Yusuf ibn Abi'l Saj, amir of Azerbaijan,…
917 CE
Yusuf ibn Abi'l Saj, amir of Azerbaijan, had begun to withhold some of the annual tribute due to the caliph after the dismissal of the vizier Ibn al-Furat.
Yusuf had imprisoned a caliphal envoy in 915 or 916, although he had later released him and sent him back with presents and money.
After Ibn al-Furat regains the vizierate in 917, Yusuf conquers Zanjan, Abhar, Qazvin and Ray from the Samanids and hopes that Ibn al-Furat will smooth things over with al-Muqtadir.
The caliph, however, angrily sends an army against Yusuf, who defeats it.
The arrival of a second Abbasid army under Mu'nis al-Khadim causes Yusuf to retreat to Ardabil.
Although Ibn al-Furat attempts to persuade al-Muqtadir to recognize Yusuf as governor, the caliph refuses.