Harun al-Rashid was an incredible Caliph. It will be proven in this blog that over the space of his 43years he was an extremely influential man that deserves his immortalization in The Thousand and One Nights[1], along with his Baghdad court. Through analysis of his early life, his budding career as a soldier and leader, his great accomplishments as Caliph and of course his major triumphs throughout his entire life that the title is well deserved.
Born in Reyy, Iran 766, Harun al- Rashid was the fifth Abbasid[2] Caliph. Third son of Caliph Mohammed al-Mahdi and former slave, Khayzuran, Harun was always destined for greatness. Having lived as a prince in the court of Baghdad in Iran, he was well educated in what was expected of a son of the Caliph. From the age of fourteen he was encouraged by his family and his instructor Yahya ibn Khalid the Barmakid[3] in many military pursuits and after proving his worth, he was named military leader of expeditions against the Byzantines, the inhabitants of Byzantium (Nielsen 2001). This was a great boost for his career as a soldier and as he consistently proved himself worthy, he was promoted rapidly, rising through the ranks. “Rashid was rewarded for the success of these campaigns by being named governor of Ifriqiyah (Tunisia), Egypt, Syria, Armenia, and Azerbaijan Province in Iran. The honorific, or title, of al-Rashid (the Upright) was added to his name” (Encyclopaedia of World Biography, 2010). Following this amazing honour he was proclaimed second, after his brother al-Hadi, in line for the throne. This was only the beginning of accolades bestowed upon him.
Harun al-Rashid rose to become the most famous caliph on September 14, 786 after Al-Mahdi died in 785 and Al-Hadi died mysteriously in 786, leaving the throne open to Harun. He was an amazingly effective leader who did things differently to any Caliph before him. “Harun al-Rashid, medieval Caliph of Baghdad, was described in the Thousand and One Nights as disguising himself in order to detect and punish evildoers” (Suedfeld 2004). With such a proficient and magnificent Caliph, the Abbasid caliphate “reached the height of its power and his court at Baghdad was famous for its splendour. His empire extended from the Mediterranean to India” (Unknown, n.d). Many rulers paid tribute to Harun and their finances were spent on the arts, architecture and the luxuries for court life. One of the crowning moments in his career as Caliph was in 797 when the Irene, the Byzantine empress, accepted the peace treaty and agreed to pay “seventy thousand pieces of gold as a yearly tribute” (Academic dictionaries and encyclopaedias) in return for Harun’s promise that if the treaty remained, no Muslim force would harm Constantinople. Another major victory followed in the form of Nicephorus, the empresses’ successor, who denounced the treaty between the Byzantine Empire and refused to pay the tribute, and arrogantly wrote to Harun demanding he pay Constantinople tribute.
“From Nicephorus, ruler of the Byzantines, to Harun, ruler of the Arabs. As follows: The queen who was my predecessor set you up in the position of rook (ie. In chess), and herself as merely a pawn, and she paid you from her treasuries the amount whose equivalent you should by right have handed to her; but that (arose from) the weakness and deficient sense of women. Now, when you have perused my letter, send back what you received of the money which she sent, and random yourself by (disgorging) what you are receiving by means of exaction; if not, then the sword will inevitably be set between us!”
(al-Tabari 1989, trans. Bosworth, 240).
As can be imagined, Harun didn’t take well to such threats and responded, “...to Nicephorus the dog of the Byzantines: O son of an infidel woman, I have read your letter, and the reply is what you will see, without you having to hear it. Farewell!” (al-Tabari 1989, trans. Bosworth, 240). Harun’s true answer took place in 806 with vengeance, when he led “135,000 men and forced the Byzantine Empire to pay him 50,000 gold pieces immediately and 30,000 gold pieces annually” (Academic dictionaries and encyclopaedias).
Most say that under Harun’s reign the caliphate had never been so prosperous, yet some may argue that it was the beginning of the end.
“The difficulty of holding together an empire as vast as Harun's led to the establishment of an independent principality in Morocco by the Idrisid dynasty in 789 and of a semi-independent one in Tunisia by the Aghlabid dynasty in 800. These marked a loss of power by the central government. The danger of disintegration was increased by Harun's unwise arrangement for succession. It provided for one son, al-Amin, to become caliph and for another son, al-Mamun, to have control of certain provinces and of a section of the army.”
(Encyclopaedia of World Biography, 2010).
