Ali 1

Prosopography of the Byzantine Empire
SexM
FloruitM VII
Dates661 (ob.)
PmbZ No.198
Variant NamesAle;
Alem
ReligionMuslim
EthnicityArab
LocationsKufa (deathplace);
Sapphin (deathplace);
Barbalissos;
Babylon (officeplace);
Arabia (officeplace);
Persia (officeplace);
Aithrib (officeplace)
TitlesCaliph (office)
Textual SourcesConstantine Porphyrogenitus, De Administrando Imperio, ed. G. Moravcsik, trans. R. J. H. Jenkins (Washington, D.C., 1967) (history);
Michael the Syrian, Chronicle, ed. and tr. J.-B. Chabot, La chronique de Michel le Syrien (Paris, 1899-1904) (chronicle);
Theophanes Confessor, Chronographia, ed. C. de Boor, 2 vols. (Leipzig, 1883-85, repr. Hildesheim/NewYork, 1980); tr. and comm. C. Mango and R. Scott, The Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor, Oxford 1997 (chronicle);
Zonaras = Ioannis Zonarae Epitome Historiarum, libri XIII-XVIII, ed. Th. Büttner-Wobst, (Bonn, 1897) (history)

Ali 1 was nephew of Ali and son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad (Al Amin 1); after the murder of Othman 1 he was one of the two candidates for the succession (the other was Mu`awiya 1, who won); his support came from the Arabs of the desert: Theoph. AM 6147 (τὸν Ἀλὴ ἤθελον, ἀνεψιὸν τοῦ Ἀλή, γαμβρὸν ὄντα τοῦ Μουάμεδ). Attacked by Mu`awiya 1 in 656/657, he was overcome when his army was cut off from water supplies near Barbalissus by the Euphrates: Theoph. AM 6l48. He was murdered at Sapphin in 659/ 660; described as "the ... [?ruler] of Persia" (ὁ τῆς Περσίδος): Theoph. AM 6151. Son-in-law of Mohammed, he was the rival of Mu`awiya 1 to rule the Arabs: Zon. XIV 19. 18 (οἱ δὲ τὸν Ἀλήμ, γαμβρὸν τοῦ Μουχούμετ γενόμενον). He was assassinated at Kufa in 661. Husband of Fatima and son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad (Al Amin 1); while Mu'awiya 1 ruled Egypt, Palestine and Damascus, Ali 1 ruled Aithrib and Arabia; they met in battle near the Euphrates and Ali 1 was defeated and soon afterwards died; he had sons who later rebelled unsuccessfully against Mu'awiya 1: Const. Porph., DAI 21, 18; 21, 69ff. The son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad (Al Amin 1); after the murder of Othman 1 he was preferred as ruler by the Arabs of Yathrib and Babylon, against Mu`awiya 1; after his death Mu`awiya 1 became sole ruler: Mich. Syr. II 450.

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