Al-Mutawakkil Isma'il
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Al-Mutawakkil Isma'il (c. 1610 – 15 August 1676) was an Imam of
Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
who ruled the country from 1644 until 1676. He was a son of
Al-Mansur al-Qasim Al-Mansur al-Qasim (November 13, 1559 – February 19, 1620), with the cognomen ''al-Kabir'' (the Great), was an Imam of Yemen, who commenced the struggle to liberate Yemen from the Ottoman occupiers. He was the founder of a Zaidi kingdom that e ...
. His rule saw the biggest territorial expansion of the Zaidiyyah imamate in
Greater Yemen Yemen Region ( ar, إقليم اليمن, Eglîm el-Yemen) also known as South Arabia is a geographic term denoting territories of historic South Arabia which included All lands between the Gulf of Oman in the east and the Red Sea in the west. I ...
.


Early reign

Al-Mutawakkil Isma'il was the son of the founder of the Qasimid imamate,
al-Mansur al-Qasim Al-Mansur al-Qasim (November 13, 1559 – February 19, 1620), with the cognomen ''al-Kabir'' (the Great), was an Imam of Yemen, who commenced the struggle to liberate Yemen from the Ottoman occupiers. He was the founder of a Zaidi kingdom that e ...
. In 1644 his elder brother
al-Mu'ayyad Muhammad Al-Mu'ayyad Muhammad (1582 – September 1644) was an Imam of Yemen (1620–1644), son of Al-Mansur al-Qasim. He managed to expel the Ottoman Turks entirely from the Yemenite lands, thus confirming an independent Zaidi state. Succeeding to the ...
died. With his death, fraternal strife broke out, as several brothers competed for the imamate. In the end, the other brothers submitted to Isma'il. In Zaidi sources, his reign is portrayed in exceedingly positive terms. Yemen was restored to prosperity as the farmers enjoyed excellent harvests. His rule was considered just and incorruptible. Nevertheless, in 1648 a dispute arose between the imam and the various
ulema In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...
over taxation policy. As Ismail managed to uphold public order in the deeply localized and factionalized Yemeni society, merchants ventured to visit Yemen from other countries. The coffee trade that went through Mocha had been going on for some time and gave the imam's government increased revenues.


Conquest of Hadramaut

The authority of al-Mutawakkil Isma'il expanded eastwards along the South Arabian coast. Aden had been conquered by Yemeni forces in 1644. In 1654, a struggle for the throne in the
Kathiri Kathiri ( ar, ٱلْكَثِيْرِي, al-Kathīrī), officially the Kathiri State of Seiyun ( ar, ٱلسَّلْطَنَة ٱلْكَثِيْرِيَّة - سَيْؤُوْن, al-Salṭanah al-Kathīrīyah - Sayʾūn), was a sultanate in the ...
area provided the imam with an excuse to send a sizable army into the
Hadramaut Hadhramaut ( ar, حَضْرَمَوْتُ \ حَضْرَمُوتُ, Ḥaḍramawt / Ḥaḍramūt; Hadramautic: 𐩢𐩳𐩧𐩣𐩩, ''Ḥḍrmt'') is a region in South Arabia, comprising eastern Yemen, parts of western Oman and southern Saud ...
. The
Yafa Yafa () is an Arab tribe, geographical area, and district inhabited by the Yafa'i tribe in South Arabia, located in Lahij Governorate. It is one of the biggest tribes that descended from the ancient Himyarites. Today, most members of the trib ...
tribesmen submitted, as did the Kathiri sultan. A further expedition in 1658 renewed the suzerainty of the imam in an area as far east as
Dhofar The Dhofar Governorate ( ar, مُحَافَظَة ظُفَار, Muḥāfaẓat Ẓufār) is the largest of the 11 Governorates in the Sultanate of Oman in terms of area. It lies in Southern Oman, on the eastern border with Yemen's Al Mahrah G ...
. However, the conquest of Hadramaut resulted in a military confrontation with Sultan bin Saif, the sultan of
Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
. Being in control of the seas in these areas, the Omanis were able to raid Yemen. Insecurity at sea led to a decrease in goods being imported into the Yemeni seaports.


Diplomatic relations

Yemen in the 17th century was not a very outward-looking society, but its role as virtually the sole
coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...
producer of the world made it a vital link in the
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...
trading system. Al-Mutawakkil Isma'il's reign saw a number of diplomatic ties with other powers around the periphery of the
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...
. An
Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
n embassy visited the imam in 1646, and a Yemeni return visit took place in the following year. With Mughal India there were likewise friendly contacts. Surat on the Indian west coast was the principal trading partner of Yemen at this time. The
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, which had lost control over Yemen in 1635, planned a renewed attack in 1674. However, this was abandoned over their fear of
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
power.


Interior policy

Although he was the most resourceful of the Qasimid line, al-Mutawakkil Isma'il had to contend with the deep localism persisting in the Yemeni society, in particular among the highland tribes. Some tribes were not taxed, but on the contrary received stipends to keep quiet. This was a practice that prevailed until the 20th century. The imam himself is reputed to have lived a life of
Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...
n simplicity; he would sew and sell caps for his subsistence, and his household consisted of his one wife and a female slave. During the imam's reign, he quelled what he thought was a rebellion against the Yemeni state, led by the Jewish leader of a
Sabbatean The Sabbateans (or Sabbatians) were a variety of Jewish followers, disciples, and believers in Sabbatai Zevi (1626–1676), a Sephardic Jewish rabbi and Kabbalist who was proclaimed to be the Jewish Messiah in 1666 by Nathan of Gaza. Vast ...
sect, Suleiman Jamal. Although the imam resided in al-Suda, he was informed by the governor of
Sana'a Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Gover ...
about the man's actions (i.e. he had tried to usurp authority) and the man was immediately sentenced to die. The imam then made it more difficult for his Jewish subjects by confiscating their property and by prohibiting them from owning land. Al-Mutawakkil Isma'il died in 1676, and a dispute arose between two of his nephews over the succession. Of these, al-Mahdi Ahmad finally succeeded to the imamate.Robert W. Stookey, p. 147.


See also

*
History of Yemen The history of Yemen describes the cultures, events, and peoples of what is one of the oldest centers of civilization in the Near East. Its relatively fertile land and adequate rainfall in a moister climate helped sustain a stable population, a ...
*
Imams of Yemen The Imams of Yemen, later also titled the Kings of Yemen, were religiously consecrated leaders belonging to the Zaidiyyah branch of Shia Islam. They established a blend of religious and temporal-political rule in parts of Yemen from 897. Their i ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mutawakkil Ismail Zaydi imams of Yemen 1676 deaths 1610s births 17th-century Arabs 17th-century monarchs in Asia