Mu'izz al-Dawla Thimal

Mu'izz al-Dawla Thimal (died 1062) was the Mirdasid emir of Aleppo from 1042 until 1057, and again from 1061 until his death. He was the son of Salih ibn Mirdas.

First Reign

After their father was killed in battle against the Fatimid governor of Damascus, Anushtakin al-Duzbari, Thimal and his brother Shibl al-Dawla Nasr shared power in Aleppo. During an absence from the town, however, Thimal was removed from power by his brother. Nasr was thereafter the sole ruler of the Mirdasid territories until he was killed fighting al-Duzbari as well, in 1038. Thimal fled, together with his Numayrid ally Shabib b. Waththab, back to Aleppo. Al-Duzbari advanced on the town, however, and received in a friendly manner by the citizenry, who were upset of the Mirdasids' alignment with the Byzantine Empire. Thimal had already retreated from Aleppo; his cousin Mukallad ibn Kamil ibn Mirdas, who had been in charge of the citadel, was allowed to depart peacefully.

Al-Duzbari then attempted to deprive Thimal of his remaining possessions. Thimal lost several towns, although he managed to retain Rahba on the Euphrates. He then married his brother Salih's widow. The Byzantines attacked sometime around 1040 and forced Thimal and his cousin Mukallad to pay tribute. Meanwhile, al-Duzbari fell out of favor of the Fatimid government in Cairo. The Fatimid vizier publicly condemned him, causing the army of Syria to abandon him. Al-Duzbari took refuge in Aleppo, where he died in early 1042. Not long afterwards, Thimal recovered the town, although al-Duzbari's ghulam (slave soldiers) managed to hold out in the citadel for several months. The Byzantines immediately recognized Thimal as the ruler of Aleppo, and the Fatimids recognized his governorship in 1045, although relations with the latter continued to be less than friendly.

In 1048 the Fatimid governors of Damascus and Hims coordinated an attack against the Mirdasids. Thimal managed to force the Fatimid army to retreat to Damascus, following which he tried to negotiate a peace with Cairo officials. This did not prevent a second Fatimid expedition from being undertaken against him. The Byzantines attempted to mediate a peace between the two sides; after being unsuccessful in this effort the Emperor sent imperial forces into the region to make sure the situation did not get completely out of hand. Fortunately for Thimal, the Fatimid army was extremely heterogeneous, consisting of Berbers, Turks, blacks and Bedouins, making it difficult to control. In August 1050, Thimal's army defeated the Fatimids at Djabal Djawshin near Aleppo and captured their commander, who died shortly after. A peace was eventually established between the Mirdasids and Fatimids, with the Fatimid caliph recognizing Thimal as his vassal in all the lands that he controlled.

The next seven years of Thimal's reign were mostly peaceful. Tribute was paid to the Byzantine Emperor, who promoted several Mirdasid officials with imperial titles. In Baghdad, a revolt by Basasiri against the Seljuks, who had taken the city in 1055, received support from Thimal. By 1057, however, Thimal was having difficulties with the Kilab, who were displeased that they were not treated as well as his Numayrid allies. The Mirdasid decided that the situation was beyond dealing with and offered to give the Fatimid caliph Aleppo in exchange for several coastal towns, including Beirut and Akka.

Second Reign

In 1060, Thimal was in Cairo when he was informed by the caliph that his nephew Rashid al-Dawla Mahmud had seized Aleppo, and as a result the caliph would be retaking the coastal provinces allotted to him. Thimal decided to return to Aleppo, but found Mahmud unwilling to yield control, while another Mirdasid, 'Atiyya ibn Salih, Thimal's brother, had become independent in Rahba. After several military engagements between Thimal and Mahmud, the Kilab came up with a compromise. Mahmud gave up Aleppo to his uncle, in exchange for cash and grain. Thimal therefore reentered Aleppo in 1061.

Thimal's second reign lasted little more than a year. He led several successful expeditions against Byzantine positions to the west, between Antioch and Aleppo. He died at the end of 1062. He had named his brother 'Atiyya as his successor, but Mahmud contested this, causing more strife between the Mirdasids.

References

• Bianquis, Thierry (1993). "Mirdas". The Encyclopedia of Islam, New Edition, Volume VII: Mif–Naz. Leiden and New York: BRILL. pp. 115–123. ISBN 90-04-09419-9.