An-Nasir al-Hasan bin Ali (died 1615) was a claimant to the Zaidi state of

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

between 1579 and 1585, in opposition to the

Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks () were a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group in Anatolia. Originally from Central Asia, they migrated to Anatolia in the 13th century and founded the Ottoman Empire, in which they remained socio-politically dominant for the e ...

, who occupied the Yemeni lands for years.

Anti-Ottoman risings

Al-Hasan bin Ali bin Da'ud was a great-nephew of the

imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

al-Hadi Izz ad-Din Al-Hadi Izz ad-Din (1441 - April 18, 1495) was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen, who held the imamate in 1474–1495 in rivalry with other claimants. Izz ad-Din bin al-Hasan bin Ali was a grandson of the counter-imam al-Hadi Ali (d. 1432) and ...

(d. 1495) who had revived the fortunes of the Zaidi state in the late 15th century. The troops of the Ottoman sultan

Selim II Selim II (; ; 28 May 1524 – 15 December 1574), also known as Selim the Blond () or Selim the Drunkard (), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1566 until his death in 1574. He was a son of Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife Hurrem Sul ...

, led by

Sinan Pasha Koca Sinan Pasha (, "Sinan the Great", ; c. 1506 – 3 April 1596) was an Albanian-born Ottoman Grand Vizier, military figure, and statesman. From 1580 until his death he served five times as Grand Vizier. Early life Sinan Pasha, also known ...

crushed Yemeni resistance in 1570. However, discontent with the occupiers continued, especially in the highlands where people belonged to the

Zaydiyyah Zaydism () is a branch of Shia Islam that emerged in the eighth century following Zayd ibn Ali's unsuccessful rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate. Zaydism is one of the three main branches of Shi'ism, with the other two being Twelverism ...

in opposition to the

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

lowlands. In 1579 al-Hasan proclaimed the

imamate The term imamate or ''imamah'' (, ''imāmah'') means "leadership" and refers to the office of an ''imam'' or a Muslim theocratic state ruled by an ''imam''. Theology *Imamate in Shia doctrine, the doctrine of the leadership of the Muslim commu ...

in the Ahnum region under the name an-Nasir al-Hasan, vowing to fight the Turks. His rising was paralleled by a messianic movement, led by a certain Mansur Himyar in the Anis region, which proclaimed the end of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

Defeated by Hasan Pasha

However, the power basis of an-Nasir al-Hasan was quite limited. He was actually attacked by other Zaidi groups, such as the Hamzah sharifs, the sons of the last imam

al-Mutahhar Al-Mutahhar bin Yahya Sharaf ad-Din (January 3, 1503 – November 9, 1572) was an imam of the Zaidiyyah, Zaidi state of Yemen who ruled from 1547 to 1572. His era marked the temporary end of an autonomous Yemeni polity in the highlands. After ...

, and even by his cousins of the Mu'ayyad clan. In 1580, a new and redoubtable Ottoman governor, Hasan Pasha, was appointed by the Porte. By making use of the inner divisions of the highland groups, Hasan Pasha was able to reinforce the sultan's authority in the regions north of

San'a Sanaa, officially the Sanaa Municipality, is the ''de jure'' capital and largest city of Yemen. The city is the capital of the Sanaa Governorate, but is not part of the governorate, as it forms a separate administrative unit. At an elevation o ...

Sa'dah Saada (), located in the northwest of Yemen, is the capital and largest city of the governorate bearing the same name, as well as the administrative seat of the eponymous district. The city lies in the Serat (Sarawat) mountains at an altitude o ...

and

Najran Najran ( '), is a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia. It is the capital of Najran Province. Today, the city of Najran is one of the fastest-growing cities in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As of the 2022 census, the city population was 381,431, wi ...

were occupied by the Turks in 1583. An-Nasir al-Hasan kept his stronghold in the inaccessible Shaharah but was eventually betrayed and captured on 11 September 1585. His captor was the ''ketkhuda'' (deputy) of Hasan Pasha, Emir Sinan.Robert W. Stookey, ''Yemen; The Politics of the Yemen Arab Republic''. Boulder 1978, p. 141. His date of capture is also given as 1596/97, which appears to be incorrect. After having spent one year in prison in San'a, he was brought to

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

where he eventually died in 1615. The torch of resistance was taken over in 1597 by the imam

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 ...

, of another

Sayyid ''Sayyid'' is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan ibn Ali, Hasan and Husayn ibn Ali, Husayn. The title may also refer ...

lineage, who founded a new Yemeni state.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nasir Al-Hasan Bin Ali 1615 deaths Zaydi imams of Yemen Year of birth unknown 16th-century Arab people

Anti-Ottoman risings

Defeated by Hasan Pasha

See also

References