Imams of Yemen
Encyclopedia
The Imams of Yemen and later the Kings of Yemen were religiously consecrated leaders belonging to the Zaidiyyah
branch of Shia Islam. They established a blend of religious and secular rule in parts of Yemen
from 897. Their imamate endured under varying circumstances until the republican revolution
in 1962. Zaidiyyah theology differed from Ismailis or Twelver Shi'ites by stressing the presence of an active and visible imam as leader. The imam was expected to be knowledgeable in religious sciences, and to prove himself a worthy headman of the community, even in battle if this was necessary. A claimant of the imamate would proclaim a "call" (da'wa), and there were not infrequently more than one claimant.
Yahya, however, was not able to consolidate his rule in all of Yemen; there were revolts as well as segments of the population that did not accept his pretensions to religio-political rule. Although he did not succeed in establishing any permanent administrative infrastructure, Yahya's descendants became the local aristocracy, and it is from among them that the imams of Yemen were selected for the next one thousand years.
Yemen throughout most of that period was only rarely a unified political entity; in fact, what was included within its frontiers varied widely, and it has not been governed consistently or uniformly by any single set of rulers. It existed as a part of a number of different political systems/ruling dynasties between the ninth and sixteenth centuries, after which it became a part of the Ottoman Empire.
After Imam Yahya's death, a multitude of smaller dynasties and families established themselves in the Tihama (the low coastal plain) as well as in the highlands. Among the better known of these are the Sulayhids, the Hatims, the Zuray'ids, and the Yu'firids. It was during this period, when the Fatimid state was influential, that a portion of the population was converted to Ismaʿili Shiʿism.
Beginning with the conquest of Yemen by the family of Salah al-Din ibn Ayyub (Saladin) in 1174, a series of dynasties exercised a modicum of control and administration in Yemen for roughly the next 400 years; these are, in chronological sequence, the Ayyubids, from 1173/74 to 1228; the Rasulids, from 1228 to 1454; the Tahirids, from 1454 to 1517; and the Mamluks, from 1517 to 1538, when the Ottoman Empire took the Yemeni Tihama.
During most of this period, the dynasties and their rulers were primarily engaged in familial, regional, and occasionally sectarian disputes. Ironically, the Sunni Rasulids, who eventually concentrated their rule in southern Yemen for precisely that reason, were the dynasty under which the region experienced the greatest economic growth and political stability.
Very little is known about the Zaydi imams and their efforts to establish themselves and develop some form of administration (including tax collection), or their success in promoting Zaydi goals during this period. From the available evidence, there was very little continuity and a great deal of competition among the Zaydi families and clans. For example, in a presumably representative two-hundred-year period from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries, there appear to have been more than twenty different candidates for the imamate, representing more than ten distinct clans.
Eventually, as the Europeans entered the Middle East, specifically the Portuguese and then others in the effort to control the Red Sea trade, Yemen and its Zaydi imams were increasingly unable to maintain their independence. It was not until the ascendancy of Imam Qasim ibn Muhammad and his son al-Mu'ayyad Muhammad in the early seventeenth century that the Zaydi Yemenis were able to resist the Ottoman Empire's forces and become an independent political entity.
The first five years of President Al-Sallal’s rule, from 1962 to 1967, comprised the first chapter in the history of North Yemen. Marked by the revolution that began it, this period witnessed a lengthy civil war between Yemeni republican forces, based in the cities and supported by Egypt, and the royalist supporters of the deposed imam, backed by Saudi Arabia and Jordan. In 1965 Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser met with King Faisal of Saudi Arabia to consider a possible settlement to the civil war. The meeting resulted in an agreement whereby both countries pledged to end their involvement and allow the people of North Yemen to choose their own government. Subsequent peace conferences were ineffectual, however, and fighting flared up again in 1966.
By 1967 the war had reached a stalemate, and the republicans had split into opposing factions concerning relations with Egypt and Saudi Arabia. In late 1967 Al-Sallal’s government was overthrown and he was replaced as president by Abdul Rahman al-Iryani. Fighting continued until 1970, when Saudi Arabia halted its aid to royalists and established diplomatic ties with North Yemen. Al-Iryani effected the long-sought truce between republican and royalist forces, and presided over the adoption of a democratic constitution in 1970.
In June 1974 military officers led by Colonel Ibrahim al-Hamdi staged a bloodless coup, claiming that the government of Al-Iryani had become ineffective. The constitution was suspended, and executive power was vested in a command council, dominated by the military. Al-Hamdi chaired the council and attempted to strengthen and restructure politics in North Yemen. Al-Hamdi was assassinated in 1977, and his successor, former Chief of Staff Ahmed Hussein al-Ghashmi, was killed in June 1978. The lengthy tenure of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who ruled North Yemen from 1978 until it merged with South Yemen in 1990, proved more stable. Saleh strengthened the political system, while an influx of foreign aid and the discovery of oil in North Yemen held out the prospect of economic expansion and development.
. The first of the ruling line, his grandson al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya
, was born in Medina
and summoned to govern the highland tribes of Yemen in 893 and again in 896-97. He introduced practices that evolved into the particular Yemenite Zaidiyyah brand. He could not, however, create an enduring state, due to the strong localism persisting in the region. For long periods during the Middle Ages
the imams were marginalized by other Muslim
dynasties in the area, such as the Rasulid
(1229-1454) and Tahiride
(1454-1517) dynasties. The Ottoman Turks
ruled from the lowlands in the period 1538-1636, and defeated the Zaidiyyah. From the early 17th century one the Rassid branches, the Qasimids, managed to gather the entire Yemen under their authority and expel the Turks. For a time, the imams ruled a comprehensive territory, including South Yemen and areas even further to the east. Their economic base was strengthened by the coffee trade of the coastal entrepot Mocha
. Unlike in the previous practice, the Qasimids ruled as a hereditary dynasty. The power of the imamate
declined in the 18th and 19th century, especially in the wake of the Wahhabi invasions after 1800. It was further eclipsed by the second coming of the Turks to lowland Yemen in 1848, and to the highlands in 1872. The occupants were eventually driven out by 1918, by a Qasimid side-branch which inaugurated the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen
. The ruling imams, also called kings (malik
), were in charge of North Yemen
up to 1962 when the last one was deposed, and the Yemen Arab Republic
was proclaimed.
