Harthama ibn A'yan

Harthama ibn A'yan (Arabic: هرثمة بن أعين; died June 816) 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.

Harthama ibn A'yan هرثمة بن أعين
Abbasid governor of Egypt
In office 794–795
Monarch	Harun al-Rashid
Preceded by	Ishaq ibn Sulayman
Succeeded by	Abd al-Malik ibn Salih
Abbasid governor of Ifriqiya
In office 795–797
Monarch	Harun al-Rashid
Preceded by	Al-Fadl ibn Rawh ibn Hatim al-Muhallabi
Succeeded by	Muhammad ibn Muqatil al-Akki
Abbasid governor of Mosul
In office 798–802
Monarch	Harun al-Rashid
Preceded by	Yahya ibn Sa'id al-Harashi
Succeeded by	Nadal ibn Rifas
Abbasid governor of Palestine
Monarch	Harun al-Rashid
Personal details
Born	Balkh, Abbasid Caliphate
Died	June 816 Abbasid Caliphate
Parent	A'yan
Military service
Allegiance	Abbasid Caliphate
Years of service	790s - 816 816 (end of service)
Rank	Abbasid army general

Biography

A native of Balkh, Harthama was a mawla of the Banu Dabba tribe.^[1] He first appears during the reign of the second Abbasid Caliph, al-Mansur (reigned 754–775), as one of the supporters of the Abbasid prince and heir-apparent Isa ibn Musa. Isa was forced to renounce his claim on the throne in favour of al-Mansur's son, al-Mahdi (r. 775–785), who had Harthama brought to Baghdad in chains and kept him under arrest throughout his reign.^[2][3]

Under al-Mahdi's son and successor al-Hadi (r. 785–786), however, he was released and rose to prominence as one of the Caliph's closest advisors. At one point he is said to have recommended that the Caliph should execute his younger brother and heir-apparent, the future caliph Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809) to open the path for the succession of al-Hadi's own sons, but this plan was foiled through the intervention of the Caliph's mother, al-Khayzuran. Nevertheless, when al-Hadi died it was Harthama himself who released Harun from prison.^[2]

He continued to enjoy a privileged position and high office under Harun as well, serving as governor of Palestine, Egypt, Mosul and then Ifriqiya,^[3] before assuming command of the caliphal guard (haras) under the supervision of Harun's trusted vizier, Ja'far ibn Yahya the Barmakid. From this post he played a role in the downfall of the Barmakids in 803, and established himself as one of the Caliphate's senior military leaders.^[2][3] He also led two summer raids into Asia Minor against the Byzantines.^[3] When the large-scale rebellion of Rafi ibn al-Layth broke out in Khurasan in 805–806 and the local governor, Ali ibn Isa ibn Mahan, proved himself incapable of suppressing it, al-Rashid sent Harthama to replace him, following himself shortly after, in 808.^[2][4]

Harthama was in Samarkand when al-Rashid died at Tus in March 809, and remained in the east after.^[2] Consequently, he threw in his lot with al-Ma'mun (r. 813–833) in the civil war against al-Amin (r. 809–813), and was along with Tahir ibn Husayn one of the two commanders of al-Ma'mun's army during the crucial year-long siege of Baghdad in 812–813. During the siege he led the attack from the east while Tahir commanded from the west. In the final stage of the siege, Harthama tried unsuccessfully to secure the surrender and life of al-Amin, by sending a boat to ferry him over the Tigris. The boat, however, capsized, and al-Amin was captured and executed by Tahir's men.^[2][5]

Harthama remained in Iraq after that, and played a leading role in defeating the pro-Alid revolt of Abu'l-Saraya in 815.^[2][3][6] Soon after he was appointed as governor of Arabia and Syria, but instead of taking up his post Harthama went east with the intention of appraising al-Ma'mun, who had remained in Merv, of the real situation in Iraq, and especially the resentment caused by the government's domination by a group of Khurasanis around al-Ma'mun's vizier, al-Fadl ibn Sahl. Al-Fadl and his supporters were however able to turn al-Ma'mun against Harthama, who was imprisoned and executed in June 816.^[2][3][7] In response to the news of his execution, Harthama's son Hatim, the governor of Arminiya, led a rebellion that was however cut short by his own death.^[2][3] Another son, A'yan, governor of Sistan c. 820, is also known, and his descendants through Hatim continued to occupy high offices until well into the 9th century.^[8]

References

1. Rekaya (1991), p. 333
2. Pellat (1971), p. 231
3. Crone (1980), p. 177
4. Kennedy (2004), p. 145
5. Kennedy (2004), pp. 149–150
6. Kennedy (2004), p. 152
7. Kennedy (2004), p. 151
8. Crone (1980), p. 178

Sources

• Crone, Patricia (1980). Slaves on Horses: The Evolution of the Islamic Polity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-52940-9.
• Kennedy, Hugh (2004). The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates: The Islamic Near East from the 6th to the 11th Century (Second ed.). Harlow: Longman. ISBN 978-0-582-40525-7.
• Pellat, Ch. (1971). "Hart̲h̲ama b. Aʿyan". In Lewis, B.; Ménage, V. L.; Pellat, Ch. & Schacht, J. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume III: H–Iram. Leiden: E. J. Brill. p. 231. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_2744. OCLC 495469525.
• Rekaya, M. (1991). "al-Maʾmūn". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume VI: Mahk–Mid. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 331–339. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_4889. ISBN 978-90-04-08112-3.

Preceded by Ishaq ibn Sulayman al-Hashimi	Governor of Egypt 794–795	Succeeded by Abd al-Malik ibn Salih