070143 PS MA-Proseminar (2018S)

The history of the Islamic World is often viewed through the lenses of dynastic histories, and the periods of Islamic history are often associated with the rule of specific dynasties: the Umayyads, the ʿAbbāsids, the Buyids, the Fāṭimids, the Almohads, the Seljuqs, the Mamlūks, etc. Each dynasty had to adapt to historical circumstances, each dynasty brought something of its own, each dynasty contributed to the very notion of “Islamic”. In this seminar we will look into all major dynasties that ruled the Islamic world over the first millennium of its history: from its beginning in the early 7th century until the 16th century, which witnessed the rise of gunpowder empires. Each session will focus on a particular dynasty and we will look closely into such questions as: how did they come to power? what were the reasons of their success? how did they claim their legitimacy? what was the economic, military and social basis of their power? what were their major contributions? why and how did they fail? Through these and some other questions students will build a comparative perspective and identify major patterns of dynastic rule in the course of the first millennium of Islamic history.