Yazid I
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| Yazid I | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caliphs of the Umayyad Caliphate | |||||
| Reign | 680 – 683 | ||||
| Predecessor | Mu'awiya I | ||||
| Successor | Mu'awiya II | ||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | Umayyad | ||||
| Father | Mu'awiya I | ||||
| Mother | Maysun | ||||
Yazīd ibn Mu‘āwiyata ibn Abī Sufyān Arabic: يزيد بن معاوية بن أبي سفيان (born July 23, 645; died 683), commonly known as Yazid I, was the second Caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate (and the first one by heredity), ruling for three years from 680 CE until his death in 683 CE. The period of Yazid's rule is thought of as a disaster for Muslims and his rule is still remembered by many, especially Shia Muslims. His period witnessed the massacre of Kerbala, losses in North Africa, and a loss of supremacy at sea. During this period, the spoliation and profanation of the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah by his forces occurred.
Oath of Allegiance of Yazid
Muawiyah I was succeeded by his son Yazid I as was customary in Arabia at the time. Yazid asked Governors of all provinces to take an oath of allegiance to him. The necessary oath was secured from all parts of the country except from Husain and Abdullah ibn Zubayr. However, Husain was not appointed as Governor by Yazid and never claimed this position for himself. This is evident by the numerous letters sent by Yazid to the Governor of Madina Walid son of Utbah.[citation needed] Historians have recorded that the contents of the letter were solely for the purposes of obtaining allegiance from Husain. Additionally, as Yazid knew the Walid would not be able to handle this task due to his cowardice, he sent Marwan a soldier in his army to assist in this task.[1][2]
Husayn ibn Ali and Ibn az-Zubair
Husayn ibn Ali did not give his oath of allegiance to Yazid. He stated, "no one like myself could ever give allegiance to someone like you", referring to Yazid's open deviations from the religion of his Grandfather.[citation needed] He was living in Madina with his family, but Yazid considered him a threat to his rule and ordered his governor either to take an oath from Husayn or bring him his head. Husayn ibn Ali refused this demand and hence was pushed to a limit that he finally decided to leave Madina. He first went to Makkah with an intention to perform Hajj. But Husayn cut short his plan and performed Umrah instead of Hajj, as Yazid's assassins had been seen in Mecca.[citation needed]
Kufa, a garrison town in what is now Iraq, had been Caliph ‘Alī's capital and many of his supporters lived there. Husayn ibn Ali received many letters from the Kufans expressing their offer of support if he claimed the caliphate, but Kufans disappeared and betrayed him, finally making the way to kill Hussain.[citation needed] The Kufans do claim they were put under a great deal of duress by the then Governor of Kufa who had been sent letters by Yazid not to welcome the presence of Hussain.[citation needed] The Kufan populous was subsequently threatened the by Governor and warned of the extreme consequences for any person who supported Hussain. They were also trying to restore Kufa's power against Damascus, the Umayyad capital, in which case they chose diplomacy with Yazid at the cost of rejecting Hussain from entering the city.
Abd-Allah ibn Abbas and Abdullah ibn Zubayr held a meeting with Husayn in Mecca to advise him to refuse to travel to Iraq. At the same time Ubayd-Allah ibn Ziyad, governor of Basrah, executed one of Husayn's messengers and then addressed the people and warned them to avoid the insurgency. Husayn departed towards Kufa despite many warnings and during the trip, he and many members of his family were killed or captured at the Battle of Karbala.[citation needed]
The complications of Yazid's accession to the Caliphate didn't end there. Many Sahaba and fellow Muslims refused to give their oath of allegiance to Yazid simply because they saw it as usurpation of power and not the proper way of choosing a Caliph by the Shura or Council. The most prominent among these resistors was Abdullah ibn Zubayr.
Abdullah ibn Zubayr opposed Yazid's position as Caliph. He launched an insurgency in the Hejaz. Yazid sent armies against him in 683. After the Battle of al-Harrah, Medina was recaptured and Mecca was also besieged. During the siege, the Ka‘bah was damaged. The siege ended when Yazid died suddenly in 683 CE.
Setbacks
During the caliphate of Yazid, Muslims suffered several setbacks. In 682 AD Yazid restored Uqba ibn Nafi as the governor of North Africa. Uqba won battles against the Berbers and Byzantines.[3] From there Uqba marched on thousands of miles westward towards Tangier, where he reached the Atlantic coast, and then marched eastwards through the Atlas Mountains.[4] With cavalry numbering about 300, he proceeded towards Biskra where he was ambushed by a Berber force under Kaisala. Uqba and all his men died fighting. The Berbers launched an attack and drove Muslims from north Africa for a period.[5] This was a major setback for the Muslims, because of this they lost supremacy at sea, and had to abandon the islands of Rhodes and Crete.
Death
Yazid I died at the age of 38. He ruled for 3 years. Yazid I was succeeded by his son Muawiyah II[6].
See also
References
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
