al-Mutawakkil
Abū al-Faḍl Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad al-Muʿtaṣim bi-ʾllāh (822 – 861), better known by his regnal name al-Mutawakkil ʿalā Allāh, was the tenth caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate who reigned from 847 until his death. His assassination in 861 led to a succession crisis, starting a decade-long period of instability in the Caliphate known as the Anarchy at Samarra.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Aiding the Order[edit | edit source]
A puppet of the Order of the Ancients, al-Mutawakkil was tasked to help them obtain a treasure chest containing a precious artifact, though he was forbidden from ever seeing the chest's contents. After collecting the cargo and storing it at the Winter Palace in Anbar, al-Mutawakkil scheduled a meeting with the Order to present the artifact.[1]
On the night of the meeting, his son Abu 'Abdallah urged him to let him stay, fearing for his safety, but the caliph refused and ordered the guards to take him away. Once the Order members arrived, al-Mutawakkil opened the chest and one of the Order members took a closer look to confirm the item. [1]
The caliph assured the Order that he would keep the artifact safe in the palace, with the spokesperson vaguely stating they would return once they were done carrying out their work. When al-Mutawakkil asked to look at the artifact at least once, the spokesperson threatened him in response, reminding him that he was to say nothing of the artifact. A fearful al-Mutawakkil immediately complied, and the masked Order members left the palace.[1]
Death[edit | edit source]
Shortly after, the thief Basim Ibn Ishaq, who had broken into the palace and observed the meeting, opened the chest, intending to steal its contents for the Hidden Ones. When Basim grabbed a Memory Seal from the chest, it activated in his hand and displayed a holographic message. Having heard the commotion, al-Mutawakkil arrived to catch Basim in the middle of his theft and, realizing that the Order would punish him for seeing the contents of the chest, attempted to kill the thief.[1]
In the ensuing struggle, al-Mutawakkil managed to grab Basim by the throat and pin him against a pillar, where he tried to choke him to death.[1] However, Basim acted quickly by taking the caliph's knife and stabbing him in the neck, killing him.[2] The incident was witnessed by Abu 'Abdallah, who ordered the guards to capture Basim, though the thief managed to flee the palace with the Memory Seal.[1]
Legacy[edit | edit source]
Basim's murder of al-Mutawakkil earned him the wrath of the Abbasid guards, who started a manhunt for all thieves in Anbar in response. The following morning, Basim found that the guards had brutally executed his network of thieves, hanging their bodies on wooden poles for display.[1] Basim blamed his friend Nehal for this, as she was the one who had killed al-Mutawakkil in his mind, unaware at the time that Nehal did not exist and that he had committed the murder himself.[2]
Following al-Mutawakkil's death, he was succeeded by a series of caliphs, beginning with his eldest son al-Muntasir. However, each of these caliphs rarely lasted more than a few years and were powerless to prevent various factions of the military from taking control of the Caliphate.[3] The Order, under the leadership of al-Mutawakkil's former concubine Qabiha, also took advantage of the situation to try and increase their own power in Baghdad, but were opposed by the Hidden Ones of Alamut.[4] This period of extreme instability for the Caliphate lasted approximately a decade and is generally referred to as the Anarchy at Samarra.[3]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
Al-Mutawakkil is a historical character in Assassin's Creed: Mirage. His regnal name (المتوكل على الله) in Arabic translates to "He who relies on God".
Historically, al-Mutawakkil died on 11 December 861 after being assassinated by the Turkic guard with the support of his son al-Muntasir. All of his sons, including Abu 'Abdallah, went on to reign as caliphs.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
-
Al-Mutawakkil -
Al-Mutawakkil preparing for the arrival of the Order -
Al-Mutawakkil threatened by the Order -
Al-Mutawakkil horrified that he saw the chest's contents -
Al-Mutawakkil attempting to strangle Basim
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (first mentioned) (indirect mention only) (retroactive)
- Assassin's Creed: Mirage (first appearance)
- Valley of Memory (mentioned in Database entry only) (indirect mention only)
- Echoes of History (mentioned only)
References[edit | edit source]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||