilism. Because of this, Isma'ilism almost disappeared in Egypt within a hundred years after the Fatimid rule ended.

Early Life and Family

Al-Adid was born on May 9, 1151. He was the son of Prince Yusuf, who was a younger son of the eleventh Fatimid caliph, al-Hafiz li-Din Allah. Yusuf was one of the oldest surviving sons of al-Hafiz. However, when al-Hafiz died, a powerful vizier named Salim ibn Masal made al-Hafiz's youngest son, Isma'il, the new caliph. Isma'il was only 16 and took the title al-Zafir bi-Amr Allah.

Al-Zafir was killed in 1154 by his vizier, Abbas ibn Abi'l-Futuh. The vizier then made al-Zafir's five-year-old son, Isa, the caliph, with the name al-Fa'iz bi-Nasr Allah. On the same day, Yusuf and another older brother of al-Zafir were executed.

By this time, the Fatimid dynasty was getting weaker. Their official religion, Isma'ili Shi'ism, was losing its popularity. There were also many disagreements about who should be the next ruler. The Fatimid caliphs themselves had become like puppets. The powerful viziers held the real power. They even used the royal title of sultan. Their names were mentioned in the Friday sermons and on coins alongside the caliph's. Historians described Egypt at this time as being very weak. Other Sunni rulers, like the Abbasids in Baghdad, noticed this. In 1154, the Abbasid caliph al-Muqtafi named Nur al-Din, the ruler of Syria, as the official ruler of Egypt.

Al-Adid's Rule as Caliph

Stucco window from the Al-Salih Tala'i Mosque, built in Cairo during al-Adid's reign

Al-Fa'iz was often sick and died on July 22, 1160, when he was only eleven years old. Since he had no direct heir, nine-year-old al-Adid was made caliph by the powerful vizier Tala'i ibn Ruzzik on July 23, 1160. To make sure he controlled the caliph, Ibn Ruzzik married al-Adid to one of his daughters.

Throughout his rule, al-Adid was mostly a figurehead. He was a puppet in the hands of powerful officials who fought over control of the weakening Fatimid state. One historian noted that al-Adid mostly watched helplessly as many sad events happened, which he himself would eventually become a victim of.

Not much is known about al-Adid's personal qualities. One historian said he was strongly in favor of Shi'a beliefs. A Crusader historian, William of Tyre, described him as a young man with a generous spirit. He was tall, had a dark complexion, and was well-built.

Power Struggles in Cairo

Ibn Ruzzik was killed on September 11, 1161. Some believe the young caliph might have known about it. His place was immediately taken by his son, Ruzzik ibn Tala'i. The new vizier also kept all power from the caliph. Ruzzik had al-Adid's aunt, Sitt al-Qusur, killed. Al-Adid then came under the care of another aunt.

Later, al-Adid, or rather a group of powerful people in the palace, asked Shawar, the governor of Upper Egypt, for help. They wanted Shawar to remove Ruzzik from power. Shawar, with the help of an army, successfully took Cairo in late December 1162. He had Ruzzik executed. Shawar then took complete control of the government, keeping the caliph out of public matters.

Shawar was forced out of Cairo in August 1163 by Dirgham. But Shawar escaped and went to Damascus to ask for help from Nur al-Din. This was a bad sign for the Fatimids. Nur al-Din, who was a strong Sunni Muslim, saw Shawar's arrival as a chance to get involved in Egypt. He wanted to unite the Muslim lands under his rule. He also wanted to overthrow the Isma'ili Shi'ite Fatimid government and bring Egypt back under Sunni Abbasid rule.

Foreign Armies and Dirgham's Fall

Meanwhile, Dirgham's rule in Egypt became very unpopular. He quickly lost support from the army. At the same time, the chaos in Egypt opened the door for the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem to get involved. The Crusaders wanted Egypt for its wealth. They also wanted to stop Nur al-Din from taking over, which would put their kingdom in danger from two sides. King Baldwin III of Jerusalem had already invaded Egypt. The Fatimids had to pay him an annual tribute to make him leave. Baldwin's successor, Amalric, thought about conquering Egypt. In September 1163, he invaded. But the Fatimids broke the dams holding back the Nile's floodwaters, flooding the plains and forcing Amalric to retreat.

