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| | Saudi Aramco World : The Man Who Met Tamerlane (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-03) |
 | | He was married, moreover, to the daughter of a Hafsid general and, at the age of 20, held his first government office: he was "Master of the Signature" at Tunis, councillor to the Hafsid ruler. |
 | | That proved to be an unlucky decision; the Marinids, suspicious of his Hafsid connections, threw him in prison, where he languished for two years, until the reigning Marinid died and he was freed. |
 | | In Fez, however, where he stayed for several years, he was able to both observe and take part in the political chess games which he later described in his history: rulers becoming figureheads controlled by their ministers, ministers assuming the role of kingmakers, selecting their favorite candidates from members of the dynasty and backing them. |
| www.saudiaramcoworld.com /issue/197805/the.man.who.met.tamerlane.htm (3470 words) |
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