Bishr ibn Dawud al-Muhallabi

Bishr ibn Dawud al-Muhallabi (Arabic: بشر بن داود المهلبي) was a governor of al-Sind for the Abbasid dynasty, serving during the caliphate of al-Ma'mun.[1]

Career

A member of the Muhallabid family, Bishr was the son of Dawud ibn Yazid, who had served as the governor of al-Sind since the caliphate of al-Rashid. After Yazid died in 820 or 821, Bishr succeeded his father and took over the government of al-Sind. Al-Ma'mun agreed to recognize him as governor, on the condition that Bishr send a million dirhams in tribute to him on an annual basis.[2]

In spite of this agreement, however, Bishr soon decided to rebel against the caliph,[3] and stopped forwarding any money to Baghdad. In response, al-Ma'mun placed an army under the command of Hajib ibn Salih in 826 and instructed him to reassert caliphal control over al-Sind. Bishr, however, defeated Hajib and forced him to retreat from the province.[4] Following this, al-Ma'mun invested Ghassan ibn 'Abbad with the governorship of al-Sind and sent him to defeat Bishr.[5] This time, Bishr decided to surrender and requested that Ghassan give him a guarantee of safe conduct. This was granted, and Bishr returned with Ghassan to Iraq in 831.[6]

Notes

  1. Crone, p. 360
  2. Al-Tabari, p. 106
  3. Al-Baladhuri, p. 231; al-Ya'qubi, pp. 557-8
  4. Al-Tabari, p. 176
  5. Al-Tabari, pp. 179-80
  6. Al-Tabari, p. 189

References

Preceded by
Dawud ibn Yazid al-Muhallabi
Governor of al-Sind
820828
Succeeded by
Ghassan ibn 'Abbad
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