The Anarchy at Samarra, part III: Decline of the Abbasid Caliphate

Here at last is the long awaited conclusion—well, the conclusion, anyway—of our Anarchy at Samarra series. The assassination of al-Mutawakkil kicks off a decade in which the caliphate is at the total mercy of its Turk-dominated court, with lasting repercussions for the nature of Abbasid power.