1 / 17

The War of the Two Brothers

The War of the Two Brothers. HIST 1007 9/25/13. Barmakids and Succession. Abu `Abdullah Musa b. Mahdi al- Hadi (r. 785-786) Yahya b. Khalid, Rabi b. Yunus , and Khayzuran (mother of al- Hadi and Harun ) work to keep Harun in line of succession

shayna
Download Presentation

The War of the Two Brothers

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The War of the Two Brothers HIST 1007 9/25/13

  2. Barmakids and Succession • Abu `Abdullah Musa b. Mahdi al-Hadi (r. 785-786) • Yahya b. Khalid, Rabi b. Yunus, and Khayzuran (mother of al-Hadi and Harun) work to keep Harun in line of succession • Harun al-Rashid (r. 786-806) – Golden Age of `Abbasid Empire • Was al-Hadi killed? • What about al-Mahdi?

  3. Harun al-Rashid and the Barmakids • 794 – Harun “invested [Yahya] with the rule of [his] flock.” • Fadl b. Yahya (766-808) – Harun’s “milk brother,” governor of Khurasan, expert administrator • Ja`far b. Yahya (767-803) – Barmakid“playboy,” boon companion of Harun

  4. Why is Harun al-Rashid the Most Famous Caliph? • 1,001 Nights – adventures of Harun and Ja`far • Western influence • Barmacide feast – something that looks desirable, but is illusory and disappointing • Harun al-Roosevelt • Golden Age before Collapse • What happens after Harun’s reign made contemporary writers look back with rose colored glasses Harun al-Rashid in Civilization V

  5. Harun as Third Generation or New Traditionalist • Hajj and Jihad • Caliph as spiritual leader • Caliph as military leader • DarbZubayda • How does this play out publically? • Ibn al-Mubarak and Harun al-Rashid Pool at Aqiq (Saudi Arabia), part of DarbZubayda

  6. al-Raqqa

  7. Fall of the Barmakids • Why does Harun turn on his number one fans? • `Alid sympathies – Yahya b. `Abdullah • Interest in asserting his own authority • Harem intrigue - Ja`far and Abbasa • 803 – Ja`far beheaded, Yahya and Fadl arrested

  8. New Succession • 802 – pilgrimage to Medina and Mecca • Muhammad b. Harunal-Amin – eldest son with Zubayda, supported by `Abbasid aristocracy • Abu Ja`far `Abdullah b. Harunal-Ma’mun – son with Marajil, supported by the Barmakids • al-Amin -> al-Ma’mun • al-Ma’mun as independent ruler of Khurasan • Agreement signed and deposited in the sanctuary at Mecca

  9. Rebellion in Khurasan • `Ali b. `Isa b. Mahan (d. 812): commander of the guard under al-Mahdi and secretary of the army under Hadi • 796: Harun replaces Fadl b. Yahya with `Ali b. `Isa as governor of Khurasan • Local resistance • 806: Open rebellion under Rafi b. al-Layth • 808: Harun travels to Khurasan

  10. Death of Harun al-Rashid • March 809: Harun al-Rashid dies in Tus (modern Mashhad) • al-Amin becomes caliph as planned • al-Ma’mun becomes ruler of Khurasan as planned • Slowly tensions build Shrine of Imam `Ali al-Rida; Mashhad, Iran

  11. Caliphate Divided • al-Ma’mun holds onto tax revenues • al-Amin holds al-Ma’mun’s wife, children, and property hostage • Fadl b. Rabi pushing to replace al-Ma’mun with Musa b. al-Amin in succession • 810: al-Amin has succession agreement removed from Ka`aba and destroyed

  12. War of the Two Brothers • al-Amin’s forces • Abna al-dawla • 50,000 trained professional soldiers • Under the leadership of `Ali b. `Isa (for some reason) • al-Ma’mun’s forces • On the defensive • 3-4,000 volunteer fighters • Dihqans opposed to `Ali b. `Isa • Tahir b. al-HusaynDhu al-Yaminayn

  13. Battle of Rayy • May 1, 811 • Tahir b. al-Husayn refuses to hide in city • al-Ma’mun’s forces outnumbered 10:1 • `Ali b. `Isa killed in battle • al-Amin’s forces routed • Rallying point for al-Ma’mun • Tahir quickly crosses Zagros

  14. The Siege of Baghdad • al-Amin’s supporters are Baghdad elites • Abnaand the Bedouin • 812: Tahir reaches Baghdad • Only round city is walled, suburbs are not • Over a year of door to door fighting • “The Naked Ones”

  15. The Death of al-Amin • al-Amin attempts to escape by boat • Caught by Tahir’s forces • Assumes he will be imprisoned • Tahir beheads al-Amin and displays his body in the city • Who does this Tahir think he is?

  16. al-Ma’mun • Victory for the east • Keeps capital in Marw until 819 • Declares Shi’ite Imam `Ali al-Rida his successor • Forced back to Baghdad • Has al-Rida killed in Tus • Rise of local rule • Aghlabids – Ifriqiya, 800-909 • Tahirids – Khurasan, 821-873 Marw, Turkmenistan

  17. The Tahirids • Tahir b. al-Husayn named governor of the West and head of the shurta in Baghdad • 821: Tahir given governorship of Khurasan, allowed to name successors • Did Tahir intend to rebel? • Tahirids in Khurasan: 821-873 • Tahirids in Baghdad: 813-891 Coin of Tahir b. al-Husayn

More Related