Egypt's weakness encouraged Nur al-Din to help Shawar. Shawar promised to send Nur al-Din a third of Egypt's income as tribute. He also agreed to become Nur al-Din's vassal, meaning he would be under his rule. The remaining two-thirds of the income would be split between al-Adid and Shawar. Shawar returned to Egypt with a small army of about a thousand men. This army was led by the Kurdish general Shirkuh, who was joined by his nephew, Saladin. This double foreign intervention was a major turning point for the Fatimid state and Egypt. The country was weakened by civil wars but still rich. It became a prize in the larger fight between Damascus and Jerusalem. Both powers wanted to take over Egypt and stop the other from doing so. This eventually led to the downfall of the Fatimid dynasty.

Dirgham asked Amalric for help against the Syrians. But the King of Jerusalem could not arrive in time. In late April 1164, the Syrians surprised and defeated Dirgham's brother at Bilbays. This opened the way to Cairo. When news of the battle reached Cairo, there was panic. Dirgham needed money to pay his soldiers. He took money from orphans, which made the public very angry. His troops started leaving him. With only 500 horsemen left, he went to the caliph's palace. He demanded that al-Adid appear. But the caliph, who was already talking with Shawar, turned him away. He advised Dirgham to save his life. As his troops continued to leave, Dirgham fled the capital. But he was killed by one of Shawar's men.

Shawar's Second Time as Vizier

Political map of the Levant around 1165

Shawar became vizier again on May 26, 1164. But he quickly had a disagreement with Shirkuh, who then attacked Cairo. Shawar now asked for Amalric's help to drive the Syrian army out of Egypt. Shirkuh and Saladin fought the Crusaders at Bilbays for three months. Then, Nur al-Din captured Harim in Syria. This forced Amalric to go back north in November 1164. Shirkuh was running low on supplies. He had to leave too, after getting 50,000 gold dinars from Shawar.

Shawar's position was safe for a while. Shirkuh had seen Egypt's wealth and its weak government. He convinced Nur al-Din to send him south again in January 1167. When Amalric heard this, he gathered his forces and invaded Egypt himself. This happened even before Shawar agreed to an alliance with the Crusaders against the Syrians. To make the treaty official, Hugh of Caesarea went to Cairo to get al-Adid's agreement in person. Hugh's description of meeting the caliph is one of the few surviving descriptions of the Fatimid palaces. A Crusader army was placed on the walls of Cairo. The Fatimids and Crusaders together faced the Syrian troops. At the Battle of al-Babein on March 18, 1167, the Syrians won. But soon after, Saladin was surrounded in Alexandria. This forced Shirkuh to make a deal. In August 1167, both Syrians and Crusaders left Egypt again. A Crusader army remained in Cairo. An official was also left to collect an annual payment of 100,000 gold dinars for the King of Jerusalem.

This agreement with the Crusaders made many at the Fatimid court unhappy. This included Shawar's own son, al-Kamil Shuja. He secretly contacted Nur al-Din for help. However, Amalric acted first. In October 1168, he set out to conquer Egypt. Even before starting their campaign, the Crusader leaders divided the country among themselves. As the Crusaders entered Egypt and attacked the people of Bilbays on November 5, 1168, al-Kamil Shuja convinced al-Adid to ask Nur al-Din for help. Shawar strongly disagreed. He warned the young caliph of the terrible results if the Syrians won. Still, the news of the attack at Bilbays brought people together against the Crusaders. Al-Adid is said to have secretly sent a plea for help. Meanwhile, the Crusaders arrived at Cairo's gates and began to surround the city. Shawar had to move people out of the nearby city of Fustat, which had no walls. Some sources say Shawar, in a panic, had the city burned down. But this might be an invention from later times, and the damage was probably much less. The siege lasted until January 2, 1169, when the Crusaders left as the Syrian troops approached. On January 8, Shirkuh and his 6,000 men arrived in Cairo.

After a few days of uneasy peace, Shawar was captured by Shirkuh's men on January 18, 1169. This happened during a visit to the Syrian camp. Al-Adid is reported to have asked for, or at least agreed to, the execution of his vizier. This happened on the same day. Two days later, Shirkuh was appointed vizier. Shirkuh's sudden rise worried the Crusaders. It also displeased Nur al-Din, who did not trust his subordinate's plans. Nur al-Din even wrote to al-Adid, asking him to send the Syrian troops and their commander home. Al-Adid did not reply. He seemed happy with his new minister, as Shirkuh appeared to respect the Fatimid government. He left the officials in their positions.

