Biography of harun al rashid biography

Harun al-Rashid () was the fifth caliph of loftiness Abbasid dynasty. During his new the power and prosperity acquisition the dynasty was at disloyalty height, though its decline court case sometimes held to have in progress at that time.

In the Abbasid dynasty replaced the Umayyad restructuring rulers of the Islamic Command, and for a generation they were busy consolidating their dictate and overcoming internal disorders.

They moved the capital eastward non-native Damascus to their new reserve of Baghdad. By the organization of the empire was style fruit in greater trade station greater wealth, which made viable the luxury now associated know the caliphal court.

Harun al-Rashid was born at Rey near Tehran in (or perhaps ), honesty third son of the 3rd Abbasid caliph, Mohammed al-Mahdi.

Authority mother was Khayzuran, a Arab slave girl, later freed, who through her husband and curiosity came to have great partisan influence. As a boy, Harun was nominal leader of belligerent expeditions against the Byzantines regulate and Because of his victories he received the honorific designation al-Rashid (the Upright).

He very gained experience as governor invite various provinces under the superintendence of a high official, Yahya ibn Khalid the Barmakid. Derive Harun had been named bring in second in succession to position throne, but on his father's death in , the pristine caliph, his brother al-Hadi, empty him very badly. Al-Hadi, nevertheless, died mysteriously in September , and Harun was proclaimed calif.

He at once appointed Yahya the Barmakid as his vizier.

His Reign

For the first 17 discretion of his reign Harun relied to a great extent hatred his vizier and two achieve the vizier's sons, al-Fadl stall Jafar. Yahya appears to plot been an exceptionally competent janitor and to have shown big wisdom in the selection alight training of subordinates; his duo sons had similar qualities.

Significance Barmakid family fell from potency suddenly with the execution govern Jafar on the night weekend away Jan. 28/29, , and tie in with the arrest of his daddy and al-Fadl. The fundamental do your utmost was that they were moreover powerful and left too minute scope to the caliph.

Although ethics caliphate was now mostly at ease and there were no larger revolts, there was an wellnigh constant series of local insurrections.

In the earlier part topple the reign there were adversity in Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia, Yemen, and Daylam (south of primacy Caspian Sea), and in boss more serious revolt in Khurasan under Rafi ibn Layth. Say publicly difficulty of holding together classic empire as vast as Harun's led to the establishment pleasant an independent principality in Maroc by the Idrisid dynasty joke and of a semi-independent assault in Tunisia by the Aghlabid dynasty in These marked well-organized loss of power by dignity central government.

The danger promote to disintegration was increased by Harun's unwise arrangement for succession. Set out provided for one son, al-Amin, to become caliph and perform another son, al-Mamun, to enjoy control of certain provinces president of a section of birth army.

Harun took a personal occupational in the campaigns against say publicly Byzantines, leading expeditions in , , and In the ruler Irene made peace and concerted to pay a large affixing of money.

The emperor Nicephorus denounced this treaty but was forced to make an securely more humiliating one in State was occupied in Though put together mentioned in Arabic sources, near seem to have been discreet contacts between Harun and Carolingian, in which the latter was recognized as protector of Christlike pilgrims to Jerusalem.

Harun died at Tus in acclimatize Persia on March 24, , during an expedition to revive order there.

His Personality

Although the poetess, thinking of some of authority stories of the Arabian Nights, could speak of "the travelling fair Haroun Alraschid, " the expert R. A. Nicholson thought flair was rather "a perfidious survive irascible tyrant, whose fitful amiableness and real taste for euphony and letters hardly entitle him to be described either bring in a great monarch or first-class good man."

Yet with all wellfitting violence and cruelty and take the edge off readiness to have human beings executed and tortured, the tedious of Harun al-Rashid undoubtedly locked away something which later ages appreciate.

It was far from utilize without a conscience, and reconcile the quality of its excitement there were elements of splendour and nobility of style; topmost the tone of this will was set by Harun focus on the Barmakids.

Further Reading

There is thumb recent scholarly work on Harun. E. H. Palmer, Harun Alraschid: Caliph of Bagdad (), abridge out of date.

H. Reverse. J. B. Philby, Harun rather Rashid (), is popular however based on secondary sources. Overlord. W. Buckler, Harunu'l-Rashid and River the Great (), deals clump detail with the diplomatic exchanges between the monarchs. Nabia Abbott, Two Queens of Baghdad (), describes court life and shows the influence of Khayzuran, Harun's mother, and of Zubayda, rulership wife.

There are also short accounts in general histories. Prestige stories about Harun may enter found in translations of honesty Arabian Nights (or Thousand scold One Nights), with great differences between different versions.

Additional Sources

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