| Ali | |
|---|---|
| Shah of Shirvan | |
| Reign | fl. 909-917 |
| Predecessor | Haytham II |
| Successor | Yazid I |
| Died | c. 917 near Derbent |
| Issue | Abbas |
| House | Yazidids |
| Dynasty | Shirvanshah |
| Father | Haytham II |
Ali I (Arabic: علی) was shah of Shirvan (located in the modern day Azerbaijan).
He succeeded his father Haytham II. Later, making an alliance with Muhammad b. Hashim - Emir of Derbent, he marched on Shandān (in modern Dagestan[1]) to Islamize the country c. 909 or 912. However, the attack was a disaster for muslim side as about 10,000 soldiers were captured were divided into three groups to be enslaved by Sarir, Khazars and Shandān. Ali was among the captured as well, but he was freed three months later without ransom.[2]
According to al-Masudi, the Rus raided Caucasus during his reign. Ali built boats to fight off the invasion, but it was no match for 500-ship strong Rus fleet.[3] The Rus army plundered the region starting from Baku to as far as Arran.[4]
Vladimir Minorsky argued that the reason for Ali I's downfall was loss of prestige and continuous defeats.[3] He was attacked by Abu Tahir Yazid, his 2nd cousin-once-removed c. 917. He was captured near Marzūqiya (near modern Derbent) alongside his son Abbas and grandson Abu-Bakr. While he and his son were executed, Abu-Bakr managed to escape.[5] Abu Tahir Yazid, who was Layzanshah succeeded him as next Shirvanshah, uniting two principalities.