Rukn Al-Dawla - Death and Legacy

Death and Legacy

Only a few months later, Rukn al-Dawla died. He was succeeded by his two younger sons in Ray and Hamadan, while 'Adud al-Dawla claimed the senior amirate. 'Izz al-Dawla, however, refused to recognize this, paving the way for conflict between the two sides.

Rukn al-Dawla's campaigns in central Iran were done almost entirely without the support of 'Imad al-Dawla. As a result of this, Rukn al-Dawla was in nearly all aspects independent of his brother. His coins bear only his name after that of the caliph's, and he was considered by contemporary sources to be an independent ruler. For the remainder of the Buyid presence in central Iran, the amirs there were either independent of the rest of the empire, or were the senior amirs that ruled the empire.

The failure of 'Imad al-Dawla to extend his authority over the Buyids of central Iran was later to present problems for the Buyid state, as the descendants of both brothers each considered themselves to be the best candidate for the senior amirate. This led to multiple independent rulers, destroying the unity of the Buyid state and allowing for internal dissent.

In terms of a capital, Isfahan at first served Rukn al-Dawla's his city of choice, and continued to be a favorite even after Ray was captured and the court was moved there. His successors would continue to use Ray as the capital. Like the other Buyids, Rukn al-Dawla was a Shi'ite. While he recognized the authority of the caliph of his coins and allowed the caliph's name to be said in the Friday prayers, in all other aspects he ruled as a Shi'ite. On the other hand, he was no fanatic; he recognized that the Sunni citizens of his empire must be protected in order to prevent internal discord.