Muhammad IV of Shirvan
| Muhammad IV | |
|---|---|
| Shirvanshah | |
| Reign | June 981 – November 991 |
| Predecessor | Ahmad |
| Successor | Yazid II |
| Died | November 991 Shamakhi |
| House | House of Shirvanshah |
| Father | Ahmad |
Muhammad IV was the Shirvanshah from 981 to 991. He was the son and successor of Ahmad (r. 956–981).[1]
Reign
In 981/82, Muhammad IV took the town of Qabala from its ruler, Abd al-Barr ibn Anbasa. In 982, he took control of Barda'a, and made Musa ibn Ali his lieutenant. In 983, a wall around the town of Shabaran was constructed under Muhammad IV's orders.[1] In 989/90, the inhabitants of the town of al-Bab became enthusiastic supporters of Muhammad al-Tuzi, a preacher who had arrived from Gilan. The latter soon took over the entire town, and fell into disfavour with its ruler, Maymun. The supporters of al-Tuzi laid siege to the castle of Maymun, forcing him to flee to Tabarsaran in 990/91.[2]
Muhammad IV was subsequently invited by al-Tuzi to take control over al-Bab.[3] He went to the town, staying there for some months and overseeing its administration. He was eventually taken back to Shirvan by his men after suffering a head injury from a battle-axe by Balid, a ghulams of Maymun, who subsequently reconquered al-Bab.[1] Muhammad IV died in November 991 and was succeeded by his brother Yazid II.[4]
Coinage and culture
A coin struck under Muhammad IV at Barda'a is engraved with the nasab ibn as-Sallar, which demonstrates that Muhammad IV wanted to make it clear that he was the rightful heir of the Persian monarchs.[5] "Sallar" is derived from sardar, a military title under the Sasanian Empire (224–651).[6]
References
- ^ a b c Minorsky 1958, p. 29.
- ^ Madelung 1975, p. 246.
- ^ Madelung 1975, pp. 246–247.
- ^ Minorsky 1958, p. 30.
- ^ Akopyan & Vardanyan 2009, p. 266.
- ^ Akopyan & Vardanyan 2009, p. 262.
Sources
- Akopyan, Alexander; Vardanyan, Aram (2009). "A donative dirham of the Shirwānshāh Muhammad ibn Ahmad (AH 370-81) struck in Barda'a in AH 373 (982/3)". Numismatic Chronicle: 261–267.
- Bosworth, C. E. (2011). "Šervānšāhs". Encyclopaedia Iranica.
- Madelung, Wilferd (1975). "Minor dynasties of northern Iran". In Frye, Richard N. (ed.). The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 4: From the Arab Invasion to the Saljuqs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 198–250. ISBN 0-521-20093-8.
- Minorsky, Vladimir (1958). A History of Sharvān and Darband in the 10th-11th Centuries. Cambridge: W. Heffer & Sons, Ltd.