Al-Mustansir

Timeline

1. 1101–1110Baghdad · BaghdadAl-Mustansir maintained the functioning of the Baghdad court amid Seljuk internal strife, using religious authority to provide legitimacy for the various sultans. The court patronized jurisprudential and theological writing and handled Sunni-Shi'a sectarian disputes; his influence on Iraqi military and political affairs was limited, relying on the protection of the then-reigning Seljuk sultan.
2. 1111–1118Baghdad · BaghdadIn his later years he continued to preside over religious ceremonies and scholarly activities. He died in 1118 and was succeeded by his son al-Mustarshid; the western sultan Muhammad Tapar also died the same year, and the political landscape of the Islamic heartland was reshuffled once again.