Mervân B. Muhammed Döneminde Askerî Reformlar ve Emevî Devletinin Çözülme Süreci
Öz
Bu çalışma, Emevî Devleti’nin son halifesi II. Mervân b. Muhammed (744–750) döneminde gerçekleştirilen askerî reorganizasyon girişimlerini devlet kapasitesi ile siyasal meşruiyet arasındaki ilişki bağlamında incelemektedir. Klasik tarih yazımında Emevî Devleti’nin yıkılışı çoğunlukla 132/750 yılında gerçekleşen Zâb Savaşı’ndaki askerî yenilgi ile açıklansa da, bu makale söz konusu sürecin daha uzun vadeli kurumsal dönüşümlerin sonucu olduğunu ileri sürmektedir. Çalışmada klasik kaynaklar ile modern tarih yazımı birlikte değerlendirilmiş, tarihsel sosyoloji ve tarihsel kurumsalcılık yaklaşımlarından yararlanılarak askerî reformların devlet-toplum ilişkileri üzerindeki etkileri analiz edilmiştir. II. Mervân’ın uyguladığı askerî rasyonalizasyon politikaları, ordunun disiplinini ve operasyonel etkinliğini artırmayı amaçlamış, karâdîs sistemi, profesyonel askerî birliklerin teşkili ve başkentin Harrân’a taşınması gibi reformlarla merkezî otorite güçlendirilmeye çalışılmıştır. Bununla birlikte bu dönüşüm, Emevî siyasal düzeninin dayandığı kabile temelli sadakat ağlarını zayıflatmış ve özellikle Suriye merkezli askerî aristokrasinin sistem içindeki konumunu aşındırmıştır. Makale, askerî kapasitenin artmasının siyasal meşruiyetin korunmasını garanti etmediğini ve merkezîleşme girişimlerinin toplumsal destek zeminini daraltabildiğini ortaya koymaktadır.
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Military Reforms in the Reign of Marwān b. Muḥammad and the Disintegration of the Umayyad State
Öz
This study examines the military reforms implemented during the reign of Marwān b. Muḥammad (r. 744–750), the last Umayyad caliph, and analyzes their role in the broader process of political disintegration that culminated in the collapse of the Umayyad state. Rather than interpreting the fall of the Umayyads solely as the result of the 132/750 defeat at the Battle of the Zāb, this article argues that the military reorganization carried out under Marwān was closely intertwined with deeper structural transformations within the political and social foundations of Umayyad rule. The study focuses on several key aspects of Marwān’s reform agenda. First, it analyzes the tactical reorganization of the army, particularly the shift toward smaller, more coordinated units designed to enhance operational efficiency. Second, it examines the transformation of the traditional system of military patronage, including the gradual transition from the ʿaṭāʾ stipend system to a more regularized salary-based military structure. Third, the article explores the relocation of the caliphal capital from Damascus to Harran, interpreting this move not only as a geopolitical decision but also as a development that altered the balance of power within the Umayyad political order. Finally, the study considers the emergence of new military formations and the growing role of non-tribal elements such as mawālī, which contributed to the reconfiguration of traditional elite structures within the army. Drawing on classical Arabic chronicles alongside modern historiography, the article argues that Marwān’s reforms produced a paradoxical outcome. On the one hand, they strengthened the operational capacity and tactical flexibility of the Umayyad army, allowing the caliph to suppress several rebellions and maintain military effectiveness during a period of intense internal conflict. On the other hand, these reforms gradually weakened the tribal networks that had historically sustained Umayyad political authority, particularly the Syrian-based Arab military aristocracy that had formed the backbone of the regime since the time of Muʿāwiya. This tension between increasing military rationalization and declining political legitimacy became particularly visible during the Third Fitna and the subsequent rise of the Abbasid movement. While Marwān’s reorganized army retained a degree of battlefield effectiveness, the erosion of traditional loyalty networks significantly reduced the regime’s capacity to mobilize durable political support. In this context, the Battle of the Zāb should be understood not merely as a decisive military defeat but as the culmination of a longer process in which the Umayyad state’s institutional capacity and its social foundations gradually diverged. By situating Marwān’s military reforms within the broader dynamics of state formation, elite competition, and shifting patterns of political loyalty, this study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the structural factors that shaped the final decades of Umayyad rule.
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