1. Al-Ta'i' was in office during the domination of Iraq by the Shi'a Buyid dynasty, and as a result is generally considered a powerless figurehead under the thumb of the Buyid emirs.
11 Facts About Al-Ta'i'
1. 2.
Al-Ta'i' spent the rest of his days, until his death in 1003, confined to the caliphal palace.
3.
Al-Ta'i' sent letters to Izz al-Dawla berating him of his errors and omissions as governor, but in later public letters he cursed them and claimed that he had been using dissimulation in apparently siding with them.
4.
Al-Ta'i' seized the opportunity to deepen the rift between the two cousins by conceding to the ambitious Izz al-Dawla high privileges that made him the co-equal of Adud al-Dawla: Ibn Baqiyya was named joint vizier of Izz al-Dawla and the caliph, Izz al-Dawla's titles were extended, and finally, the caliph himself married a daughter of the Buyid emir.
5.
Al-Ta'i' did agree to the addition of some details to the ceremony that hearkened back to ancient Persian protocol, and that made it appear to the Buyid's companions as if Adud al-Dawla had been crowned king by the caliph.
6.
Al-Ta'i' saw this marriage at worst as forced upon him, and at best as a token of distinction and condescension towards the Buyid emir, and resolutely refused to consummate it.
7.
Al-Ta'i' recognized the succession, investing Samsam al-Dawla with the title of Shams al-Milla.
8.
Al-Ta'i' recognized the succession, and invested Baha al-Dawla with the title of Diya al-Milla.
9.
Al-Ta'i' was succeeded by his cousin Abu'l-Abbas Ahmad, who took the throne as al-Qadir.
10.
Al-Ta'i' had had strained relations with his cousin: in 988, the latter's half-sister, apparently motivated by an inheritance dispute, reported him as seeking to replace al-Ta'i' as caliph.
11.
Al-Ta'i' was not blinded, as had been the case for previous deposed caliphs, and he was accorded treatment due to a reigning caliph.