CALIPH (Fr. Miff., Ar. khalifa, successor, from khalafa, to succeed). The title of Moham med's successors in temporal and spiritual power, from which the early Empire of Islam is known as the Caliphate. While the first impulse of conquest given to the Arabs by the new faith en dured, the power of the caliphs was vast, cover ing the whole world of Ham; but with time the usual consequence followed the combining of spiritual authority with temporal dominion. The caliphate became the subject of factional strife and a prize for ambitious leaders, and rival dy nasties broke Islam up into independent powers united only in enmity to the unbeliever. The first four caliphs (632-661), Abu Bekr, Omar, Othman, and Ali, were generally recognized as true successors to the spiritual authority of the Prophet, all being members of his immediate family. though under Ali, who was assassinated, there were insurrectionary movements. The Ornmiads (661-750) held a more doubtful title, but still one that was recognized. With the ac cession of the Abbassides the Mohammedan world was divided, a survivor of the Ommiads found ing in Spain the emirate (later caliphate) of Cor dova. This was never a true caliphate according to Mohammedan law. but it was one of the great est in wealth and civilization of all the Moham medan empire;. The Abbasside dynasty saw
other rivals arise, the Aglabites and Edrisites in Africa, as well as minor claimants. It was the story of the feudal world everywhere—emirs seizing sovereign over whenever the oppor tunity offered. From the Tenth Century on, the Abbasside caliphs were mere creatures of the powerful Turkish guards. rashly organized by the Caliph Motassem (833-8-12). In 1258 another Motassem, the last Abbasside caliph, was put to death by Hulaku Khan i see (.0L DYNASTIES; PERSIA). Nominal successors of the caliphs performed the spiritual functions of the otlice in Egypt as late as the Sixteenth Century, when the Turkish sultan reunited the spiritual and temporal headship of Islam in their own persons. There was a Shiite (q.v.) caliphate instituted in Persia in 1502. The first four caliphs had their capital at Medina; the fourteen Asiatic Ommiads made Damascus their seat of power; while Bag dad was that of the thirty-seven AI:ha-sides. There was also established at Cairo in Egypt (909-1171) a dissenting caliphate, that of the Fatimites. Twenty-two Ommiads (756-1031) of the Spanish line ruled in Cordova. See ABBAS