The Structure of Authority and Political Legitimacy in the Buyid State: The Nexus of Shi'ism and Bureaucracy
Keywords:
Buyid dynasty, political legitimacy, bureaucracy, Shiʿism, Islamic state, Abbasid caliphate, Iranian Islamic historyAbstract
This article investigates the structure of authority and political legitimacy in the Buyid dynasty, which ruled from the 10th to the 11th century CE across regions from Iraq to central Iran. As one of the earliest successful models of integrating Iranian bureaucratic tradition with Shiʿite political-religious discourse, the Buyids reconstructed the institution of state beyond the weakening Abbasid Caliphate. Utilizing a historical-analytical approach and drawing on both primary and secondary sources, this study demonstrates how the Buyids established political legitimacy through a synthesis of Sasanian-derived administrative structures, the appointment of Shiʿite scholars and viziers, and the institutionalization of Shiʿite rituals and symbols in governance. Findings reveal that while the Abbasid caliphate was retained nominally, actual power was concentrated in the Buyid emirate, supported by an efficient bureaucracy and a Shiʿite ideological framework. Shiʿism functioned not only as a religious belief system but as a legitimizing political discourse, visibly manifested in public ceremonies such as Ashura, Eid al-Ghadir, religious sermons, and official coinage. The article offers a detailed analysis of the military apparatus, administrative system, interactions with local elites, and strategic use of religious symbolism to consolidate authority. It concludes that the Buyid state represents a crucial transitional moment in Islamic political history—bridging the collapse of caliphal sovereignty and the emergence of legitimate Shiʿite monarchies, a legacy later institutionalized by the Safavids.
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