For continuation of leadership after 1962, see President of Yemen Arab Republic
.
Zaidiyyah
Zaidiyya, or Zaidism is a Shi'a Muslim school of thought named after Zayd ibn ʻAlī, the grandson of Husayn ibn ʻAlī. Followers of the Zaydi Islamic jurisprudence are called Zaydi Shi'a...
branch of Shia Islam. They established a blend of religious and secular rule in parts of Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
from 897. Their imamate endured under varying circumstances until the republican revolution
History of Yemen
Yemen is one of the oldest centers of civilization in the Near East. Its relatively fertile land and adequate rainfall in a moister climate helped sustain a stable population, a feature recognized by the ancient Greek geographer Ptolemy, who described Yemen as Eudaimon Arabia meaning "fortunate...
in 1962. Zaidiyyah theology differed from Ismailis or Twelver Shi'ites by stressing the presence of an active and visible imam as leader. The imam was expected to be knowledgeable in religious sciences, and to prove himself a worthy headman of the community, even in battle if this was necessary. A claimant of the imamate would proclaim a "call" (da'wa), and there were not infrequently more than one claimant.
History
The Zaydi imamate in Yemen has its origins in 897, when al-Hadi ila al-Haqq Yahya became the first Zaydi imam (with his seat in Saʿda). His fame as an intellectual as well as a leader led to the invitation to Yemen; there he developed a multitude of policies that eventually became the basic guidelines for the religious as well as political characteristics of Yemeni Zaydism.Yahya, however, was not able to consolidate his rule in all of Yemen; there were revolts as well as segments of the population that did not accept his pretensions to religio-political rule. Although he did not succeed in establishing any permanent administrative infrastructure, Yahya's descendants became the local aristocracy, and it is from among them that the imams of Yemen were selected for the next one thousand years.
Yemen throughout most of that period was only rarely a unified political entity; in fact, what was included within its frontiers varied widely, and it has not been governed consistently or uniformly by any single set of rulers. It existed as a part of a number of different political systems/ruling dynasties between the ninth and sixteenth centuries, after which it became a part of the Ottoman Empire.
After Imam Yahya's death, a multitude of smaller dynasties and families established themselves in the Tihama (the low coastal plain) as well as in the highlands. Among the better known of these are the Sulayhids, the Hatims, the Zuray'ids, and the Yu'firids. It was during this period, when the Fatimid state was influential, that a portion of the population was converted to Ismaʿili Shiʿism.
Beginning with the conquest of Yemen by the family of Salah al-Din ibn Ayyub (Saladin) in 1174, a series of dynasties exercised a modicum of control and administration in Yemen for roughly the next 400 years; these are, in chronological sequence, the Ayyubids, from 1173/74 to 1228; the Rasulids, from 1228 to 1454; the Tahirids, from 1454 to 1517; and the Mamluks, from 1517 to 1538, when the Ottoman Empire took the Yemeni Tihama.
During most of this period, the dynasties and their rulers were primarily engaged in familial, regional, and occasionally sectarian disputes. Ironically, the Sunni Rasulids, who eventually concentrated their rule in southern Yemen for precisely that reason, were the dynasty under which the region experienced the greatest economic growth and political stability.
Very little is known about the Zaydi imams and their efforts to establish themselves and develop some form of administration (including tax collection), or their success in promoting Zaydi goals during this period. From the available evidence, there was very little continuity and a great deal of competition among the Zaydi families and clans. For example, in a presumably representative two-hundred-year period from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries, there appear to have been more than twenty different candidates for the imamate, representing more than ten distinct clans.
Eventually, as the Europeans entered the Middle East, specifically the Portuguese and then others in the effort to control the Red Sea trade, Yemen and its Zaydi imams were increasingly unable to maintain their independence. It was not until the ascendancy of Imam Qasim ibn Muhammad and his son al-Mu'ayyad Muhammad in the early seventeenth century that the Zaydi Yemenis were able to resist the Ottoman Empire's forces and become an independent political entity.
Modern history
For the next 44 years North Yemen was ruled by two powerful imams. Imam Yahya ibn Muhammad and his son Ahmad created a king-state there much as the kings of England and France had done centuries earlier. The two imams strengthened the state and secured its borders. They used the imamate to insulate Yemen and revitalize its Islamic culture and society at a time when traditional societies around the world were declining under imperial rule. While Yemen under the two imams seemed almost frozen in time, a small but increasing number of Yemenis became aware of the contrast between an autocratic society they saw as stagnant and the political and economic modernization occurring in other parts of the world. This produced an important chain of events: the birth of the nationalist Free Yemeni Movement in the mid-1940s, an aborted 1948 revolution in which Imam Yahya was killed, a failed 1955 coup against Imam Ahmad, and finally, the 1962 revolution in which the imam was deposed by a group of nationalist officers and the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR) was proclaimed under the leadership of Abdullah al-Sallal.The first five years of President Al-Sallal’s rule, from 1962 to 1967, comprised the first chapter in the history of North Yemen. Marked by the revolution that began it, this period witnessed a lengthy civil war between Yemeni republican forces, based in the cities and supported by Egypt, and the royalist supporters of the deposed imam, backed by Saudi Arabia and Jordan. In 1965 Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser met with King Faisal of Saudi Arabia to consider a possible settlement to the civil war. The meeting resulted in an agreement whereby both countries pledged to end their involvement and allow the people of North Yemen to choose their own government. Subsequent peace conferences were ineffectual, however, and fighting flared up again in 1966.