Hugh Kennedy states that, “Harun’s reputation does not rest on his achievements as a politician or leader; he was at best an adequate caretaker of what he had inherited. Nor was he a great patron of culture: he left virtually no surviving architecture and it was his son and eventual successor al-Ma’mun (813-833) who fully established the reputation of the Abbasid court as a place of learning and scientific endeavour” (2004, 32). After stating such facts Kennedy then contradicts himself in the next paragraph stating that, “...Muslims looked back to his [Harun] reign as an era of extravagance and magnificence...” (2004, 32).
Although this is a valid point it doesn’t diminish the rest of his triumphs as a Caliph that are reported from numerous other sources. He was well loved for his generosity (to his neighbouring countries) and greatly respected (for his encouragement for education, fairness and leading his army into battle). “He was a scholar and poet himself and whenever he heard of learned men in his own kingdom, or in neighbouring countries, he invited them to his court and treated them with respect. The name of Hārūn... became known throughout the world” (Academic dictionaries and encyclopaedias). The most important historian from early historical Islam, Al-Tabari, states, “It has been said that when Harun al-Rashid died, there were nine hundred million odd (dirhams) in the state treasury" [v. 30, p. 335.]. This feat in itself is something worthy of remembrance.
Even though Harun Al-Rashid made some unwise decisions (like most rulers), his accomplishments certainly outweigh these. Throughout his extraordinary life time he believed in the value of education; braved the frontlines of battle with his men and served his people willingly and faithfully. From commanding armies at a young age to enjoying the benefits of the court luxuries, Harun went down in history for his diversity of interests and talents. Such a person deserves to be forever remembered.
[1] a collection of folktales in Arabic dating from the 10th century
[2] “Line of caliphs starting with Abbas al-Saffah in 750 and lasting until the Mongol takeover of Baghdad in 1258”. (www.juniata.edu/faculty/tuten/islamic/archive/glossary.html)
[3] a powerful Persian family
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| Silver dirham of Caliph Harun al-Rashid |
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| Bronze Chess Piece of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid (http://www.artfromancientlands.com/BronzeChessPieceoftheCaliphHarunalRashidAM0098.html) |
Further reading on related topics:
Background on Harun al-Rashid: http://www.nndb.com/people/849/000092573/.
To browse the famous texts of The Thousand and One Nights:
Information on the Abbasid Dynasty: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0001_0_00087.html.
Reference List:
Primary Source:
al-Tabari 1989, "The History of al-Tabari" volume XXX "The 'Abbasid Caliphate in Equilibrium" transl. C.E. Bosworth, SUNY, Albany.
Academic Journal Articles:
Dunlop, D. (1968). Letter of hārūn ar-Rashīd to the Emperor Constantine VI. In memoriam Paul Kahle (pp. 106-115). Berlin: A Töpelmann. Retrieved from ATLA Religion Database.
Hibri, T. (1999). Reinterpreting Islamic historiography: Harun al-Rashid and the narrative of the ʻAbbasid Caliphate. Cambridge Univ Pr. Retrieved from ATLA Religion Database.
Nielsen, J. (2001). Reinterpreting Islamic historiography: Harun al-Rashid and the narrative of the ʻAbbasid Caliphate. Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, 12(4), 493-494. Retrieved from ATLA Religion Database.
Kennedy, H. (2004). The True Caliph of The Arabian Nights. History Today, 54(9), 31-36. Retrieved September 10, 2010, from Academic Research Library. (Document ID: 688104471).
Suedfeld, P. (2004), Harun al-Rashid and the Terrorists: Identity Concealed, Identity Revealed. Political Psychology, 25: 479–492. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9221.2004.00381.x
Online Sources:
Academic dictionaries and encyclopaedias, n.d. Harun al-Rashid, http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/47731 (accessed September 8, 2010).
Encyclopaedia of World Biography, 2010. Harun al- Rashid Biography, http://biography.yourdictionary.com/harun-al-rashid (accessed September 1, 2010).
Encyclopaedia of World Biography, 2010. Harun al- Rashid Biography, http://www.notablebiographies.com/Pu-Ro/Rashid-Harun-al.html (accessed September 10, 2010).
Unknown n.d. www.juniata.edu/faculty/tuten/islamic/archive/glossary.html (accessed September 2 2010).
Unknown, n.d. AL-RASHID, http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/people_n2/ppersons4_n2/harun.html (accessed September 8, 2010).
Wordnet n.d. wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn (accessed September 2 2010).
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