Harun 1 is called Aaron in Theophanes and Zonaras, Harun al-Rashid (H'rwn Rshyd) in Chron. 1234.

Harun 1 was the son of the caliph al-Mahdi (al-Mahdi 1): Theoph. AM 6272 (Μαδί ... τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Ἀαρὼν), Theoph. AM 6274 (Ἀαρών, υἱὸς Μαδί), Chron. 1234, §187 (II, p. 3). Brother of Moses, i.e. Musa (the caliph al-Hadi 1): Theoph. AM 6278 (Μωσῆς ... Ἀαρών, ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ), Chron. 1234, §187 (II, p. 3). Father of Muhammad (al-Amin 1), Theoph. AM 6301 (Μουάμεδ, ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ), Theoph. AM 6304 (Μουάμεδ δέ, ὁ πρῶτος υἱὸς Ἀαρών); and of Abdelas (al-Ma'mun 1), Theoph. AM 6301 (Ἀβδελᾶς, ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ), Theoph. AM 6304 (τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ Ἀβδελᾷ).

Harun 1 had three sons; one was Muhammad (al-Amin 1), born to him by Zubayda 1; one was al-Ma'mun 1, also called `Abd `Allah; and the third was al-Qasim 1: Chron. 1234, §192 (II, p. 7).

In 780 Harun 1 led a large expedition for his father into Roman territory; he entered the Armeniac theme and laid siege to the stronghold of Semalouos (τὸ Σημαλουὸς καστρὸν, identified as Kemele, between Kaisareia and Ankyra, by Hild and Restle, JÖB 23 (1974), pp. 265-267); Harun 1 remained there all summer and eventually captured it by agreement in September; meanwhile he sent an army under Thoumamas 1 into Asia: Theoph. AM 6272. In 782, while Roman troops were heavily engaged in Sicily, Harun 1 led a large army with troops from the East, from Syria and Mesopotamia, and from the desert and advanced as far as Chrysopolis (opposite Constantinople), leaving Bounousos 1 (al-Rabi) at Nakoleia to guard his rear and sending Bourniche 1 (al-Barmaki) into Asia (the Thrakesion theme); later a Roman general, Tatzates 1, deserted to him and three high Byzantine officials, sent to negotiate peace, fell into his hands (see Staurakios 1, Petros 8 and Antonios 1); a peace was arranged and Harun 1 withdrew his forces: Theoph. AM 6274, Zon. XV 10. 13.15-16 (ὁ τῶν Ἀράβων ἀρχηγὸς). On this campaign, see Tritle, Byz. 47 (1977), pp.279-300.

For Harun 1's campaigns during his father's reign, cf. Chron. 1234, §187 (II, p.3) ("during the life of his father Mahdi, this man had invaded Byzantine territory with a great army, and brought out many captives. And he had conquered the cities of Semalouos and Herakleia and captured them. And from the captives he had taken for himself the daughter of one of the leaders of Herakleia, and had built her a city and called it Herakleia") (cf. below on Herakleia, and see Anonyma 61). They are also mentioned in the Chronicle of Elias of Nisibis.

In AH 163 (September 779/September 780) = 1090 Sel. (778/779) Harun invaded Roman territory, accompanied in the first stages by his father al-Mahdi 1; he returned victorious and went to visit Jerusalem: Elias, Chron., p. 184, 1-6 = p. 87. In AH 165 (August 781/August 782) = 1092 Sel.(780/781) Harun 1 invaded Roman territory and penetrated as far as the straits near Constantinople: Elias, Chron., p. 184, 22-27 = p. 87, cf. Baladhuri, tr. Hitti, p. 260 (Harun al-Rashid was sent on an expedition by his father into Byzantine territory in AH 165, Aug. 781/Aug. 782). Son of Mahdi (al-Mahdi 1); in the year 1090 Sel. (778/779) Harun 1 captured and plundered the fortress of Simalos: Bar Hebr., p. 117. In the year 1094 Sel. (782/783) Harun 1 was sent by his father against Constantinople but was caught in a trap by the Romans and had to sue for peace: Bar Hebr., p. 118.

Harun 1 became caliph in 786 on his brother's death "and inflicted many misfortunes on the Christians" (καὶ ἐκράτησεν Ἀαρών, ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ, ἀντ' αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀρχήν ὃς καὶ πολλὰ κακὰ τοῖς Χριστιανοῖς ἐνεδείξατο): Theoph. AM 6278, cf. Chron. 1234, §187 (II, p. 3) (he began to reign after the death of his brother Musa (al-Hadi 1); said to have raised the tax on Christians, causing many to flee and leave their lands in the hands of Arabs). He was caliph from 786 to 809. He lived at Baghdad and at Callinicum: Chron. 1234, §187 (II, p. 3) (at Callinicum from c. 792), §190 (II, pp. 5-6).

