Ubaydallah ibn al-Mahdi

Ubaydallah ibn Muhammad al-Mahdi (Arabic: عبيد الله بن محمد المهدي‎)[1] (771–810/11) was an Abbasid prince. He was the son of al-Mahdi, the third caliph of the Abbasid caliphate, and Raytah, daughter of the first Abbasid caliph Abu al-Abbas al-Saffah.[2]

Dirham of half-brother Harun al-Rashid (190 AH)

Ubaydallah ibn al-Mahdi عبيد الله بن محمد المهدي
Governor of Arminiyah Governor of Egypt (Abbasid Prince)
Tenure	788/9 (Arminiyah) 795-796 (Egypt)
Born	771 Abbasid Caliphate
Died	810/11 Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate now Iraq
Burial	Baghdad
Spouse	unknown
Full name Ubaydallah ibn al-Mahdi ibn Al-Mansur
Dynasty	Abbasid
Father	Al-Mahdi
Mother	Raitah (daughter of Al-Saffah)
Religion	Islam

During the reign of his half-brother Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809), Ubaydallah was appointed as governor of Arminiyah and the northwestern provinces in 788/9, succeeding Yazid ibn Mazyad al-Shaybani.[3] He was later appointed to two brief stints as governor of Egypt, in 795 and 796.[4]

In 810 or 811 Ubaydallah died in Baghdad. His nephew al-Amin led the prayers at his funeral.[5]

Notes

1. Le Strange 1922, p. 218 notes that he is sometimes mistakenly referred to as "Abdallah ibn al-Mahdi."
2. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi 2011, p. 310; Ibn Hazm 1982, p. 22.
3. Bosworth 1989, p. 103; Al-Baladhuri 1916, p. 330. Numismatic evidence for this appointment is summarized by Bates 2019, p. 20. Al-Ya'qubi (Gordon et al. 2018, p. 1178) does not note Ubaydallah's governorship, saying instead that Ibn Mazyad was succeeded by Abd al-Kabir ibn Abd al-Hamid. Łewond (Bedrosian 2006, ch. 41), claims that following a conflict between Harun and Ubaydallah the empire was split in two, with Ubaydallah receiving the northern provinces of Atropatene, Armenia, Iberia/Georgia, and Aghuania; this assertion is however disputed by Bonner 1988, pp. 88-89, who notes that the Arabic sources from the period make no reference to any sort of conflict between the two brothers. Ibn Qutaybah n.d., p. 380, refers to Ubaydallah as a governor of the Jazira.
4. Al-Kindi 1912, pp. 137-38 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFAl-Kindi1912 (help); Ibn Taghribirdi 1930, pp. 93, 101; Khalifah ibn Khayyat 1985, pp. 463-64 (noting only one appointment to Egypt). During his first governorship he was placed in charge of both prayers/security (salah) and finances (kharaj); in his second administration he is mentioned as only being in charge of the salah.
5. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi 2011, p. 310; Ibn Taghribirdi 1930, p. 101.

References

• Al-Baladhuri, Ahmad ibn Jabir (1916). The Origins of the Islamic State, Part I. Trans. Philip Khuri Hitti. New York: Columbia University.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Bates, Michael L. (7 August 2019), Names and Titles on Islamic Coins, retrieved 23 February 2020CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Bedrosian, Robert (2006), Ghewond's History, Translated from Classical Armenian, retrieved 23 February 2020CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Bonner, Michael (Jan–Mar 1988). "Al-Khalīfa Al-Marḍī: The Accession of Hārūn Al-Rashīd". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 108 (1): 79–91. doi:10.2307/603247. JSTOR 603247.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Bosworth, C.E., ed. (1989). The History of al-Ṭabarī, Volume XXX: The ʿAbbāsid Caliphate in Equilibrium: The Caliphates of Mūsā al-Hādī and Hārūn al-Rashīd, A.D. 785–809/A.H. 169–192. SUNY Series in Near Eastern Studies. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-88706-564-4.
• Gordon, Matthew S.; Robinson, Chase F.; Rowson, Everett K.; et al., eds. (2018). The Works of Ibn Wadih al-Ya'qubi: An English Translation. 3. Leiden and Boston: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-35621-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Ibn Hazm, Abu Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Sa'id al-Andalusi (1982). Harun, 'Abd al-Salam Muhammad (ed.). Jamharat Ansab al-'Arab (in Arabic) (5th ed.). Cairo: Dar al-Ma'arif.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Ibn Qutaybah, Abu Muhammad Abdallah ibn Muslim (n.d.). Ukashah, Tharwat (ed.). Al-Ma'arif (4th ed.). Cairo: al-Dar Ma'arif.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Ibn Taghribirdi, Jamal al-Din Abu al-Mahasin Yusuf (1930). Nujum al-zahira fi muluk Misr wa'l-Qahira, Volume II (in Arabic). Cairo: Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Ali (2011). Mustafa 'Abd al-Qadir 'Ata (ed.). Tarikh Baghdad/Madinat al-Salam (in Arabic). 10. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyya.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Khalifah ibn Khayyat (1985). al-Umari, Akram Diya' (ed.). Tarikh Khalifah ibn Khayyat, 3rd ed (in Arabic). Al-Riyadh: Dar Taybah.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Al-Kindi, Muhammad ibn Yusuf (1912). Guest, Rhuvon (ed.). The Governors and Judges of Egypt (in Arabic). Leyden and London: E. J. Brill.
• Le Strange, Guy (1922). Baghdad During the Abbasid Caliphate. From Contemporary Arabic and Persian Sources (Second ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Preceded by Abd al-Malik ibn Salih	Governor of Egypt 795	Succeeded by Musa ibn Isa ibn Musa al-Hashimi
Preceded by Musa ibn Isa ibn Musa al-Hashimi	Governor of Egypt 796–797	Succeeded by Isma'il ibn Salih ibn Ali al-Hashimi