Ali I () was
shah
Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...
of
Shirvan
Shirvan (from ; ; Tat: ''Şirvan'') is a historical region in the eastern Caucasus, as known in both pre-Islamic Sasanian and Islamic times. Today, the region is an industrially and agriculturally developed part of the Republic of Azerbaijan ...
(located in the modern day
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
).
Reign
He succeeded his father
Haytham II. Later, making an alliance with Muhammad b. Hashim -
Emir of Derbent, he marched on Shandān (in modern
Dagestan
Dagestan ( ; ; ), officially the Republic of Dagestan, is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, along the Caspian Sea. It is located north of the Greater Caucasus, and is a part of the North Caucasian Fede ...
) to
Islamize
The spread of Islam spans almost 1,400 years. The early Muslim conquests that occurred following the death of Muhammad in 632 CE led to the creation of the caliphates, expanding over a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted b ...
the country . However, the attack was a disaster for muslim side as about 10,000 soldiers were captured were divided into three groups to be enslaved by
Sarir
Sarir or Serir was a medieval Christians, Christian state lasting from the 6th or 7th century to the 12th century in the mountainous regions of modern-day Dagestan in southern Russia. Its name is derived from the Arabic word for "throne" and re ...
,
Khazars
The Khazars ; 突厥可薩 ''Tūjué Kěsà'', () were a nomadic Turkic people who, in the late 6th century CE, established a major commercial empire covering the southeastern section of modern European Russia, southern Ukraine, Crimea, a ...
and Shandān. Ali was among the captured as well, but he was freed three months later without ransom.
According to
al-Masudi
al-Masʿūdī (full name , ), –956, was a historian, geographer and traveler. He is sometimes referred to as the "Herodotus of the Arabs". A polymath and prolific author of over twenty works on theology, history (Islamic and universal), geo ...
,
the Rus raided Caucasus during his reign. Ali built boats to fight off the invasion, but it was no match for 500-ship strong Rus fleet. The Rus army plundered the region starting from
Baku
Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
to as far as
Arran.
Vladimir Minorsky
Vladimir Fyodorovich Minorsky (; – 25 March 1966) was a White Russian academic, historian, and scholar of Oriental studies, best known for his contributions to the study of history of Iran and the Iranian peoples such as Persians, Lurs, and ...
argued that the reason for Ali I's downfall was loss of prestige and continuous defeats. He was attacked by
Abu Tahir Yazid
Abu Tahir Yazid () or Yazid I was sixth Shah of Shirvan and third Shah of Layzan.
Reign
He was reigning as Layzanshah as heir of his father Muhammad. He attacked Shirvan and captured its ruler Ali I alongside his son Abbas and grandson Abu B ...
, his 2nd cousin-once-removed . He was captured near Marzūqiya (near modern
Derbent
Derbent, also historically known as Darband, or Derbend, is the southernmost city in Russia. It is situated along the southeastern coast of the Dagestan, Republic of Dagestan, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucas ...
) alongside his son Abbas and grandson Abu-Bakr. While he and his son were executed, Abu-Bakr managed to escape. Abu Tahir Yazid, who was
Layzanshah
Layzānshah () or Shah of Layzān was a historical title given to the lords of Layzan. According to Vladimir Minorsky, the title was first granted to local rulers by their Sassanid Persian overlords, medieval authors specifically mentioning Anush ...
succeeded him as next
Shirvanshah
The Shirvanshahs (Arabic/) were the rulers of Shirvan (in present-day Azerbaijan) from 861 to 1538. The first ruling line were the Yazidids, an originally Arab and later Persianized dynasty, who became known as the Kasranids (also referred t ...
, uniting two principalities.
Abbas Shirvanshah
Abbas ibn Ali Mazyadid was the son of Ali I and heir to the throne of
Shirvanshah
The Shirvanshahs (Arabic/) were the rulers of Shirvan (in present-day Azerbaijan) from 861 to 1538. The first ruling line were the Yazidids, an originally Arab and later Persianized dynasty, who became known as the Kasranids (also referred t ...
s. He was expected to become shah as "Abbas I" after his father's death. However, he was captured along with his son Abu Bakr and father in rebellion of his great uncle
Muhammad II of Shirvan
Muhammad II () was the third Layzanshah (king of Layzan, r. 917–948) and the sixth Shirvanshah (king of Shirvan, r. 948–956). He was the son of Abu Tahir Yazid. He is often mislabeled as Muhammad III because of sharing same name with Muhamma ...
and executed.
[S. Ashurbeyli – Shirvanshahs, Baku, 2007]
References
Sources
*
{{Shirvanshahs