Marie Legendre
University of Edinburgh, Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies, Faculty Member
Research Interests:
This article offers a reassessment of the ties between the families of two half-brothers, ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz and ʿAbd al-Malik sons of Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam. The first succeeded their father as caliph, while the second was governor of Egypt at... more
This article offers a reassessment of the ties between the families of two half-brothers, ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz and ʿAbd al-Malik sons of Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam. The first succeeded their father as caliph, while the second was governor of Egypt at the turn of the eighth century. The modern historiography has made much of ninth- and tenth-century narratives of opposition between the two. Those narratives are reassessed with a focus on how ties of kinship were used as a literary tool to build a distinctive memory of the Marwanid family. Even if moments of competition are recorded between the two, the families of those two men were instrumental to the success of the Marwanids as a caliphal family. The focus here is on marriage ties between their sons and daughters as well as on how the sons and their fathers participated in the same marriage patterns. The paper offers to shift our perspective by placing emphasis on family members that are usually not given proper attention: mothers, daughters, sisters and a wider pool of sons.
Research Interests:
Female genealogies and regional dynamics (Egypt-Syria-Iraq) at the beginning of the Marwanid era: About the publication of: MABRA Joshua, 2017, Princely authority in the early Marwānid state: The life of ʻAbd al-ʻAzīz ibn Marwān (d.... more
Female genealogies and regional dynamics (Egypt-Syria-Iraq) at the beginning of the Marwanid era: About the publication of: MABRA Joshua, 2017, Princely authority in the early Marwānid state: The life of ʻAbd al-ʻAzīz ibn Marwān (d. 86/705), Piscataway, NJ, Gorgias Press.
This article offers to re-examine a number of conclusions in the recent publication of J. Mabra on the governorate of ‘Abd al-‘Azīz b. Marwān in Egypt (65/685-86/705). The book offers an account of the tribal alliances that allowed the Marwanids to access to the califate as well as an examination of some of the dynamics between ‘Abd al-Malik (65/685-86/705) and his governors of Egypt and Iraq. J. Mabra understands the administration of ‘Abd al-‘Azīz as independent from the caliphal centre in Damascus and opposed to his brother’s reform on language use and coinage. After reconsidering the reading of a number of papyrus documents, coins and narrative sources, it is offered here to see the appointment of such a governor as one of the keys to the Marwanid success and to reject the idea that caliphal ruling strategies aimed at centralizing the Umayyad realm.
This article offers to re-examine a number of conclusions in the recent publication of J. Mabra on the governorate of ‘Abd al-‘Azīz b. Marwān in Egypt (65/685-86/705). The book offers an account of the tribal alliances that allowed the Marwanids to access to the califate as well as an examination of some of the dynamics between ‘Abd al-Malik (65/685-86/705) and his governors of Egypt and Iraq. J. Mabra understands the administration of ‘Abd al-‘Azīz as independent from the caliphal centre in Damascus and opposed to his brother’s reform on language use and coinage. After reconsidering the reading of a number of papyrus documents, coins and narrative sources, it is offered here to see the appointment of such a governor as one of the keys to the Marwanid success and to reject the idea that caliphal ruling strategies aimed at centralizing the Umayyad realm.
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This article investigates how the early Islamic state developed out of pre-Islamic administrative structures. Taking the example of the Byzantine provincial structure in Egypt, the governor (duke) of the Thebaid clearly appears in papyri... more
This article investigates how the early Islamic state developed out of pre-Islamic administrative structures. Taking the example of the Byzantine provincial structure in Egypt, the governor (duke) of the Thebaid clearly appears in papyri written in Greek, Coptic and Arabic as an agent of the Medinan and early Umayyad administration. The progressive redistribution of his responsibilities to new offices developed within the Islamic state shows how the Byzantine system contributed to the formation of Islamic administration, casting light on a pre-Islamic heritage which is often neglected in the narrative.
Research Interests:
“Islamic Conquest, Territorial Reorganization and Empire Formation: A Study of 7th Century Movements of Population in the Light of Egyptian Papyri”, in Thomas MacMaster et al. eds., The Long Seventh Century: Continuity and Discontinuity in an Age of Transition, Peter Lang: Oxford, 2015, 235-250.more
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Articles should be written in English and can be up to 15,000 words in total length (i.e. including all footnotes, bibliography and any appendices). Submissions to Journal of Late Antique, Islamic and Byzantine Studies should be formatted... more
Articles should be written in English and can be up to 15,000 words in total length (i.e. including all footnotes, bibliography and any appendices). Submissions to Journal of Late Antique, Islamic and Byzantine Studies should be formatted in accordance with the full JLAIBS style guidelines and sent as Word and PDF files to: jlaibs@ed.ac.uk
Research Interests:
Late Antique and Byzantine History, Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, Islamic Archaeology, Byzantine Literature, Late Antique Archaeology, and 15 moreIslamic Art, Byzantine Studies, Coptic Studies, Islamic Studies, Byzantine History, Byzantine Archaeology, Syriac Studies, Islamic History, Coptic History, Byzantine Paleography and codicology, Late Antique Hagiography, Syriac literature, Byzantine art, Islamic Literature, and Byzantine history and archaeology
In the last few years of the seventh century, the Marwanid Reforms established Arabic as the administrative language of the Umayyad Caliphate. It was appreciated across religious boundaries such that Christians and Jews quickly began... more
In the last few years of the seventh century, the Marwanid Reforms established Arabic as the administrative language of the Umayyad Caliphate. It was appreciated across religious boundaries such that Christians and Jews quickly began composing and engaging texts in Arabic. Yet despite its centrality, Arabic did not spread evenly or quickly throughout the entire Islamic world. During this symposium, speakers will discuss Arabic and multilingualism within a broader setting of linguistic diversity in the Islamic world.