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Text | Historic Exploration
Edit | Historic Exploration
From the establishment of the Fatimid dynasty in 909 AD to the elimination of the Ikhshid dynasty of Egypt in 969 AD, this period is known as the "Maghreb period", or the "North African period", and passed through the four generations of caliphs of Mahdi, Qa'em, Mansour, and Muyiz.
With Tunisia as the core of its rule, the dynasty spread its influence throughout the Maghreb, and used Ismailis and non-Muslim groups to build a relatively well-developed bureaucratic organization to govern the country.
At the same time, relying on the Berber tribes as the main source of the imperial army, a powerful state was created. Throughout the foreign relations of the Maghreb period, it can be summed up by the term "expansion on all sides".
During this period, the Fatimids clashed with almost all of their land and sea neighbors, sending armies to attack every direction they could expand.
Eventually, it expanded its power to the entire Maghreb region north of the Sahara Desert, south of the Mediterranean, and west of Egypt, reaching the limits of what the geography could allow.
1. External factors
1. Geopolitics
From a geopolitical point of view, the surrounding forces of the Fatimid dynasty can be divided into two rings: inner and outer rings. The inner ring mainly refers to the various states and powers in the Maghreb, and the outer ring mainly refers to the countries and regions that are far away from the dynasty.
The inner ring countries and power have a small territory and a sparse population, and their national strength is far inferior to that of the Fatimids, so they are natural targets for expansion. The outer ring countries have a large territory, strong strength, and long distances, which makes it difficult to project power and invade.
In the early days of the Fatimids, there were only two real states in the Maghreb, the Fatimids, who controlled Tunisia, and the Idriss, who controlled Morocco.
The Algerian region is controlled by various Berber tribes.
The Idris dynasty, founded by the descendants of Ali's eldest son Hassan, was the world's first Shiite state and the first independent Muslim dynasty in Africa, so it resembled the Fatimids in many ways.
Both countries have Shia beliefs as their state religion, and non-Muslims have strong political influence and rely heavily on Berber tribal armies militarily.
By the time the Fatimids were established, the rule of the Idris dynasty was already shaky. The reason for this was that during the reign of the third monarch of the dynasty, Mustan Sir, he divided the territory among his brothers, and implemented the feudal state-building style that was popular at that time.
Although this was seen as a good way to rule and strengthen the state's control over the grassroots, the relationship between the family members was not harmonious, and the disintegration of the ruling group for the sake of the throne was a common problem among the dynasties of the Islamic world at the time.
2. Historical experience
From the perspective of historical experience, almost all of Egypt's land and foreign enemies were invaded by Syria, and the occupation of Syria was of great significance to the Egyptian dynasty.
This choice favored the newly established Fatimids, and the threat from the east had virtually disappeared. In addition, Muzarai and the Ikhshid dynasty were weaker, and the rich regions of Egypt were suitable targets for invasion.
To the north of the Fatimids, Sicily and the Apennine Peninsula were controlled by the Byzantine Empire, a traditional power in the Mediterranean. At this time, the empire was in the period of the Macedonian dynasty, which was later hailed as the "Golden Age".
3. Historical relationships
From the perspective of historical relations, there were no major conflicts and contradictions between the Byzantine Empire and the Ismailis, and the conquest of Sicily by the Aghleb dynasty was the reason for the outbreak of contradictions between the two sides.
After Justinian's reconquest, Sicily returned to the Byzantine Empire.
In the mid-to-late 9th century, the Agripb dynasty built a powerful navy, crossed the Tunis Channel to occupy Malta and Sicily, and invaded southern Italy.
So the Byzantine Emperor Basil I and King Louis II of West Francia attacked Sicily.
After that, the Byzantine Empire and the Agripb dynasty fought many wars around Sicily, and after the Fatimids eliminated the Aghleb dynasty, they took over Sicily, while also inheriting the contradictions with the Byzantine Empire.
Although the overall strength of the Byzantine Empire increased during this period, the "Byzantine palace intrigues" continued to be staged, which did not allow the empire to exert its due strength.
After the death of Leo VI, the chaotic reign of Alexander III, the succession dispute of Constantine VII, the coronation of Romanus I as co-emperor, and the seizure of power by force of Nikephoros II, the conflict between imperial power and aristocratic power weakened the empire's ability to cope with external challenges.
4. External relations
From the point of view of foreign relations, the greatest enemy of the Byzantine Empire at this time was the first Bulgarian kingdom that rose in the Danube Valley, and the Maghreb period coincided with the period of Simeon I of Bulgaria.
Simeon I defeated the Byzantine Empire several times, reaching the city of Constantinople several times, attracting the main Byzantine army, and the raids of Kievan Rus' on the Black Sea also left the powerful Imperial Navy in the Black Sea.
