Fourth Abbasid Civil War

Name: Fourth Abbasid Civil War
Start: 809
End: 813

Type Event Region West Asia Time 809–813

After Harun al-Rashid died in 809, his sons al-Amin and al-Ma'mun fought a civil war; Baghdad fell in 813 and al-Ma'mun prevailed.

Timeline

809–810Baghdad · BaghdadAfter Harun al-Rashid's death, his eldest son al-Amin acceded in Baghdad but violated prior agreements by attempting to strip al-Ma'mun, governor of Khurasan, of his succession rights. The two sides exchanged envoys and mobilized troops; the empire split east and west in standoff, and civil war was imminent.
811–812Iraq · IraqIn 811 al-Amin ordered an attack on Khurasan, and Tahir, a general under al-Ma'mun, counterattacked with eastern forces. A series of battles raged across Iraq and the Iranian Plateau; al-Amin's forces retreated steadily, and the center's control over the eastern provinces was severely shaken.
813Baghdad · BaghdadIn 813 Tahir's army besieged Baghdad, where food and reinforcements ran out. Al-Amin was killed after surrendering, and al-Ma'mun's faction took control of the Iraqi heartland. The fourth civil war ended in al-Ma'mun's victory, paving the way for his accession.

The Cambridge History of Islam, Vol. 1A — P. M. Holt, Ann K. S. Lambton, Bernard Lewis (1970)