Harun 1 was the grandson of Abu Ja`far (i.e. al-Mansour 1); he surrounded Raphiqah-Callinicum with a second wall: Mich. Syr. II 526. In 790 he tried in vain to persuade a captured Roman strategos, Theophilos 3, to desert (or possibly to apostatise) and executed him when he remained obdurate: Theoph. AM 6282. In 792 (Chron. 1234) or 796 (Mich. Syr.; Bar Hebr.) he went to cross Byzantine territory but at Edessa had to investigate allegations of espionage brought against the Christians there; he dismissed all charges: Chron. 1234, §187 (II, p. 3), Mich. Syr. III 10. In 805 he went to Persia to suppress a rebellion and the emperor Nikephoros I (Nikephoros 8) took the opportunity to strengthen Roman defences and to raid Syria: Theoph. AM 6297 (ὁ τῶν Ἀράβων ἀρχηγὸς). In 806 Harun 1 (Ἀαρών, ὁ τῶν Ἀράβων ἀρχηγός) invaded the empire with a large army drawn from the East, from Syria and Mesopotamia and from Libya (Africa); he built a mosque at Tyana and captured a number of forts, and sent a large expedition which reached Ankyra before it withdrew; the emperor sent envoys and a humiliating peace for the Romans was made; the Romans, in breach of the peace, refortified a number of strongholds as soon as Harun 1 withdrew, and Harun 1 then captured one of them back and sent a naval expedition against Cyprus, destroying many churches and transferring the population (to the mainland): Theoph. AM 6298. On this campaign, cf. Treadgold, Revival, pp. 144-146 with p. 408, n. 190. Cf. also Chron. 1234, §191 (II, p. 6) (in 805 (i.e. the year 1116 Sel.) "king Nikephoros sent an emissary to Harun to the effect that he should prepare for war. On the 15th of Haziran (June) he took 100,000 men and invaded Byzantine territory. And Nikephoros too had prepared and set out with a numerous army. Now they were in close proximity to one another for about two months, but they did not engage in battle, and finally they made peace"). According to the Chron. 1234, it was when Harun 1 returned from this campaign that he caused the new city of Herakleia to be constructed in the vicinity of Callinicum: Chron. 1234, §191 (II, p. 6). In September 807 he sent a fleet under the command of Humayd 1 against the island of Rhodes: Theoph. AM 6300.

Harun 1 died in March 809 (indiction two) in Khorasan and was succeeded by his son Muhammad (al-Amin 1); his other son Abdelas (al-Ma'mun 1) rebelled and civil war followed for five years: Theoph. AM 6301 (Ἀαρών, ὁ τῶν Ἀράβων ἀρχηγός). He died in the town of Tus in Khorasan, after a reign of twenty three years, "and construction on Herakleia ceased": Chron. 1234, §192 (II, p. 7). He succeeded his brother Musa (al-Hadi 1) as caliph in the year 1097 Sel. (785/786) and reigned for twenty-three years and two months: Bar Hebr., p. 118. Harun 1 and the emperor Nikephoros 8 prepared for war against each other but came to an agreement first and exchanged gifts; this was early in Nikephoros 8's reign: Bar Hebr., p. 121. He received a certain Taoma (cf. Thomas 7) son of Musamar, who claimed to be a son of the emperor Constantine; although unconvinced, Harun 1 treated him with honour: Bar Hebr., p. 121.

In the year 1115 Sel. (803/804) after the Romans captured and then lost the lands around Mopsuestia and Anazarbos, Harun 1 captured Herakleia in the month Nisan (April 804) but then made peace with Nikephoros 8, returning all the Romans held captive by him and giving the emperor his tents and their furnishings: Mich. Syr. III 16, Bar Hebr., p. 122. In the year 1120 Sel. (808/809) Harun 1 went to Persia against a rebel, leaving one son, Muhammad (al-Amin 1), as ruler in Baghdad and another, Kasim (al-Qasim 1), in Syria, and enriching a third son, Mamun (al-Ma'mun 1), with great wealth instead of giving him office; Harun 1 killed the rebel but then died: Mich. Syr. III 17, Bar Hebr., p. 122.

Aaron (sic, actually Harun 1 of course) succeeded Mahdi (al-Mahdi 1) as ruler of the Arabs and ruled for twenty-three years; he was succeeded by his son Muhammad (Al-Amin 1): Const. Porph., DAI 22, 59ff.

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