MU'TADID, AL-

died 902 one of the greatest of the 'Abbasid caliphs (reigned 892902), known especially for his ruthless skill in dealing with competing provincial dynasties, sects, and factions. The son of al-Muwaffaq, al-Mu'tadid was coregent, with al-Mu'tamid, in his father's last years. He became caliph on al-Mu'tamid's death in 892, having forced him to disinherit his own son. As caliph, al-Mu'tadid reorganized the administration and reformed finances. He concluded a peace with the Tulunids by marrying their caliph's daughter and dealt cruelly with many other factional dynasties that had appeared, including the Dulafids, Saffarids, and 'Alids. By playing factions against each other, he increased the influence of the Hamdanids and Samanids. But al-Mu'tadid's troops were defeated by the Qarmatians, a schismatic sect and political movement, and he soon died. He was, according to some sources, poisoned in a palace intrigue.