How did famine and plague worsen the crisis under al-Mustansir?

During the long reign of the Fatimid caliph al-Mustanṣir (1036–1094), Egypt experienced a period of severe instability characterized by factional strife among competing military groups, including Sudanese, Turkish, and Nubian troops.12

The recurring famine and plague acted as catalysts that exacerbated this existing political volatility, trapping the state in a vicious cycle of anarchy and tyranny. These crises weakened the central government's ability to maintain order, as the caliph lacked the personal authority to control the warring factions. This internal collapse, compounded by the environmental and health disasters, ultimately led to the loss of provincial territories and forced al-Mustanṣir to surrender real political and military power to the general Badr al-Jamālī in 1073. Consequently, the caliphate transitioned into a military regime, with the caliphs relegated to a state of tutelage under a series of military autocrats.12