By 1967 the war had reached a stalemate, and the republicans had split into opposing factions concerning relations with Egypt and Saudi Arabia. In late 1967 Al-Sallal’s government was overthrown and he was replaced as president by Abdul Rahman al-Iryani. Fighting continued until 1970, when Saudi Arabia halted its aid to royalists and established diplomatic ties with North Yemen. Al-Iryani effected the long-sought truce between republican and royalist forces, and presided over the adoption of a democratic constitution in 1970.
In June 1974 military officers led by Colonel Ibrahim al-Hamdi staged a bloodless coup, claiming that the government of Al-Iryani had become ineffective. The constitution was suspended, and executive power was vested in a command council, dominated by the military. Al-Hamdi chaired the council and attempted to strengthen and restructure politics in North Yemen. Al-Hamdi was assassinated in 1977, and his successor, former Chief of Staff Ahmed Hussein al-Ghashmi, was killed in June 1978. The lengthy tenure of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who ruled North Yemen from 1978 until it merged with South Yemen in 1990, proved more stable. Saleh strengthened the political system, while an influx of foreign aid and the discovery of oil in North Yemen held out the prospect of economic expansion and development.
Political history
The imams based their legitimacy on descent from the Prophet Muhammad, mostly via al-Qasim ar-Rassi (d. 860). After him, the medieval imams are sometimes known as RassidsRassids
The Imams of Yemen and later the Kings of Yemen were religiously consecrated leaders belonging to the Zaidiyyah branch of Shia Islam. They established a blend of religious and secular rule in parts of Yemen from 897. Their imamate endured under varying circumstances until the republican revolution...
. The first of the ruling line, his grandson al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya
Al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya
Al-Hadi ila’l-Haqq Yahya was a religious and political leader on the Arabian Peninsula. He was the first Zaydiyya imam who ruled over portions of Yemen, in 897-911, and is the ancestor of the Rassid Dynasty which held intermittent power in Yemen until 1962.-Background:Yahya bin al-Husayn bin...
, was born in Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
and summoned to govern the highland tribes of Yemen in 893 and again in 896-97. He introduced practices that evolved into the particular Yemenite Zaidiyyah brand. He could not, however, create an enduring state, due to the strong localism persisting in the region. For long periods during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the imams were marginalized by other Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
dynasties in the area, such as the Rasulid
Rasulid
The Rasulid was a Muslim dynasty that ruled Yemen and Hadhramaut from 1229 to 1454. The Rasulids assumed power after the Egyptian Ayyubid left the southern provinces of the Arabian Peninsula....
(1229-1454) and Tahiride
Tahiride
The Tahiride was an Arab Muslim dynasty that ruled Yemen and the Hadramawt from 1454 to 1526.The Tahiride Rulers, who took power at the end of a period of anarchy that followed the collapse of the Rasulid dynasty in the mid-15th century, tried to imitate Bani Rasool...
(1454-1517) dynasties. The Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
ruled from the lowlands in the period 1538-1636, and defeated the Zaidiyyah. From the early 17th century one the Rassid branches, the Qasimids, managed to gather the entire Yemen under their authority and expel the Turks. For a time, the imams ruled a comprehensive territory, including South Yemen and areas even further to the east. Their economic base was strengthened by the coffee trade of the coastal entrepot Mocha
Mocha, Yemen
Mocha or Mokha is a port city on the Red Sea coast of Yemen. Until it was eclipsed in the 19th century by Aden and Hodeida, Mocha was the principal port for Yemen's capital Sana'a.-Overview:...
. Unlike in the previous practice, the Qasimids ruled as a hereditary dynasty. The power of the imamate
Imamate
The word Imamate is an Arabic word with an English language suffix meaning leadership. Its use in theology is confined to Islam.-Theological usage:...
declined in the 18th and 19th century, especially in the wake of the Wahhabi invasions after 1800. It was further eclipsed by the second coming of the Turks to lowland Yemen in 1848, and to the highlands in 1872. The occupants were eventually driven out by 1918, by a Qasimid side-branch which inaugurated the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen
Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen
The Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen , sometimes spelled Mutawakelite Kingdom of Yemen, also known as the Kingdom of Yemen or as North Yemen, was a country from 1918 to 1962 in the northern part of what is now Yemen...
. The ruling imams, also called kings (malik
Malik
Malik is an Arabic word meaning "king, chieftain".It has been adopted in various other, mainly Islamized or Arabized, Asian languages for their ruling princes and to render kings elsewhere. It is also sometimes used in derived meanings...
), were in charge of North Yemen
North Yemen
North Yemen is a term currently used to designate the Yemen Arab Republic , its predecessor, the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen , and their predecessors that exercised sovereignty over the territory that is now the north-western part of the state of Yemen in southern Arabia.Neither state ever...
up to 1962 when the last one was deposed, and the Yemen Arab Republic
Yemen Arab Republic
The Yemen Arab Republic , also known as North Yemen or Yemen , was a country from 1962 to 1990 in the western part of what is now Yemen...
was proclaimed.
List of imams
There is no uncontroversial list of imams of Yemen, since many imams were not universally recognized, and sometimes eclipsed by the rule of lowland dynasties or by the Turks. The following list is fairly inclusive.- al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq YahyaAl-Hadi ila'l-Haqq YahyaAl-Hadi ila’l-Haqq Yahya was a religious and political leader on the Arabian Peninsula. He was the first Zaydiyya imam who ruled over portions of Yemen, in 897-911, and is the ancestor of the Rassid Dynasty which held intermittent power in Yemen until 1962.-Background:Yahya bin al-Husayn bin...
bin al-Husayn bin al-Qasim ar-Rassi 897-911 (descendant of the Prophet)
- al-Murtada MuhammadAl-Murtada MuhammadAl-Murtada Muhammad was the second imam of the Zaidi state of Yemen, who ruled from 911 to 912 and was a respected religious scholar.-Youth:...
