Years before the Buyids entered Baghdad, the ‘Abbasid caliphs had practically transferred their worldly powers to their commanders in chief. Following their conquests in Iran, The Buyid brothers who had Shi‘i inclinations turned their attention to Baghdad. After his entrance into Baghdad, Mu‘izz-ad-Dawlah intended to transfer power from the ‘Abbasids to Al-i ‘Ali (‘Ali’s Family), but on the advice of his vizier he changed his mind and sufficed with removing the caliph and replacing him with a new one. The appointment of an obedient person to the caliphate seat and his dismissal when necessary was a big advantage the Buyids obtained for the first time. Thus, in addition to their political power, the spiritual power of the ‘Abbasid caliphs also fell on a path of decline.
On the long run, however, the absence of Buyid princes from Baghdad and differences between their two branches in Iraq and Persia prepared grounds for the caliphs to regain their lost power. The caliphs gradually increased their spiritual powers and then in order to break the Daylamite Buyids, they used the rising military power of Seljuq Toghril. Nevertheless, the ‘Abbasid caliphs never again attained their eminent position of the past.
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