Saladin Becomes Vizier

Shirkuh died on March 23, 1169. His sudden death left a power vacuum in both the Fatimid government and the Syrian army. The Fatimid leaders met in the caliph's palace. Some suggested that Saladin be appointed vizier. Others, led by the chief official Mu'tamin al-Khilafa Jawhar, suggested that the Syrians be given land in the Nile Delta, moving them away from Cairo. They also suggested that no vizier should be appointed, and al-Adid should rule personally, like the early caliphs. The Syrian commanders also competed for leadership until Saladin became the favored choice. Then, on March 26, 1169, Saladin was received at the caliph's palace and appointed vizier. The idea that Saladin was al-Adid's servant was kept. But the real power balance was shown by the fact that the vizier position was declared hereditary for the first time.

Saladin's position was not very secure at first. His forces were only a few thousand strong. Even though they were better fighters, they were greatly outnumbered by the Fatimid troops. Also, Saladin could not fully trust his own commanders. Saladin's role in the Fatimid state also had problems. He was a Sunni Muslim who came to Egypt with a Sunni army. He still owed loyalty to Nur al-Din's strongly Sunni government. But as vizier of the Fatimid caliph, he was in charge of a state that was officially Isma'ili. He was even in charge of the Isma'ili religious organization. The Fatimid leaders in the court and army were sure to oppose Saladin's attempts to change the Egyptian government. Nur al-Din also did not trust Saladin's plans. This forced Saladin to be careful at first. He made a serious effort to have good relations with al-Adid. He also tried to show a public image of peace between them.

After more Syrian troops arrived under Saladin's older brother, Turan-Shah, Saladin slowly distanced himself from the Fatimid government. He started by including Nur al-Din's name in the Friday sermon after al-Adid's. Al-Adid was given only ceremonial roles. He was even publicly shamed when Saladin entered the palace on horseback, which had been a privilege only for caliphs. Saladin also began to openly favor his Syrian troops. He gave them land for their support. He took away similar land from the Fatimid commanders. Many Fatimid government workers, who were now Sunnis, had become unhappy with the government they served. Many of them chose to work with Saladin. They helped him weaken the Fatimid government.

The opposition against Saladin and his Syrians gathered around Mu'tamin al-Khilafa Jawhar. The plotters reportedly contacted the Crusaders for help. They hoped a new Crusader invasion would draw Saladin away from Cairo. This would allow them to take control of the capital. When a letter about this fell into his hands, Saladin used the chance to quickly remove his rivals from Cairo. Mu'tamin al-Khalifa was killed. Then, on August 21, 1169, the Black African troops rebelled. In street fighting that lasted two days, Saladin defeated them and forced them out of the city. They were chased and defeated by Turan-Shah. Their living areas were burned. After this, Saladin appointed his trusted friend, Baha al-Din Qaraqush, as the chief official of the caliph's palaces. This gave him control of the caliph and his court.

Al-Adid now had no loyal troops. He was closely watched in his own palace by Qaraqush. He was completely at Saladin's mercy. When a combined Byzantine–Crusader attack was launched on Damietta in October–December 1169, al-Adid gave a million dinars to pay for the army sent against the invaders. One historian sees this as al-Adid accepting the new situation. But another historian calls it "extortion" by Saladin. He points out that the caliph was basically under house arrest. His contribution of such a huge sum only made his position weaker. When Saladin's father, Ayyub, arrived in Cairo in March 1170, the caliph himself rode out with Saladin to meet him. This was a very rare honor. He gave Ayyub the title "the Singular King."