911-913, d. 922 (son)
- an-Nasir AhmadAn-Nasir AhmadAn-Nasir Ahmad was the third imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen. Through his active leadership he confirmed and expanded the polity founded by his two predecessors.-Early years and succession:...
913-934 or 937 (brother)
- al-Muntakhab al-HasanAl-Muntakhab al-HasanAl-Muntakhab al-Hasan was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen in the period 934-936. He was the fourth ruler of the Rasssid DynastyAl-Hasan bin Ahmad was the third of the six sons of imam an-Nasir Ahmad...
934-936 or 939 (son)
- al-Mukhtar al-QasimAl-Mukhtar al-QasimAl-Mukhtar al-Qasim was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen, who held or claimed power from 936 to 956.Al-Qasim bin Ahmad was the eldest son of the imam an-Nasir Ahmad who died in 934. An-Nasir's death ushered into a period of internal political turbulence among the Zaidis of highland Yemen...
936-956 (brother)
- al-Mansur YahyaAl-Mansur YahyaAl-Mansur Yahya was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen, whose tenure as imam is counted from 934 to 976.Yahya bin Ahmad was the fifth son of the imam an-Nasir Ahmad. Even before the death of an-Nasir in 934, three of his sons quarreled bitterly among themselves...
934-976 (brother)
- ad-Da'i YusufAd-Da'i YusufAd-Da'i Yusuf was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled for two highly turbulent terms .-Struggles against Yu'firids and Ziyadids:...
977-999 (son)
- al-Mansur al-Qasim al-IyyaniAl-Mansur al-Qasim al-IyyaniAl-Mansur al-Qasim al-Iyyani was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who briefly reestablished a comprehensive Zaidi realm in the years 999-1002.-Early activities:...
bin Ali 999-1002 (descended from a cousin of al Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya)
- ad-Da'i YusufAd-Da'i YusufAd-Da'i Yusuf was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled for two highly turbulent terms .-Struggles against Yu'firids and Ziyadids:...
1002-1012 (second term)
- al-Mahdi al-HusaynAl-Mahdi al-Husaynal-Mahdi al-Husayn was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who claimed power in the years 1003-1013, in rivalry with another imam....
1003-1013 (son of al-Mansur al-Qasim)
- al-Mu'ayyad AhmadAl-Mu'ayyad AhmadAl-Mu'ayyad Ahmad was an imam of the Zaydiyyah sect.Al-Mu'ayyad Ahmad's ancestor in the tenth degree was the Twelver imam Hasan bin Ali. He was a disciple of Abu Abdallah al-Basri and the qa'i Abd al-Jabbar, and a learned expert on the Ahl al-Bayt concept...
bin al-Husayn 1013-1020 (not resident in Yemen; descended from the Prophet via another branch)
- Abu Talib YahyaAbu Talib YahyaAbu Talib Yahya was an imam of the Zaydiyyah sect in 1020-1033.Like his elder brother and predecessor al-Mu'ayyad Ahmad, Abu Talib Yahya was a prominent man of learning and a descendant of the Twelver imam Hasan bin Ali. He succeeded al-Mu'ayyad Ahmad in the imamate of the Zaidi territories in...
1020-1033 (not resident in Yemen; brother)
- al-Mu’id li-Din IllahAl-Mu’id li-Din IllahAl-Mu'id li-Din Illah was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who reigned in the period 1027-1030.After 1002, the Zaidi imamate in highland Yemen was contested between various claimants. A Caspian Zaidi leader in Persia, Abu Talib Yahya, is sometimes formally counted as imam in the period...
1027-1030 (of obscure origins)
- Abu Hashim al-HasanAbu Hashim al-HasanAbu Hashim al-Hasan was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled part of the Yemeni highland in 1031-1040.Abu Hashim al-Hasan was a fifth-generation descendant of al-Qasim ar-Rassi , the theological portal figure of Zaydiyyah Islam. In 1031, the year after the violent death of the former imam...
1031-1040 (descended from a brother of al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya)
- Abu'l-Fath an-Nasir ad-DailamiAbu'l-Fath an-Nasir ad-DailamiAbu'l-Fath an-Nasir ad-Dailami was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled from c. 1038 to 1053.-From Deylaman to Yemen :Abu'l-Fath was a Sayyid but not a member of the dynasty of the Rassids. He traced his descent from Zaid bin al-Hasan bin Ali, grandson of the caliph Ali...
bin al-Husayn 1038-1053 (descended from the Prophet via another branch)
- al-Muhtasib al-Mujahid HamzahAl-Muhtasib al-Mujahid HamzahAl-Muhtasib al-Mujahid Hamzah was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled in 1060-1066.Hamzah was the son of the imam Abu Hashim al-Hasan, and assisted his father when he proclaimed his da'wa in 1031. After the death of imam Abu'l-Fath an-Nasir ad-Dailami in 1053 at the battle of...
1060-1066 (son of Abu Hashim al-Hasan)
- al-Mutawakkil Ahmad bin SulaymanAl-Mutawakkil Ahmad bin SulaymanAl-Mutawakkil Ahmad bin Sulayman was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who revived the polity after a long interregnum, wielding power in 1138-1171.-Rise to the imamate:...
1138-1171 (descended from an-Nasir Ahmad)
- al-Mansur AbdallahAl-Mansur AbdallahAl-Mansur Abdallah , was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who held the imamate from 1187 to 1217.-Background:...
bin Hamzah 1187-1217 (descended from al-Muhtasib al-Mujahid Hamzah)
- an-Nasir MuhammadAn-Nasir Muhammad bin AbdallahAn-Nasir Muhammad bin Abdallah was an imam of part of the Zaidi state in Yemen, who ruled in 1217-1226 in rivalry with a contender.-Appointment as imam muhtasib:...
