Mansur I of Samanid
Abu Salih Mansur (d. summer
976) was amir of the
Samanids (
961-976). He was the son of
Nuh I.
The death of Mansur's brother
Abdul Malik I at the end of 961 caused a succession crisis. The
Turkic military establishment, which was effectively in control of the government, split over who should succeed Abdul Malik.
Alptigin, the leader of the Samanid Turks and the governor of
Khurasan, supported Abdul Malik's brother, while
Fa'iq, who had known Mansur since his childhood, pressed for the latter's coronation. Mansur and Fa'iq were eventually victorious;
Alptigin fled to
Ghazna, where the
Ghaznavid Empire was eventually formed.
Mansur's reign was characterized by weak rule and perpetual financial troubles. A new governor of Khurasan, Abu'l-Hasan Muhammad Simjuri, was appointed; he soon went to war with the
Buyids, who had in that year expelled the Samanids'
Ziyarid vassals from
Tabaristan and
Gurgan. The death of
Vushmgir, the Ziyarid prince, a few years later caused an end to hostilities, and the Buyid
'Adud al-Daula paid tribute to the Samanids. This tribute did not last for long, however, and Mansur continued to have difficulties in raising money. The Buyids would continue to move against the Samanid position; 'Adud al-Daula wrested
Kirman from Samanid control, and effectively uprooted Abus, a son Vushmgir and the Samanid candidate to succeed him, from Tabaristan and Gurgan.
In
969 the
Saffarid Abu Ahmad Khalaf arrived at the Samanid court, requesting for assistance against his brother
Tahir. Military aid was given, although Tahir's death in
970 proved much more effective than the Samanid assistance. Tahir's son
Husain eventually continued the struggle, and gained the support of the Samanids; the tribute sent by Khalaf subsequently ceased. In
975, Mansur appointed Abu 'Abd-Allah Ahmad ibn Muhammad Jaihani, a grandson of
Abu 'Abd-Allah al-Jaihani, as vizier, but he proved unable to stem the Samanid decline. Mansur died in the following year, and was succeeded by his son
Nuh II.
* R. N. Fyre (1975).
The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume Four: From the Arab Invasion to the Saljuqs. ISBN 0521200938
