The Abbasid caliph who briefly restored the dynasty's vigor and finances after the anarchy of Samarra — an able, hard ruler in a period of decline.
Life
Al-Mutadid (reigned 892–902) worked to rebuild Abbasid authority after decades of turmoil and domination by the Turkish soldiery, restoring order to Iraq, reforming the treasury, and campaigning against rebels and frontier foes. His reign is remembered as a partial, temporary recovery of caliphal power before the long slide toward political eclipse resumed.