Nizam al-Mulk

This article is about the Persian scholar. For the founder of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, see Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I. For other uses, see Nizam-ul-Mulk.

Nizam al-Mulk
نظام‌الملک
Vizier of the Seljuk Empire
In office
29 November 1064 – 14 October 1092
MonarchAlp Arslan,
Malik Shah I
Preceded byAl-Kunduri
Succeeded byTaj al-Mulk Abu'l Ghana'im
Personal details
BornApril 10, 1018
Tus, Ghaznavid Empire
DiedOctober 14, 1092 (aged 74)
Nahavand, Seljuk Empire
SpouseUnnamed Bagrationi princess[1][2]
ChildrenAhmad ibn Nizam al-Mulk
Shams al-Mulk Uthman
Abulfath Fakhr al-Malik
Mu'ayyid al-Mulk
Jamal al-Mulk
Fakhr al-Mulk
Izz al-Mulk
Imad al-Mulk Abu'l-Kasim
Safiyya

Abu Ali Hasan ibn Ali Tusi (Persian: نظام‌الم ابو علی حسن بن علی طوسی) (1018 – 1092), better known by his honorific title of Nizam ul-Mulk (Persian: نظام‌الملک, lit. 'Orderer of the Realm'[3]), was a Persian[4][5] scholar, jurist, political philosopher and vizier of the Seljuk Empire. Rising from a low position within the empire,[6] he became the de facto ruler of the empire for 20 years after the assassination of Sultan Alp Arslan in 1072,[7] serving as the archetypal "good vizier".[6] Viewed by many historians as "the most important statesman in Islamic history", the policies implemented by Nizam ul-Mulk remained the basic foundation for administrative state structures in the Muslim world up until the 20th century.[8]

One of his most important legacies was the founding of a system of madrasas in cities across the Seljuk Empire which were called the Nizamiyyas after him.[9] He also wrote the Siyasatnama (Book of Government), a political treatise that uses historical examples to discuss justice, effective rule, and the role of government in Islamic society.[10]

  1. ^ Bosworth 1984, pp. 642–643.
  2. ^ Bosworth 1968, p. 62-65.
  3. ^ Foltz, Richard (2015). Iran in World History (New Oxford World History). Oxford University Press. p. 64. ISBN 978-0199335497. In Iran, the Seljuks established their capital at Esfahan, where they built important monuments such as the congregational mosque which remains functional today. Their prime minister, Hasan of Tus (known as Nezam ol-Molk, or Orderer of the Realm), set up a system of seminaries, called nezamiyyas, and also reformed the army and the tax system
  4. ^ Gustave E. Von Grunebaum, Katherine Watson, Classical Islam: A History, 600 A.D. to 1258 A.D., Translated by Katherine Watson Published by Aldine Transaction, 2005. page 155
  5. ^ Holt, P. M.; Ann K. S. Lambton; Bernard Lewis (1977). The Cambridge History of Islam Volume 1. Cambridge University Press. p. 150.
  6. ^ a b Yavari 2015.
  7. ^ Bowen & Bosworth 1995, p. 70.
  8. ^ Black, Anthony (14 November 2011). "Islamic and Western political thought: does History have any Lessons?". Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences. 14 (3): 5–12. doi:10.5782/2223-2621.2011.14.3.5. hdl:20.500.12323/1366. ISSN 2223-2621.
  9. ^ Nizam al-Mulk (2002). Darke, Hubert (ed.). The Book of Government or Rules for Kings. New York: Persian Heritage Foundation. pp. ix–x. ISBN 9781136602962.
  10. ^ Josef W. Meri (31 October 2005). Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. p. 856. ISBN 978-1-135-45596-5.