1217-1226 (son)
- al-Hadi YahyaAl-Hadi YahyaAl-Hadi Yahya was an imam of part of the Zaidi state in Yemen. He ruled from 1217 to 1239, partly in rivalry with a contender.Najm ad-Din Yahya bin Muhsin was a seventh-generation descendant of imam al-Mukhtar al-Qasim...
bin Muhsin 1217-1239 (descended from al-Mukhtar al-Qasim)
- al-Mahdi Ahmad bin al-HusaynAl-Mahdi Ahmad bin al-HusaynAl-Mahdi Ahmad bin al-Husayn was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled in the period 1248-1258 and was considered by some a sacred figure on account of his violent end in battle.-Assumption of the imamate:...
1248-1258 (descended from cousin of al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya)
- al-Hasan bin WahhasAl-Hasan bin WahhasAl-Hasan bin Wahhas was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled in 1258-1260.The previous imam al-Mahdi Ahmad bin al-Husayn made a number of enemies among the Zaidi elite during his lifetime, which eventually resulted in his violent death in the Battle of Shuwaba in 1258...
1258-1260, d. 1285 (descended from al-Muhtasib al-Mujahid Hamzah)
- Yahya bin Muhammad as-SirajiYahya bin Muhammad as-SirajiYahya bin Muhammad as-Siraji was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who held the imamate in 1261-1262.At this time, most of Yemen was under the control of the Rasulid Dynasty which was Sunni Muslim and based in the lowland. In the northern parts of the highland, members of the Zaidi elite tried...
1261-1262, d. 1296 (descended from al-Hasan bin Ali bin Abi Talib)
- al-Mansur al-HasanAl-Mansur al-HasanAl-Mansur al-Hasan was an imam of the Zaidi state of Yemen who ruled in 1262-1271.Al-Hasan bin Badr ad-Din came from the same family as imam al-Hadi Yahya . When the former imam Yahya bin Muhammad as-Siraji was blinded by the Rasulid governor in San'a in 1262, al-Hasan emerged as imam under the...
bin Badr ad-Din 1262-1271 (son of a cousin of al-Hadi Yahya)
- al-Mahdi IbrahimAl-Mahdi IbrahimAl-Mahdi Ibrahim was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen whose imamate lasted from 1272 to 1276.-Proclamation of the imamate:...
bin Ahmad Taj ad-Din 1272-1276, d. 1284 (nephew)
- al-Mutawakkil al-Mutahhar bin YahyaAl-Mutawakkil al-Mutahhar bin YahyaAl-Mutawakkil al-Mutahhar bin Yahya was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen whose imamate lasted from 1276 to 1298.-Internal Zaidi rivalries:...
bin al-Murtada 1276-1298 (descended from an-Nasir Ahmad)
- al-Mahdi MuhammadAl-Mahdi Muhammad bin al-MutahharAl-Mahdi Muhammad bin al-Mutahhar was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled from 1301 to 1328.-Zaidi victory over the Rasulids:...
1301-1328 (son)
- al-Mu'ayyad YahyaAl-Mu'ayyad YahyaAl-Mu'ayyad Yahya was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen whose tenure of the imamate lasted from 1328 to 1346.Yahya bin Hamza was a member of the Zaidi elite, but not of the dynasty of the Rassids that usually provided imams. He was a 13th-generation descendant of the Twelver imam Ali ar-Ridha...
bin Hamzah 1328-1346 (descended from Twelver imam Ali ar-Ridha)
- an-Nasir Ali bin SalahAn-Nasir Ali bin SalahAn-Nasir Ali bin Salah was a claimant to the Zaidi state in Yemen, acting in rivalry with other pretenders in 1328–1329.Ali bin Salah bin Ibrahim was a grandson of the imam al-Mahdi Ibrahim who died in Rasulid captivity in 1284. When Imam al-Mahdi Muhammad bin al-Mutahhar died in 1328, a turbulent...
1328-1329 (grandson of al-Mahdi Ibrahim)
- Ahmad bin Ali al-FathiAhmad bin Ali al-FathiAhmad bin Ali al-Fathi was a claimant to the Zaidi state in Yemen, who posed as imam in 1329-1349, in rivalry with other figures.Ahmad bin Ali al-Fathi was a seventh-generation descendant of Imam Abu'l-Fath an-Nasir ad-Dailami . He originated from the village Wakash in the Bani Matar area west of...
1329-1349 (descended from Abu'l-Fath an-Nasir ad-Dailami)
- al-Wathiq al-MutahharAl-Wathiq al-MutahharAl-Wathiq al-Mutahhar was an imam of the Zaidi state of Yemen, who was also a poet. A native of As Sudah, he was the son of the powerful imam al-Mahdi Muhammad bin al-Mutahhar who died in 1328. After the death of al-Mahdi, no less than four would-be imams tried to assert their authority over the...
1349 (son of al-Mahdi Muhammad)
- al-Mahdi Ali bin MuhammadAl-Mahdi AliAl-Mahdi Ali was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled in 1349-1372.-Acquiring the Zaidi imamate:The Yemeni imamate in the highlands was often contested by rival claimants in this era. Ali bin Muhammad al-Hosni was born in the village al-Ahani in the Sa'dah area in northern Yemen...
1349-1372 (descended from ad-Da'i Yusuf)
- al-Nasir Muhammad Salah al-DinAl-Nasir Muhammad Salah al-DinAl-Nasir Muhammad Salah al-Din or al-Nasir li Din Allah Muhammad Salah al-Din ibn Ali al-Mahdi was an imam of Yemen who ruled during the period 1372-1391...
1372-1391 (son)
- al-Mansur AliAl-Mansur Ali bin Salah ad-DinAl-Mansur Ali bin Salah ad-Din was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled in 1391-1436, partly in rivalry with other claimants to the imamate.-Contest over the imamate:...
