Episode 50: Al Rashid

From our vantage point in the 21st century, it is clear that Haroon al Rashid is by far the most famous Arab caliph. His renown is not some modern phenomenon either: he may occasionally pop up as a cultural reference or on a trivia show, but he was immortalized early in the epic One Thousand and One Nights. His time in charge is generally thought of as the height of Arab power and culture, a claim we will investigate together in our many episodes on the legendary figure.

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Graphs

Glossary

• Al Mansur: the second Abbasid caliph, Haroon’s grandfather, the badass who built the caliphate.
• Al Mahdi: the third Abbasid caliph, Haroon’s father, who normalized letting the bureaucracy run itself so he could do funner things.
• Al Hadi: the fourth Abbasid caliph, Haroon’s brother, who tried to have him removed from the succession so he could install his 7 year old son Ja’far.
• Al Rashid: the fifth Abbasid caliph, our man for a few more episodes to come.
• Al Khayzuran: wife of al Mahdi and mother to al Hadi and al Rashid. Her influence at court was something none of her predecessors had ever achieved, and she is whispered to have had some level of authority over administration since the days of al Mahdi. Many accuse her of killing her own son when her power waned during al Hadi’s reign, a rumor I only point out in order to dismiss. Al Rashid did not try to limit his mother’s influence, and she worked alongside his trusted mentor Yahya al Barmaki and ran things for a few years, until her death in 789. 
• Ghatreef: al Khayzuran’s brother became governor of Yemen, though our sources mention his appointment so many times that it is difficult to determine when exactly that was. As a native of the province, he had great success in uniting some warring coalitions, bringing peace to a sporadically rebellious extremity of the caliphate.
• Barmak: patriarch of the Baramika, he was the keeper of a Zoroastrian or Buddhist temple in Balkh back before the Arabs first burst on the scene.
• Khalid ibn Barmak: Barmak’s son seems to have come west with the Abbasid armies during the revolution, and he rose through the administrative ranks until he achieved the admirable rank of governor of Mosul under the judicious and selective al Mansur. It is worth noting that Iraqi cities were usually only given to Abbasids or their very closest and most trusted helpers, so it’s a big deal that Khalid became governor of Mosul during al Mansur’s time.
• Yahya ibn Khalid ibn Barmak: Khalid’s son was a very intelligent and highly skilled administrator, something which made him useful to both his father and the administration. He became close friends with al Mahdi while the caliph-to-be was still in Rayy, then became a mentor to his son, a position that will ultimately give him unprecedented power and earn his whole family a place in Arab history.
• Fadl ibn Yahya ibn Khalid ibn Barmak: Yahya’s eldest son was as capable and dependable as his father. Al Rashid relied upon him for various difficult tasks: dealing with a Hashemite uprising, installing his son in the line of succession, and governing Khurasan just to name a few. 
• Ja’far ibn Yahya ibn Khalid ibn Barmak: Yahya’s second son was the one who grew closest to al Rashid. He and the caliph became drinking buddies, something Yahya and Ja’far never indulged in. He was more than just a friend and advisor however, like his brother he was entrusted with various critical tasks including administration and military command.
• Musa ibn Yahya ibn Khalid ibn Barmak: Yahya’s third son comes up a few times as a commander in al Rashid’s armies. He had a reputation for severity, and was always sent in when things were going bad for the caliphate. 
• Mohammad ibn Khalid ibn Barmak: Yahya’s brother served the caliph as hajib for a few years, and while we don’t hear as much about him as the other Baramika, he was the only one who survived their dark fate.
• Fadl ibn Rabi’: the hajib of al Hadi and son of the previous hajib Rabi’ ibn Yunis, al Fadl was one of the advisors who probably first pushed for Haroon al Rashid’s removal from succession. It is incredible to me that he was not only forgiven by the caliph, but given official power and a respected place in court once more. We’ll get to the consequences of that down the line.
• Harthama bin A’yun: one of the caliph’s dependable commanders and administrators. He had spent al Mahdi’s reign in jail for protesting that the official succession should have gone to Isa ibn Musa, but al Hadi restored Harthama and made him a close advisor. Al Rashid forgave him for his role in al Hadi’s administration, and used him as a governor in a few different provinces and to fight kharijites and other renegades. 
• Yazid ibn Mazyad al Shaybani: the nephew of the warrior-governor Ma’an ibn Za’ida al Shaybani, he was another supporter of al Hadi who was forgiven by al Rashid. He is best known for leading the umma’s armies against the Khazars and Byzantines, and as a cruel governor of Armenia who persecuted Christians.
• Dawud ibn Yazid al Muhallabi: Dawid was the son of Yazid ibn Hatim al Muhallabi who governed Ifriqiya for over a decade, from the end of Mansur’s reign until the first few years of al Rashid’s. His son Dawud replaced him for a few years, but when Ifriqiya got too hard to handle he was replaced, and eventually he became the long-term governor of Sindh all the way at the other end of the caliphate.
• Khuzayma ibn Khazem: the son of the celebrated Khazem ibn Khuzayma enjoyed great wealth and influence during al Rashid’s reign. He was made governor of Armenia a couple times, and is best remembered for his wars against the Khazars and kharijites.
• Constantine VI: I don’t feel it’s my place to comment too much on these Byzantine figures, but I just want to give a timeline in case the one in my episode is confusing. Constantine was not yet a teenager when the 16 year old Haroon al Rashid first invaded his realm in 782. His mother Irene was co-ruling in his stead.
• Irene: she ruled as empress consort from 780 when her husband passed away as the regent of their 9 year old son. This went on for a decade, after which her son managed to take control himself. She managed to usurp him and return to power in 797, but that only lasted 5 years.
• Nikephorous: Irene’s finance minister conspired with other Byzantine figures to unseat the empress in 802, and he immediately went to war with the caliphate. It did not go too well for him.

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