The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-12-29


children by tho son Of his worst enemy and the
fostering discomfort broke out at last about
A. ID. $50. in n frightful massacre Of the whole
Ommiad clan. only one OF whom escaped. But
by this time tho lineal descendants of
Mohammcd by his daughter Faima aud
Ali had become very numerous. and
tho difficulty of reconciling their con-
fiictinR claims. rs we'll a. the dises'ecm
into which most OF them had fallen through
exile and poverty. led the chiefs OF the army to
prefer the claims OF athird family sprung from
Abbas. uncle Of Mohammed. In word the
Abbnsid title. to which, rs Is well known. the
Ottoman Sultan has laid claim since the middle
OF tho sixteenth century. was never accounted
good in Moslem law except 10y prescription. 1t
was founded noithor on election nor iuhcrit-
ance. and. 50 far as 1t affirmed relationship 10
the Prophet. was plainly superseded by the
Fatimite line. The glory Of the Ahbasidcs
lasted less than n hundred years. although
the family continued to reside for four
centuries ut Bagdnd. only 20 SEQ its
richest provinces successfully dsmem-
bered. and oven its spiritual Independence
compromised by usurpation pnd revolt. II Is
worth noting hero that tho Abhlsid Calphate
has for some eight hundred ycnrs been moro or
less closely associated with Turkish rulers. So
early IA 1858 Togrul-Deg. the chief of tho Sell
luke Turks. entered Bagdai In response to
the appeal OF the Abbasid Caliph. and released
him from dependence on tho shceite dynasty
OF Persia. By way Of rccomponse. the
Caliph transferred to him the temporal
sovereignty Of all the Mussulmau Stntcs. and
thcnceiorth sought to exercise only spiritual
authority. This state OF things seems To have
lasted for about three hundred years hut in tho
period Of anarchy which interviewed between
tho downfall Of tho Scukc Sulians AMI the
riso Of the Osmanls. the representatives of tho
now discredtcd Abbnsid claim took refuge in
Egypt. whore Sultan Sellm found the last de-
scendant ~ the line on his conquest Of that
country In the first halt OF ths sixteenth cen
fury. The Caliph wns induced 20 50 to Con
stnntInople. and there IN consideration OF
sum of money. made will hcqurathing %
Selim the titles OF Vicar and Commander Of tho
Faithful. AT the time. however. these honors
were noIninally conceded 10 the last ot the Alb
baslds only by portion ~ tho Moslem world.
nor Ind his tito bcen generally held valid since
the middle OF the ninth century outside Of tho
area controlled by the Sebuk or the Ottoman
arms.
Indeed. the house NJ Abbas had not been forty
years In possession OF the Culiphntc before u
notable Acknowledgement took place in the inter
est OF the descendants Of Mohammcd. In Isl
Edrls. great grandson Of Ali fed from Arabia
10 Mauritania which ho conquered. and whrrN
the Aide dynasty ruled during two hundred
years. II was the son oi Edris who built fc2. n
city famous ia the Arabic annals for the en-
couragement OF learning. BY the end OF tho
ninth century all northern Africa to tho cnst OF
Morocco. including tho present territories Of
Algicrs, Tunis. and Tripoli. with tho Islands Of
Sicily and Sardinia. WAS united in a formidable
empire by the Fatimite Calphs. The latter wcrc
the issue Of Oboidallah. who. like Edrs. claimed
10 DO u descendant Of FWimA. Mohammcd's
daughter. The fatimltes presently seized EgYpt.
where they built Cairo. which they made tho cap
ita of u Calphaie that for u time embraced Ara
bia. Palestine. and Syria 10 the gates Of Bagdad
With brief vicissltudes this dynasty maintained
itself In the Nile land W to the time Of Saladin or
say A. d. ITO. TN the other hand we find tho
prestige and authority Of tho Abbasid Caliphs
cut short at quite rs early date in the far East.
BY A. d. 500 Taher. General OF tho great Calip h
Almamoun. declared himself master Of khoris-
san and Turkstan; and although his descend
ants We're speedily displaced by the Sofardrs.
aud these again 10y the Samanidcs yet the
Oriental countries were forever lost to the
Abbasldes. Thus II appears that the title pur-
chased by Sultan Selim was OF doubtful authen-
tictY. and that its significance hinged almost
solely on the strength Of the arm which defended
IT, We observe. too. that AZ each crisis In tho lonl
history of the Abbasd claim tho danger to IL
spiritual authority has usually come from a
single source. namely. from the descendants OF
the Prophet. 1t IA well 10 bear In mind that
these descendants. who arc distinguished by a
green turba3 are at this day very numerous
throughout Anatola. In many cases tho proofs
Of RenealoEy have been sedulously preserved.
and 1t is probable that concaye OF Moscm
doctors could determine without great difficulty
which among those now living stands nearest
10 Mohammed. II we choose TO Imagine the co.
incidence Of a dvnastic and n religious revol Il
ton: II n lincnl representative of Mohammcl
could be found to head one OF those great moral
upheHvals which carried the Almoravldes and
Almohades into power in northern Africa and
which. In our own day has engendered the
Wahabito movement in central Arabia II would
not be easy to forecast or TO control the changes
which might oyertake the Moslem world
The tolerably complete Information furnished
by this book upon the interesting subjects
above glanced nj will probably serve to com
mend the volume 20 the reader We must add.
however. that some errors have hero and thcro
crept into the narrative Most Of these occur
in connection with English history. and since
some Of them seem 10 have acquired tenacious
| footing In popular literature. il may be well t.
| cofIect Mein ne huthpF fil4H tNc German
settlers. who founded under Hengist the king
dom OF Kent, Saxons. and speaks Of the Seven
Kingdoms formed by the two nations saxons
and Angles in England. The fact is. Of course.
that the men who came with Hcngist were
| Jutes who dwelt In the north Of Denmark and
| over the south OF Sweden: we may add that
other bands from the same tribe subsequently
| founded another settlement on the British
coast known as tho Kingdom OF tho Isle
OF Wight. At one time or another thcro were
no less than eleven English kingdoms in
Britain. OF which the SaXons. who came from
| Frlesand and Hanover. founded four. namely:
Wesscx. Essex. Sussex. and Midflosex London
| being the capital Of the latter, and not Of Essex
| RS this book gives It. On the other hand. the
Angles. who had lived in tho south Of Denmark
and in what il now called Schioswig Holstcin.
settled the Ave kingdoms Of Bernicia. Deira
Lincoln. Mercia. or the March land. and East
Anglia. All the invaders came 10 DO known Ms
Englishmen to the nations of southern Europe.
for the reason that the first cnptiyes brought n
| Rome happened 10 BE- Angles. and they were all
| collectively called SaXons by the Welsh because