Abu Ja'far Harun ibn Muhammad al-Mahdi or simply Harun ibn al-Mahdi, famously known as Harun al-Rashid, was the fifth Abbasid caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate, reigning from September 786 until his death in March 809. His reign is traditionally regarded to be the beginning of the Islamic Golden Age. His epithet al-Rashid translates to "the Orthodox", "the Just", "the Upright", or "the Rightly-Guided".
Abu Musa Muhammad ibn Harun al-Rashid, better known by his laqab of al-Amin, was the sixth Arab Abbasid caliph from 809 to 813.
Abu al-Abbas Abdallah ibn Harun al-Rashid, better known by his regnal name al-Ma'mun, was the seventh Abbasid caliph, who reigned from 813 until his death in 833. He succeeded his half-brother al-Amin after a civil war, during which the cohesion of the Abbasid Caliphate was weakened by rebellions and the rise of local strongmen; much of his domestic reign was consumed in pacification campaigns. Well educated and with a considerable interest in scholarship, al-Ma'mun promoted the Translation Movement, the flowering of learning and the sciences in Baghdad, and the publishing of al-Khwarizmi's book now known as "Algebra". He is also known for supporting the doctrine of Mu'tazilism and for imprisoning Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the rise of religious persecution (mihna), and for the resumption of large-scale warfare with the Byzantine Empire.
Ṭāhir ibn Ḥusayn, Arabic: طاهر بن الحسين, Tahir bin al-Husayn), also known as Dhul-Yamīnayn, and al-Aʿwar, was a Iranian general and governor during the Abbasid Caliphate. Specifically, he served under al-Ma'mun during the Fourth Fitna and led the armies that would defeat al-Amin, making al-Ma'mun the caliph.
Abu l-Abbas al-Fadl ibn Sahl ibn Zadhanfarukh al-Sarakhsi, titled Dhu 'l-Ri'āsatayn, was a famous Persian vizier of the Abbasid era in Khurasan, who served under Caliph al-Ma'mun. He played a crucial role in the civil war between al-Ma'mun and his brother al-Amin, and was the vizier of the Abbasid Caliphate until 817.
Musa ibn Yahya was a member of the powerful Barmakid family in the service of the Abbasid Caliphate.
The siege of Baghdad was a part of a civil war between al-Amin and al-Ma'mun for the Abbasid Caliphate of Baghdad. The siege lasted from August 812 until September 813. The siege is described in great detail by Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari in his famous History of the Prophets and Kings.
Al-Qāsim ibn Hārūn al-Rashīd was an Abbasid prince, the third son of the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid, and for a time third-in-line to the Abbasid throne.
The Fourth Fitna or Great Abbasid Civil War resulted from the conflict between the brothers al-Amin and al-Ma'mun over the succession to the throne of the Abbasid Caliphate. Their father, Caliph Harun al-Rashid, had named al-Amin as the first successor, but had also named al-Ma'mun as the second, with Khurasan granted to him as an appanage. Later a third son, al-Qasim, had been designated as third successor. After Harun died in 809, al-Amin succeeded him in Baghdad. Encouraged by the Baghdad court, al-Amin began trying to subvert the autonomous status of Khurasan, and al-Qasim was quickly sidelined. In response, al-Ma'mun sought the support of the provincial élites of Khurasan and made moves to assert his own autonomy. As the rift between the two brothers and their respective camps widened, al-Amin declared his own son Musa as his heir and assembled a large army. In 811, al-Amin's troops marched against Khurasan, but al-Ma'mun's general Tahir ibn Husayn defeated them in the Battle of Ray, and then invaded Iraq and besieged Baghdad itself. The city fell after a year, al-Amin was executed, and al-Ma'mun became Caliph.
Harthama ibn A'yan was a Khurasan-born general and governor of the early Abbasid Caliphate, serving under the caliphs al-Hadi, Harun al-Rashid and al-Ma'mun. He played an important role in the victory of al-Ma'mun in the Abbasid civil war, but was executed at his orders when he protested against the power of the Sahlid family that dominated his court.
Al-Fadl ibn al-Rabi, was one of the most influential officials of the Abbasid Caliphate in the reigns of Harun al-Rashid and al-Amin, whom he served as chamberlain and chief minister. Fadl played an important role as the chief instigator of the civil war that erupted after Harun's death, siding with al-Amin against his half-brother al-Ma'mun. After al-Ma'mun's victory he went into hiding, but eventually reconciled himself with the new ruler.
Al-Hasan ibn Sahl was an Abbasid official and governor of Iraq for Caliph al-Ma'mun during the Fourth Fitna.
Ali ibn Isa ibn Mahan was a prominent Iranian military leader of the Abbasid Caliphate in the late 8th and early 9th centuries.
Khuzayma ibn Khazim ibn Khuzayma al-Tamimi was a powerful grandee in the early Abbasid Caliphate. The son of the distinguished military leader Khazim ibn Khuzayma, he inherited a position of privilege and power, and served early on in high state offices. He was crucial in securing the accession of Harun al-Rashid in 786, and was an influential figure throughout his reign. During the civil war of 811–813 he sided with al-Amin, but finally defected to the camp of al-Amin's brother al-Ma'mun and played a decisive role in ending the year-long siege of Baghdad in a victory for al-Ma'mun's forces.
Abdallah ibn Malik al-Khuza'i was Arab senior military leader and provincial governor of the early Abbasid Caliphate.
Rāfiʿ ibn al Layth ibn Naṣr ibn Sayyār was a Khurasani Arab noble who led a large-scale rebellion against the Abbasid Caliphate in 806–809.
Yazid ibn Jarir ibn Yazid ibn Khalid ibn Abdallah al-Qasri was a provincial governor for the Abbasid Caliphate, serving as governor of the Yemen from 812 to 813.
Sulaymān ibn al-Manṣūr, better known as Sulaymān ibn Abī Jaʿfar, was an Abbasid prince and served as governor of Basra, al-Jazira and Syria during the reign of his nephew, Caliph Harun al-Rashid. He also served in Syria under al-Rashid's son and successor, al-Amin.
Dawud ibn Isa ibn Musa al-Hashimi was the ninth century member of the cadet branch Abbasid house. He served as the governor of Medina and Mecca from 811 to 815 for the Abbasid Caliphate.
