Musharrif al-Dawla
Abu 'Ali, better known by his laqab of Musharrif al-Dawla, was the Buyid amir of Iraq. He was the youngest son of Baha' al-Dawla.
Biography
In 1021 the Turkish establishment in Baghdad, which had become upset over the influence of amir Sultan al-Dawla's Daylamite troops, raised Abu 'Ali to power. Given the title "Musharrif al-Dawla", he decided to negotiate with Sultan al-Dawla. At length, he became Sultan al-Dawla's vassal and was given a heretofore unused title, the "King of Iraq". The latter, however, wanted direct control over the region, and invaded Iraq. He was defeated by Musharrif al-Dawla's army. Musharrif al-Dawla thereafter considered himself as Sultan al-Dawla's equal and assumed the title of "Shahanshah". For the rest of his reign, he was forced to placate the troops that had brought him to power.During his reign, Musharrif al-Dawla undertook a campaign against the Kakuyids. After establishing a state in Isfahan that was independent of the Buyids, they had steadily expanded, culminating with their seizure of Hulwan from the 'Annazids. Musharrif al-Dawla forced them to withdraw from that city, but the Kakuyids maintained their hold elsewhere, and peace was declared between the two sides. The truce was cemented with a marriage alliance. Despite his success at keeping his neighbors in check, Musharrif al-Dawla failed to solve the internal problems of his state. These problems were largely intact when he died in mid-1025. The army, which took charge of the succession, took more than two years before finally definitively agreeing to Jalal al-Dawla as amir.