1391-1436 (son)
- al-Mahdi Ahmad bin YahyaAl-Mahdi Ahmad bin YahyaAl-Mahdi Ahmad bin Yahya was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who briefly held the imamate in 1391-1392.Ahmad bin Yahya was a 12th-generation descendant of the Zaidi imam ad-Da'i Yusuf , and was born in either 1363 or 1373. He was very well educated and a prolific writer in various subjects...
bin al-Murtada 1391-1392, d. 1436 (descended from ad-Da'i Yusuf)
- al-Hadi AliAl-Hadi AliAl-Hadi Ali was a claimant to the Zaidi state in Yemen, who posed as imam from 1393 to 1432 in rivalry with another prince.Ali bin al-Mu'ayyad was a fifth-generation descendant of the imam al-Hadi Yahya...
bin al-Muayyad 1393-1432 (descended from al-Hadi Yahya)
- al-Mahdi Salah ad-DinAl-Mahdi Salah ad-DinAl-Mahdi Salah ad-Din was a claimant for the Zaidi state in Yemen, whose tenure as imam is counted from 1436 to 1445.Salah ad-Din bin Ali was a descendant of the imam al-Mansur Yahya in the thirteenth generation. His father was the well-known Zaidi scholar Ali bin Muhammad bin Abu'l-Qasim, who...
bin Ali 1436-1445 (descended from al-Mansur Yahya)
- al-Mansur an-NasirAl-Mansur an-NasirAl-Mansur an-Nasir was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who held power in parts of the northern Yemeni highland in 1436-1462.The old imam al-Mansur Ali bin Salah ad-Din died from the plague in 1436. His position was then claimed by three different Sayyids, of which one was al-Mansur an-Nasir...
bin Muhammad 1436-1462 (great-great-grandson of al-Mutawakkil al-Mutahhar bin Yahya)
- al-Mutawakkil al-MutahharAl-Mutawakkil al-MutahharAl-Mutawakkil al-Mutahhar was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled between 1436 and 1474, in rivalry with other claimants for the imamate.-Rivalry for the imamate:...
bin Muhammad 1436-1474 (descended from brother of Abu Hashim al-Hasan)
- al-Mu’ayyad MuhammadAl-Mu’ayyad MuhammadAl-Mu'ayyad Muhammad was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled in parts of the Yemeni highland including San'a in 1462-1503.-Repulsing the Tahirides:...
1462-1503 (son of al-Mansur an-Nasir)
- an-Nasir Muhammad bin YusufAn-Nasir Muhammad bin YusufAn-Nasir Muhammad bin Yusuf was a contender for the Zaidi state in Yemen, whose term as imam is counted from 1474 to 1488....
1474-1488 (descended from al-Mahdi Ali)
- al-Hadi Izz ad-DinAl-Hadi Izz ad-dinAl-Hadi Izz ad-Din was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen, who held the imamate in 1474-1495 in rivalry with other claimants....
bin al-Hasan 1474-1495 (grandson of al-Hadi Ali)
- al-Mansur MuhammadAl-Mansur MuhammadAl-Mansur Muhammad was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled in 1475-1504, in rivalry with other claimants for the imamate.-Zaidi disunity:...
bin Ali al-Washali 1475-1504 (descended from Yahya bin Muhammad as-Siraji)
- an-Nasir al-HasanAn-Nasir al-HasanAn-Nasir al-Hasan was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen, who exerted a limited authority in the northern Yemeni highland in 1495-1523....
1495-1523 (son of al-Hadi Izz-ad-Din)
- al-Mutawakkil Yahya Sharaf ad-DinAl-Mutawakkil Yahya Sharaf ad-DinAl-Mutawakkil Yahya Sharaf ad-Din was an imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen. His period as imam covered the period 1506-1555, though his political activity ended in about 1547.-Construction of a new Zaidi realm:...
bin Shams-ad-Din 1506-1555 (grandson of al-Mahdi Ahmad)
- al-MutahharAl-MutahharAl-Mutahhar was an imam of the Zaidi state of Yemen who ruled from 1547 to 1572. His era marked the temporary end of an autonomous Yemeni polity in the highlands.-The coming of the Ottomans:...
1547-1572 (son)
- an-Nasir al-Hasan bin AliAn-Nasir al-Hasan bin AliAn-Nasir al-Hasan bin Ali was a claimant to the Zaidi state of Yemen between 1579 and 1585, in opposition to the Ottoman Turks who occupied the Yemeni lands since years.-Anti-Ottoman risings:...
1579-1585 (descended from al-Hadi Ali)
- al-Mansur al-QasimAl-Mansur al-QasimAl-Mansur al-Qasim , with the cognomen al-Kabir , was an Imam of Yemen, who commenced the struggle to liberate Yemen from the Ottoman occupiers...
bin Muhammad 1597-1620 (descended from ad-Da'i Yusuf)
- al-Mu'ayyad MuhammadAl-Mu'ayyad MuhammadAl-Mu'ayyad Muhammad was an Imam of Yemen who belonged to the Qasimid family, descendants of the Prophet Muhammad...
I 1620-1644 (son)
- al-Mutawakkil Isma'ilAl-Mutawakkil Isma'ilAl-Mutawakkil Isma'il was an Imam of Yemen who ruled the country in the years 1644-1676. He belonged to the Qasimid family, descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. His rule saw the greatest territorial extension of the Yemeni state....
1644-1676 (brother)
- al-Mahdi AhmadAl-Mahdi AhmadAl-Mahdi Ahmad was an Imam of Yemen, who ruled in 1676-1681. He belonged to the Qasimid family that was descended from the Prophet Muhammad.-Struggle for the imamate:...
bin al-Hasan 1676-1681 (nephew)
- al-Mu'ayyad Muhammad IIAl-Mu'ayyad Muhammad IIAl-Mu'ayyad Muhammad II was an Imam of Yemen who ruled in 1681–1686. He belonged to the Qasimid family which descended from the Prophet Muhammad and dominated the Zaidi imamate in 1597–1962.Muhammad was a son of the imam al-Mutawakkil Isma'il. When his cousin and predecessor al-Mahdi Ahmad died in...