As a result, the Byzantine Empire was able to maintain only a limited army in the Central Mediterranean, centered on Sicily, which gave the Fatimids the opportunity to establish maritime supremacy in the region.
To the northwest of the Fatimids was the Later Uumeyed dynasty, whose capital was in Córdoba. Unlike the above two countries, the post-Uumeyed dynasty had a huge influence in the Maghreb region,
Not only that, but there were many tribes among the Berbers who were friendly with them, and they were the only great powers that could directly threaten the Fatimids from land.
Brave Berber warriors were an important military resource against the Christians, and the rise of the Fatimids in the Maghreb posed a serious threat to the military security of the post-Umayyad dynasty.
Therefore, whether or not the Later Umayyad dynasty could be defeated became an inevitable choice for the further development of the Fatimid dynasty.
2. Internal factors
1. Allegiance of the army
Ever since Abu Abdullah welcomed 'Ubaidullah al-Mahdi to Kairouan and honored him as caliph, 'Ubai-dullah has been confronted with several difficult questions that have also plagued the caliphs after 'U-Bay-allah.
The primary problem for 'Obaidullah was how to secure the allegiance of the army, and the early Fatimid army consisted mainly of the tribal armies of the Berber Kitama tribe.
The Kitama tribe, also known as the Kutama tribe, is a Berber tribe in North Africa, affiliated with the Sinhaja tribal confederation, living in the Lesser Kabylia region in the Atlas Mountains of present-day northern Algeria.
The Kitama people have a long history, dating back to the Roman Empire.
In 893 A.D., Abu Abdullah came to Algeria and, after consulting with the tribal leaders, decided to convert to the Ismailis and submit to the leadership of Abu Abdullah, calling them "Sa'id" (originally meaning "sir", here referred to as "leader").
Abu Abdullah overhauled the Kitama tribe and built a powerful army, and after he led the Kitama tribe to power in 909, he welcomed 'Ubaidullah Mahdi to Kairouan and honored him as caliph.
'Ubai'd control over the Ismailis was an important factor in Abu Abdullah's ability to relinquish his authority, and there is evidence that 'Ubaidullah directed Abu Abdullah's activities in North Africa through the transmission of secret messages.
Soon after 'Ubaidullah came to power, Abu Abdullah fell into disagreement with him over governance, but the deeper cause was the structural conflict over double-headed politics.
Broadening the source of soldiers for the army became a necessary task for Obaidula and subsequent generations of monarchs, and the expansion of territory became the best solution to this problem.
During the Fatimids' military conquests, several ethnic groups joined the Fatimid army. Among them, 'Obaidullah appointed Musare ibn Habs as the general of the Fatimids, and the Zhanatas became the second Berber legion of the Fatimids.
In addition, there are the Roma, i.e. white Europeans, Sakalibas, Zuwaras, batillas, Abidians, i.e. black Africans.
By the time of Caliph al-Muyyiz, the absolute majority of the Khitama in the army had improved, although they still enjoyed special political rights, and the caliph eventually took full control of the army.
2. The thirst for war
Another factor that drove the Fatimids to launch a military offensive was the army's thirst for war. Strictly speaking, the Fatimids during the Maghreb did not have a national defense force that was subordinate to the monarch or the government.
The relationship between the state and the various military groups is not strictly a relationship between superiors and subordinates, and there is neither a perfect command system nor a perfect logistical supply system.
The relationship between the Fatimids and the various military groups during the Maghreb was more akin to that between employers and employees, and only money could guarantee a close relationship between the two parties.
However, the Fatimid Dynasty did not have a system of regular military salaries to the army, and as for weapons and equipment, the Fatimid government could only provide some strategic materials that could be used by the army, such as siege weapons, transport wagons, and pot-stove tents, etc., and the soldiers themselves needed to purchase their own weapons.
As a result, the arms market flourished throughout the Fatimids, but this also led to frequent internal rebellions and heavy losses in the early period of the dynasty. It was not until the eastward move to Egypt that the military pay system was finally introduced, and the government began to restrict the free trade in weapons.
The main impetus for the Fatimids to attract soldiers to the army was the promise of valuable booty after the war. It is recorded that in 968 AD, the government spent as much as 100,000 dinars and 28,000 dirkhans on all soldiers.
Thus, expeditions had a special significance in the early days of the Fatimids, where it was difficult for the caliph to refuse the army's enthusiasm for spoils of war in such a mercenary-like relationship, and there was a real need for foreign expansion.
summary
Under the influence of internal and external factors, the foreign policy of the Fatimid dynasty of "expansion on all sides" gradually took shape, and soon after, it was put into action.
bibliography
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