Bisutun () (died 977) was the ruler of the

Ziyarids The Ziyarid dynasty () was an Iranian dynasty of Gilaki origin that ruled Tabaristan from 931 to 1090 during the Iranian Intermezzo period. The empire rose to prominence during the leadership of Mardavij. After his death, his brother Vushmgir an ...

(967–977). He was the eldest son of

Vushmgir Zahir al-Dawla Vushmgir was the second Ziyarid emir who ruled from 935 until his death in December 967. He was a son of Ziyar. Voshmgir means "quail catcher" in the local Caspian Iranian dialects. Origins and early life Vushmgir was the son o ...

. During his father's lifetime, Bisutun was the governor of

Tabaristan Tabaristan or Tabarestan (; ; from , ), was a mountainous region located on the Caspian coast of northern Iran. It corresponded to the present-day province of Mazandaran, which became the predominant name of the area from the 11th-century onward ...

Amol Amol ( ; ) is a city in the Central District (Amol County), Central District of Amol County, Mazandaran province, Mazandaran province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Amol is located on the Haraz River bank. It is ...

. Upon Vushmgir's death in 967 during a hunting expedition, he went to

Gurgan Gorgan (; ) is a city in the Central District of Gorgan County, Golestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It lies approximately to the northeast of the national capital Tehran, and some a ...

to assume power. His ascension was contested, however, by a

Samanid The Samanid Empire () was a Persianate society, Persianate Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim empire, ruled by a dynasty of Iranian peoples, Iranian ''dehqan'' origin. The empire was centred in Greater Khorasan, Khorasan and Transoxiana, at its greatest ...

army which had arrived shortly before Vushmgir's death for a joint campaign against the

Buyid The Buyid dynasty or Buyid Empire was a Zaydi and later Twelver Shi'a dynasty of Daylamite origin. Founded by Imad al-Dawla, they mainly ruled over central and southern Iran and Iraq from 934 to 1062. Coupled with the rise of other Iranian dyna ...

Rukn al-Dawla Hasan (died September 976), better known by his ''laqab'' as Rukn al-Dawla ( Persian: رکن‌الدوله دیلمی), was the first Buyid amir of northern and central Iran (c. 935–976). He was the son of Buya. Struggle for power Hasan was ...

. The army commander supported making Bisutun's brother

Qabus Qabus ibn Wushmagir (full name: ''Abol-Hasan Qābūs ibn Wušmagīr ibn Ziyar Sams al-maʿālī'', ; (died 1012) (r. 977–981; 997–1012) was the Ziyarid ruler of Gurgan and Tabaristan in medieval Iran. His father was Vushmgir and his mother ...

as ruler of the Ziyarids. Bisutun then turned to Rukn al-Dawla, recognizing the latter's sovereignty in an attempt to gain support. The Samanid army soon left Gurgan, returning to

Khurasan KhorasanDabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 (; , ) is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plateau in West Asia, West and Central Asia that encompasses wes ...

, but Qabus found the support of

al-Hasan ibn al-Fairuzan Al-Hasan ibn al-Fairuzan () (fl. 10th century) was a Daylamite prince from the Firuzanid family. Biography Al-Hasan was the son of Fairuzan, a Daylamite soldier who, along with his brother Kaki, served the Alid dynasties of northern Iran.Na ...

, who was ruling in Simnan at that time. Bisutun eventually managed to conquer both Gurgan and Simnan, forcing Qabus to give up his claims. Bisutun of Ziyarid

For the rest of his reign, Bisutun maintained good relations with the Buyids. He married a daughter of

'Adud al-Dawla Fannā (Panāh) Khusraw (), better known by his laqab of ʿAḍud al-Dawla (; 24 September 936 – 26 March 983) was an emir of the Buyid dynasty, ruling from 949 to 983. At the height of his power, he ruled an empire stretching from Makran ...

, the eldest son of Rukn al-Dawla, and in 971 the

Caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

al-Muti Abū ʾl-Qāsim al-Faḍl ibn al-Muqtadir (; 913/14 – September/October 974), better known by his regnal name of al-Mutīʿ li-ʾllāh (), was the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad from 946 to 974, ruling under the tutelage of the Buyid emirs. Al ...

, who was a Buyid puppet, confirmed upon Bisutun the title of ''Zahir al-Dawla''. Bisutun also paid attention to his western border. He released the

Alid The Alids are those who claim descent from Ali ibn Abi Talib (; 600–661 CE), the fourth Rashidun caliph () and the first imam in Shia Islam. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The main branches are the ...

al-Hasan al-Tha'ir Hassan or Hasan ( ) is an Arabic masculine given name in the Muslim world. As a surname, Hassan may be Arabic, Irish, Scottish, or Jewish (Sephardic and Mizrahic) (see Hassan as a surname). Etymology and spelling The name Hassan in Arabic ...

, who his father had imprisoned, and gave him money so that he could dislodge the ruler of the coastal town of Hausam (located in

Gilan Gilan Province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, in the northwest of the country and southwest of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is the city of Rasht. The province lies along the Caspian Sea, in Iran's Region 3, west of the province of ...

), Abu Muhammad al-Nasir. Al-Hasan al-Tha'ir, however, was defeated and killed by Abu Muhammad. His son

Abu'l-Hasan 'Ali Abu Al-Hasan (), also transliterated Abu'l Hasan, is an Arabic Kunya (Arabic), ''kunya'' ('teknonym'). It may refer to: Notable people Politics and military * Ali, Ali ibn Abi Talib (600–661), the fourth caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate * ...

eventually expelled Abu Muhammad from Hausam, probably with Bisutun's support, and he acknowledged the Ziyarid as his overlord. Bisutun died in 977. After a short power struggle, his brother

succeeded him.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bisutun 977 deaths Ziyarid dynasty 10th-century monarchs in Asia Year of birth unknown 10th-century Iranian people