1681-1686 (son of al-Mutawakkil Isma'il)
- al-Mahdi MuhammadAl-Mahdi MuhammadAl-Mahdi Muhammad was an Imam of Yemen who ruled in 1686-1718. He belonged to the Qasimid family that was descended from the Prophet Muhammad and dominated the Zaidi imamate in 1597-1962.-Way to power:...
1687-1718 (son of al-Mahdi Ahmad)
- al-Mansur al-HusaynAl-Mansur al-HusaynAl-Mansur al-Husayn was an Imam over parts of Yemen, who ruled in rivalry with other competitors in 1716-1720. He belonged to the Qasimid family who dominated the Zaidi imamate of Yemen in 1597-1962.Al-Husayn bin al-Qasim was a grandson of the imam al-Mu'ayyad Muhammad I . He took opportunity of...
I bin al-Qasim 1716-1720 (grandson of al-Mu'ayyad Muhammad I)
- al-Mutawakkil al-QasimAl-Mutawakkil al-QasimAl-Mutawakkil al-Qasim was an Imam of Yemen who ruled in 1716–1727. He belonged to the Qasimid family, that was descended from the Prophet Muhammad and dominated the Zaidi imamate of Yemen in 1597–1962.-Usurpation of power:...
bin al-Hasan 1716-1727 (grandson of al-Mahdi Ahmad)
- an-Nasir MuhammadAn-Nasir MuhammadAn-Nasir Muhammad , was a Yemeni Sayyid who twice claimed the Zaidi imamate of Yemen, in 1723 and 1727-1729....
bin Ishaq 1723, d. 1754 (grandson of al-Mahdi Ahmad)
- al-Mansur al-Husayn IIAl-Mansur al-Husayn IIAl-Mansur al-Husayn II was an Imam of Yemen who ruled in 1727-1748. He belonged to the Qasimid family, descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, who dominated the Zaidi imamate of Yemen in 1597-1962.-Accession:...
1727-1748 (son of al-Mutawakkil al-Qasim)
- al-Mahdi AbbasAl-Mahdi AbbasAl-Mahdi Abbas was an Imam of Yemen who ruled in 1748–1775. He belonged to the Qasimid family, descended from the Prophet Muhammad, which dominated the Zaidi imamate of Yemen in 1597–1962.-Ascension and character:...
1748-1775 (son)
- al-Mansur Ali IAl-Mansur Ali IAl-Mansur Ali I was an Imam of Yemen who ruled in 1775–1809. He belonged to the Qasimid family, descended from the Prophet Muhammad, which dominated the Zaidi imamate in 1597–1962.-Early reign:...
1775-1809 (son)
- al-Mutawakkil AhmadAl-Mutawakkil AhmadAl-Mutawakkil Ahmad was an Imam of Yemen who ruled in 1809-1816. He belonged to the Qasimid family, descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, which dominated the Zaidi imamate of Yemen from 1597 to 1962.-Taking power:...
1809-1816 (son)
- al-Mahdi AbdallahAl-Mahdi AbdallahAl-Mahdi Abdallah was an Imam of Yemen who ruled in 1816-1835. He belonged to the Qasimid family, descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, which dominated the Zaidi imamate of Yemen from 1597 to 1962.-Return of the Tihamah:...
1816-1835 (son)
- al-Mansur Ali IIAl-Mansur Ali IIAl-Mansur Ali II was an Imam of Yemen who reigned in the capital San'a during four brief terms . He belonged to the Qasimid family, descended from the Prophet Muhammad, which dominated the Zaidi imamate of Yemen from 1597 to 1962.-First reign:Ali bin Abdallah was the son of Imam al-Mahdi Abdallah...
1835-1837, d. 1871 (son)
- an-Nasir AbdallahAn-Nasir AbdallahAn-Nasir Abdallah was an Imam of Yemen who ruled in 1837-1840. He was a member of the Qasimid family, descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, which dominated the Zaidi imamate of Yemen from 1597 to 1962.-Seizure of power:...
bin al-Hasan bin Ahmad 1837-1840 (great-grandson of al-Mahdi Abbas)
- al-Hadi MuhammadAl-Hadi MuhammadAl-Hadi Muhammad was an Imam of Yemen who ruled in 1840-1844. He was a member of the Qasimid family, descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, which dominated the Zaidi imamate of Yemen from 1597 to 1962....
1840-1844 (son of al-Mutawakkil Ahmad)
- al-Mansur Ali IIAl-Mansur Ali IIAl-Mansur Ali II was an Imam of Yemen who reigned in the capital San'a during four brief terms . He belonged to the Qasimid family, descended from the Prophet Muhammad, which dominated the Zaidi imamate of Yemen from 1597 to 1962.-First reign:Ali bin Abdallah was the son of Imam al-Mahdi Abdallah...
1844-1845 (second term)
- al-Mutawakkil MuhammadAl-Mutawakkil MuhammadAl-Mutawakkil Muhammad was an Imam of Yemen who reigned in 1845-1849. He belonged to the Qasimid family, descended from the Prophet Muhammad, which dominated the Zaidi imamate of Yemen from 1597 to 1962.-Struggle against Abu Arish:...
bin Yahya 1845-1849 (grandson of al-Mansur Ali I)
- al-Mansur Ali IIAl-Mansur Ali IIAl-Mansur Ali II was an Imam of Yemen who reigned in the capital San'a during four brief terms . He belonged to the Qasimid family, descended from the Prophet Muhammad, which dominated the Zaidi imamate of Yemen from 1597 to 1962.-First reign:Ali bin Abdallah was the son of Imam al-Mahdi Abdallah...
