Al-Mustaʿlī biʾllāh (15/16 September 1074 – 1101) was the ninth Fatimid caliph and the nineteenth imam of Musta'li Ismailism. He became caliph through the machinations of his brother-in-law al-Afdal Shahanshah. In response, his oldest brother, Nizar, revolted in Alexandria; his defeat and execution split the Isma'ili movement. Al- Musta'li remained subordinate to al-Afdal, who was the de facto ruler of the Fatimid Caliphate. The Caliphate's territory in Egypt experienced good government and prosperity, but the Fatimids suffered setbacks in Syria, where they faced the advance of the Seljuk Turks. Al-Afdal recovered the port city of Tyre and recaptured Jerusalem in the turmoil caused by the arrival of the First Crusade. Despite Fatimid attempts to make common cause with the Crusaders against the Seljuks, the Crusaders advanced south and captured Jerusalem in July 1099 and defeated the Fatimid army at the Battle of Ascalon. Al-Musta'li died in 1101 and was succeeded by his son al-Amir.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Musta%27li

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1830:

The Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&M;), the first locomotive-hauled railway to connect two major cities, opened with the Duke of Wellington in attendance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opening_of_the_Liverpool_and_Manchester_Railway

1954:

The scene in The Seven Year Itch of Marilyn Monroe standing in a white dress over a subway grate was filmed by Billy Wilder. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_dress_of_Marilyn_Monroe

2013:

The Belarusian serial killer Ivan Kulesh murdered two saleswomen in Lida. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Kulesh

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

deoligarchization: (politics) The act or process of reversing oligarchization, that is, the act or process of democratization by lessening the political power of oligarchs or removing them from influential positions. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/deoligarchization

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Nothing is given so profusely as advice.   --François de La Rochefoucauld https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_de_La_Rochefoucauld