In 802 Ni-ceph'o-rus usurped the throne of the Eastern Empire.
He sent ambassadors with a letter to Harun to tell him that the
tribute would no longer be paid. The letter contained these words:
"The weak and faint-hearted Irene submitted to pay you tribute.
She ought to have made you pay tribute to her. Return to me all
that she paid you; else the matter must be settled by the sword."
As soon as Harun had read these words the ambassadors threw a bundle
of swords at his feet. The caliph smiled, and drawing his own sword,
or cimeter (_sim'e-ter_), he cut the Roman swords in two with one
stroke without injuring the blade, or even turning the edge of
his weapon.
Then he dictated a letter to Nicephorus, in which he said:
"Harun-al-Rashid, Commander of the Faithful to Nicephorus, the
Roman dog: I have read thy letter. Thou shalt not hear, thou shalt
_see_ my reply."
[Illustration: HARUN-AL-RASHID]
Harun was as good as his word. He started that day with a large
army to punish the emperor. As soon as he reached Roman territory
he ravaged the country and took possession of everything valuable
that he found. He laid siege to Her-a-cle'a, a city on the shores
of the Black Sea, and in a week forced it to surrender. Then he
sacked the place.
Nicephorus was now forced to agree to pay the tribute. Scarcely,
however, had the caliph reached his palace in Bagdad when the emperor
again refused to pay.
Harun, consequently, advanced into the Roman province of Phrygia,
in Asia Minor, with an army of 15,000 men. Nicepherus marched against
him with 125,000 men. In the battle which followed the emperor was
wounded, and 40,000 of his men were killed.
After this defeat Nicephorus again promised payment of the tribute,
but again failed to keep his promise.
Harun now vowed that he would kill the emperor if he should ever
lay hands upon him. But as he was getting ready to march once more
into the Roman provinces a revolt broke out in one of the cities
of his own kingdom; and while on his way to suppress it the great
caliph died of an illness which had long given him trouble.