Notes: Harun was the son of the the third Abbasid caliph, al-Mahdi, and his wife Al-Khayzuran. His elder brother, al-Hadi, succeeded his father in AD 785, and put down a
number of rebellions as well as defeated a Byzantine army, but died of natural causes after only about a year's rule. Harun then became caliph, and reigned during the zenith of
Abbasid power. His mother was very influential and greatly influenced his rule until her death in AD 789. His method of rule was such that most of the day to day rule was handled
by his vizier and ministers. By the time of his reign, these posts were mainly filled by members of the Persian Barmakid family. Harun's main duties were to be a final court of
appeal (thus above the base politics of the various factions), lead Friday prayers, and command the army in wartime. The first twenty years of his reign were very prosperous. Like
his brother, he put down a number of rebellions and defeated a Byzantine army. The latter was particularly significant. During his father's rule, Harun had been led an army
against the Byzantines, and fought to the gates of the imperial city. Recognizing the futility of continued warfare, the Byzantine Empress Irene negotiated a settlement of yearly
tribute in exchange for peace. It was for this great success that Harun received the honorific title al-Rashid ("rightly-guided"). In AD 802, Irene was overthrown by Nicephoros I,
who refused to continue the tribute payments, and demanded the Abbasids pay him instead. Harun responded by invading the Byzantine territory, capturing a number of cities, and
defeating the army sent against him. Nicephoros was forced to reinstate the tribute, and also to pay a further tribute for his transgression. Beyond being a capable military
leader, Harun was highly cultured, and vigorously supported the arts and sciences, resulting in Baghdad and other major cities becoming great centers of learning. Soon, the
Abbasid empire was a flourishing culture that rivaled the great societies of the western world. It is thought that his reign was the model for the famous Middle Eastern epic,
The Book of One Thousand and One Nights. His rule was so illustrious that he communicated amicably with his contemporary ruler, Charlemagne, who presided over the a
powerful empire in the west, the Holy Roman Empire. In AD 798, he received an embassy from Charlemagne in Baghdad, from whom he received a number of gifts. After remaining for a
few years, the embassy returned to the west with gifts from Harun, including an elephant. Around the same time, al-Rashid recognized that the Barmakid family had become too
powerful, and were a threat to the Abbasid royal house. He had his vizier executed, and the family was ousted from their positions. While certainly a necessary action, one result
was the weakening of Abbasid control in peripheral areas of their empire. Over the last decade of his rule, a number of rebellions broke out, and ultimately portions of North
Africa and Transoxiana were lost. During this period, the economy also began to weaken. These problems emboldened the Byzantine Emperor Nicephoros to again refuse to pay tribute.
Harun again marched west with his army, but died en-route.
This particular coin is from the year al-Rashid received Charlemagne's embassy, and was minted at the capital, Baghdad, where they were received.
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