With his position secure, Saladin took firm control of Egypt's government. He appointed Syrians instead of native Egyptians to all public jobs. His immediate family members were appointed to the most important provincial governorships. At the same time, Saladin began to slowly but surely attack the core beliefs of the Fatimid state. On August 25, 1170, the call to prayer was changed back to the Sunni version from the Shi'a one. The first three Rashidun caliphs were included, which was offensive to Shi'a beliefs. Even al-Adid's name was subtly removed from it. It was replaced with a phrase that asked for God's blessings for "He who Strengthens God's Faith." This could refer to al-Adid's title, but also to any good Muslim, even the Sunni caliph of Baghdad. In mid-1170, al-Adid was forbidden from attending the Friday and festival prayers in public. In September 1170, Sunni religious schools (madrasas) were set up in the old capital of Fustat. All legal positions were filled with Sunni judges (Shafi'i), mostly Syrians or Kurds. In February 1171, even the chief judge was replaced by a Sunni appointee. This was followed by the final stopping of public lectures on Isma'ili beliefs at the al-Azhar Mosque. Sunni legal experts even issued a ruling that allowed Saladin to legally execute al-Adid as a heretic.

Death and the End of the Fatimid Caliphate

Saladin's attack on the Fatimid government reached its peak on September 10, 1171. On this day, the Sunni legal expert Najm al-Din al-Khabushani publicly announced the name of the Sunni Abbasid caliph, al-Mustadi, instead of al-Adid's. He also read a list of the Fatimids' wrongdodoings. This symbolic act returned the country to Abbasid rule after two centuries of Isma'ili Fatimid rule. But the Egyptian people generally did not react much. The Fatimid government was over. However, al-Adid likely never knew about it. He was already dying from a serious illness. His death on September 13, 1171, at the age of twenty, simply confirmed the end of the Fatimid Caliphate. Some old sources claim that al-Adid was either poisoned or killed by Turan-Shah when he refused to say where his treasures were hidden. But there is no strong proof for the caliph being killed by force. Saladin's own words suggest he thought the caliph died of natural causes.

Saladin's reaction to al-Adid's death was careful. He attended al-Adid's funeral in person. But he also organized a parade of his troops to show his strength against any remaining pro-Fatimid feelings. Publicly, it was simply stated that al-Adid had failed to name his oldest son, Daoud, as his heir. So, the caliph's throne was empty. While Saladin showed public sadness, the death of al-Adid and the end of the Fatimid Caliphate caused great joy among Saladin's Sunni supporters. Saladin's secretary wrote a poem celebrating it. When the news reached Baghdad, the city was decorated in Abbasid black. Caliph al-Mustadi sent special honors to Saladin and Nur al-Din.

After al-Adid's death, the still large Isma'ili community was persecuted by Saladin's new Ayyubid government. The Fatimid family was placed under house arrest in the palace. Al-Adid's chosen heir, Daoud al-Hamid li-'llah, was recognized by the Hafizi Isma'ili followers as the rightful imam. But he, like his own son and successor Sulayman Badr al-Din, lived and died in captivity. There were some failed plots and uprisings by people who supported the Fatimids. These continued until the end of the century, but with much less impact. By the end of the thirteenth century, Isma'ilism had been mostly removed from Egypt. The last three surviving members of the dynasty are mentioned in 1262. At that time, the Mamluk ruler Baybars ordered a list of the confiscated Fatimid possessions. These were Kamal al-Din Isma'il, one of al-Adid's sons, and two grandsons. Nothing more is known about them. They likely died still imprisoned in the Citadel of Cairo.

Sources

• Daftary, Farhad (2007). [Al-Adid at Google Books The Ismāʿı̄lı̄s: Their History and Doctrines] (Second ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-61636-2. Al-Adid at Google Books.

• Halm, Heinz (2014) (in de). [Al-Adid at Google Books Kalifen und Assassinen: Ägypten und der vordere Orient zur Zeit der ersten Kreuzzüge, 1074–1171]. Munich: C. H. Beck. ISBN 978-3-406-66163-1. Al-Adid at Google Books.
• Lev, Yaacov (1999). [Al-Adid at Google Books Saladin in Egypt]. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 90-04-11221-9. Al-Adid at Google Books.

• Saleh, Marlis J. (2009). "al-ʿĀḍid li-Dīn Allāh". Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE. Brill Online. DOI:10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_22734. 
• Şeşen, Ramazan (1988). "Âdıd-Lidînillâh". TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, Vol. 1 (Âb-ı Hayat – El-ahkâmü'ş-şer'i̇yye). Istanbul: Turkiye Diyanet Foundation, Centre for Islamic Studies. 374–375. 
• Wiet, G. (1960). "al-ʿĀḍid li-Dīn Allāh". The Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Edition, Volume I: A–B. Leiden: E. J. Brill. 196–197. DOI:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_0311.