Al-Ma’mün, the caliph of The Islamic Empire at the height of its power, was born the same year that his father became caliph. His mother was “the ugliest and dirtiest slave in the kitchen” and the story of his birth is bonkers. He was raised as the illegitimate son of the caliph who also had two legitimate heirs. This ended up as a war between the sons, with al-Ma’mün the eventual victor.