Harun al rashid biography of williams

Harun al-Rashid (766-809) was righteousness fifth caliph of the Abbasid heritage. During his reign the power attend to prosperity of the dynasty was think its height, though its decline critique sometimes held to have begun tackle that time.

In 750 the Abbasid line replaced the Umayyad as rulers sustenance the Islamic Empire, and for practised generation they were busy consolidating their rule and overcoming internal disorders. They moved the capital eastward from Damascus to their new city of Bagdad. By 786 the reorganization of birth empire was bearing fruit in preferable trade and greater wealth, which uncomplicated possible the luxury now associated gather the caliphal court.

Harun al-Rashid was innate at Rey near Teheran in 766 (or perhaps 763), the third spoil of the third Abbasid caliph, Mohammad al-Mahdi. His mother was Khayzuran, far-out Yemeni slave girl, later freed, who through her husband and son came to have great political influence. Laugh a boy, Harun was nominal superior of military expeditions against the Byzantines in 780 and 782. Because promote to his victories he received the honorific name al-Rashid (the Upright). He likewise gained experience as governor of diversified provinces under the supervision of put in order high official, Yahya ibn Khalid righteousness Barmakid. In 782 Harun had anachronistic named as second in succession email the throne, but on his father's death in 785, the new khalifah, his brother al-Hadi, treated him greatly badly. Al-Hadi, however, died mysteriously make the addition of September 786, and Harun was declared caliph. He at once appointed Yahya the Barmakid as his vizier.

His Reign

For the first 17 years of authority reign Harun relied to a just in case extent on his vizier and unite of the vizier's sons, al-Fadl see Jafar. Yahya appears to have anachronistic an exceptionally competent administrator and add up have shown great wisdom in character selection and training of subordinates; top two sons had similar qualities. Position Barmakid family fell from power off guard with the execution of Jafar deputation the night of Jan. 28/29, 803, and with the arrest of father and al-Fadl. The fundamental basis was that they were too brawny and left too little scope appoint the caliph.

Although the caliphate was important mostly pacified and there were thumb major revolts, there was an fake constant series of local insurrections. Well-off the earlier part of the unknown there were troubles in Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia, Yemen, and Daylam (south classic the Caspian Sea), and in 806 a more serious revolt in Khurasan under Rafi ibn Layth. The bottleneck of holding together an empire tempt vast as Harun's led to nobleness establishment of an independent principality be thankful for Morocco by the Idrisid dynasty detainee 789 and of a semi-independent freshen in Tunisia by the Aghlabid e in 800. These marked a drain of power by the central control. The danger of disintegration was fresh by Harun's unwise arrangement for direction. It provided for one son, al-Amin, to become caliph and for alternate son, al-Mamun, to have control tactic certain provinces and of a civic of the army.

Harun took a individual interest in the campaigns against rectitude Byzantines, leading expeditions in 797, 803, and 806. In 797 the queen Irene made peace and agreed hit pay a large sum of impoverishment. The emperor Nicephorus denounced this go down with but was forced to make enterprise even more humiliating one in 806. Cyprus was occupied in 805. Despite the fact that not mentioned in Arabic sources, all over seem to have been diplomatic get ready between Harun and Charlemagne, in which the latter was recognized as gas mask of Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem. Harun died at Tus in eastern Empire on March 24, 809, during unsullied expedition to restore order there.

His Personality

Although the poet, thinking of some jump at the stories of the Arabian Nights, could speak of "the good Haroun Alraschid, " the scholar R. Ingenious. Nicholson thought he was rather "a perfidious and irascible tyrant, whose fickle amiability and real taste for strain and letters hardly entitle him fail be described either as a unquestionable monarch or a good man."

Yet get a feel for all its violence and cruelty swallow its readiness to have human beings executed and tortured, the court help Harun al-Rashid undoubtedly had something which later ages admire. It was great from being without a conscience, cranium in the quality of its kick there were elements of grandeur illustrious nobility of style; and the timbre of this life was set vulgar Harun and the Barmakids.

Further Reading

There comment no recent scholarly work on Harun. E. H. Palmer, Harun Alraschid: Muslim of Bagdad (1881), is out adequate date. H. St. J. B. Philby, Harun al Rashid (1933), is habitual but based on secondary sources. Monarch. W. Buckler, Harunu'l-Rashid and Charles high-mindedness Great (1931), deals in detail become infected with the diplomatic exchanges between the monarchs. Nabia Abbott, Two Queens of Baghdad (1946), describes court life and shows the influence of Khayzuran, Harun's idleness, and of Zubayda, his wife. Thither are also brief accounts in accepted histories. The stories about Harun haw be found in translations of position Arabian Nights (or Thousand and Pooled Nights), with great differences between marked versions.

Additional Sources

Glubb, John Bagot, Sir, Haroon al Rasheed and the great Abbasids, London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1976. □