1849-1850 (third term)
- al-Mansur AhmadAl-Mansur AhmadAl-Mansur Ahmad was a Zaydiyya imam who claimed the rulership over Yemen in the years 1849-1853. His strife-ridden career spelt the end of the Zaydi Imamate of Yemen as a coherent force.- Background of the rebellion :...
bin Hashim 1849-1853 (descended from al-Mansur Yahya)
- al-Mu'ayyad AbbasAl-Mu'ayyad AbbasAl-Mu'ayyad Abbas was an Imam of Yemen who ruled briefly in 1850. He belonged to the Qasimi family, descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, who dominated the Zaidi imamate of Yemen between 1597 and 1962.Abbas bin Abd ar-Rahman was a scholar who descended from Imam al-Mutawakkil Isma'il in the sixth...
bin Abd ar-Rahman 1850 (descended from al-Mutawakkil Isma’il)
- al-Mansur Ali IIAl-Mansur Ali IIAl-Mansur Ali II was an Imam of Yemen who reigned in the capital San'a during four brief terms . He belonged to the Qasimid family, descended from the Prophet Muhammad, which dominated the Zaidi imamate of Yemen from 1597 to 1962.-First reign:Ali bin Abdallah was the son of Imam al-Mahdi Abdallah...
1851 (fourth term)
- al-Hadi GhalibAl-Hadi GhalibAl-Hadi Ghalib was an Imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled in 1851-1852, and made subsequent periodical claims to the imamate up to the Ottoman intervention in 1872.-Rivalry for the imamate:...
1851-1852, d. 1885 (son of al-Mutawakkil Muhammad)
- al-Mansur Muhammad bin AbdallahAl-Mansur Muhammad bin AbdallahAl-Mansur Muhammad bin Abdallah was an imam of the Zaydiyya sect in Yemen who claimed the imam title in the period 1853-1890, and ruled briefly in the capital San'a in 1853....
1853-1890 (descended from ad-Da'i Yusuf)
- al-Mutawakkil al-MuhsinAl-Mutawakkil al-MuhsinAl-Mutawakkil al-Muhsin was an Imam who claimed the Zaidi state of Yemen in 1855-1878, in rivalry with several other contenders and with the invading Turks...
bin Ahmad 1855-1878 (descended from al-Mutawakkil al-Mutahhar bin Yahya)
- al-Hadi GhalibAl-Hadi GhalibAl-Hadi Ghalib was an Imam of the Zaidi state in Yemen who ruled in 1851-1852, and made subsequent periodical claims to the imamate up to the Ottoman intervention in 1872.-Rivalry for the imamate:...
1858-1872 (second term, passim)
- al-Mansur al-Husayn IIIAl-Mansur al-Husayn IIIAl-Mansur al-Husayn III was a claimant to the dignity of imam of Yemen in 1859-1863, wielding power in intense rivalry with other self-proclaimed imams....
bin Muhammad bin al-Hadi 1859-1863, d. 1888
- al-Hadi Sharaf ad-DinAl-Hadi Sharaf ad-DinAl-Hadi Sharaf ad-Din was a claimant for the Zaidi imamate of Yemen in the years 1878-1890, acting in opposition to the Ottoman occupiers of the country...
bin Muhammad bin Abd ar-Rahman 1878-1890 (descended from al-Mu’ayyad Yahya)
- al-Mansur Muhammad bin Yahya Hamid ad-DinMuhammad bin Yahya Hamid ad-DinMuhammad bin Yahya Hamid ad-Din was an Imam of Yemen who led the resistance against the Ottoman occupation in 1890-1904.-Outbreak of rebellion:...
1890-1904 (descended from al-Mansur al-Qasim)
- al-Mutawakkil Yahya Muhammad Hamid ad-DinYahya Muhammad Hamid ed-DinYahya Muhammad Hamidaddin became Imam of the Zaydis in 1904 and Imam of Yemen in 1918. His name in full was Amir al-Mumenin al-Mutawakkil 'Ala Allah Rab ul-Alamin Imam Yahya bin al-Mansur Bi'llah Muhammad Hamidaddin, Imam and Commander of the Faithful.Yahya Muhammad Hamidaddin was born on Friday...
1904-1948 (son)
- an-Nasir Ahmad bin YahyaAhmad bin YahyaAhmad bin Yahya Hamidaddin was the penultimate king of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen from 1948 to 1962. His full name and title was H.M. al-Nasir-li-din Allah Ahmad bin al-Mutawakkil 'Ala Allah Yahya, Imam and Commander of the Faithful, and King of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of the Yemen...
1948-1962 (son of al-Mutawakkil Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din)
- al-Mansur Muhammad al-BadrMuhammad al-BadrH.M. Muhammad Al-Badr was the last king of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen and leader of the monarchist regions during the North Yemen Civil War...
1962, d. 1996 (son)
- Yahya Muhammad al-WareethYahya Muhammad al-WareethYahya Muhammad al-Wareeth was an imam of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen. He was one of the last to rule before the mutawakkilites were overthrown in the 1960s. His descendents, after the revolution, now reside in Egypt, Jordan, or Yemen as local aristocrats....
1962 (son)
For continuation of leadership after 1962, see President of Yemen Arab Republic
President of Yemen Arab Republic
The President of the Yemen Arab Republic was the head of state of that country in what is now northern Yemen. There were 6 Presidents of North Yemen.-List of Head of State of the Yemen Arab Republic :...
.
See also
- President of Yemen Arab RepublicPresident of Yemen Arab RepublicThe President of the Yemen Arab Republic was the head of state of that country in what is now northern Yemen. There were 6 Presidents of North Yemen.-List of Head of State of the Yemen Arab Republic :...
- Prime Minister of Yemen Arab RepublicPrime Minister of Yemen Arab RepublicThe Prime Minister of the Yemen Arab Republic was the head of government of that country in what is now northern Yemen. The Prime Minister was appointed by the President...
- List of leaders of South Yemen
Further reading
- The Royal Ark: Yemen
- A.M.H.J. Stokvis, Manuel d'histoire, de généalogie et de chronologie de tous les états du globe, Vol I-III. Leiden 1888-93.
- Peter Truhart, Regents of Nations. München 2003
- E. de Zambaur, Manuel de généalogie et de chronologie de l'histoire de l'islam. Hannover 1927.