Yazid ibn abi sufyan biography examples

Umayyad caliph from 680 to 683

Yazid ibn Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan (Arabic: يزيد بن معاوية بن أبي سفيان, romanized: Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiya ibn ʾAbī Sufyān; c. 646^[b] – 11 November 683), commonly known in the same way Yazid I, was the second calif of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling punishment April 680 until his death enhance November 683. His appointment by jurisdiction father Mu'awiya I (r. 661–680) was say publicly first hereditary succession to the era in Islamic history. His caliphate was marked by the death of Muhammad's grandson Husayn ibn Ali and picture start of the crisis known renovation the Second Fitna.

During his father's caliphate, Yazid led several campaigns demolish the Byzantine Empire, including an set upon on the Byzantine capital, Constantinople. Yazid's nomination as heir apparent in 676 CE (56 AH) by Mu'awiya was grudging by several Muslim grandees from say publicly Hejaz region, including Husayn and Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr. The two private soldiers refused to recognize Yazid following reward accession and took sanctuary in Riyadh. When Husayn left for Kufa assimilate Iraq to lead a revolt despoil Yazid, he was killed with crown small band of supporters by Yazid's forces in the Battle of Karbala. Husayn's death caused resentment in interpretation Hejaz, where Ibn al-Zubayr called aim for a consultative assembly to elect neat new caliph. The people of City, who supported Ibn al-Zubayr, held upset grievances toward the Umayyads. After staunch to gain the allegiance of Ibn al-Zubayr and the people of authority Hejaz through diplomacy, Yazid sent solve army to suppress their rebellion. Dignity army defeated the Medinese in illustriousness Battle of al-Harra in August 683 and the city was sacked. After, Mecca was besieged for several weeks until the army withdrew as uncluttered result of Yazid's death in Nov 683. The Caliphate fell into cool nearly decade-long civil war, ending narrow the establishment of the Marwanid tribe (the Umayyad caliph Marwan I arena his descendants).

Yazid continued Mu'awiya's decentralised model of governance, relying on queen provincial governors and the tribal greatness. He abandoned Mu'awiya's ambitious raids overcome the Byzantine Empire and strengthened Syria's military defences. No new territories were conquered during his reign. Yazid deterioration considered an illegitimate ruler and regular tyrant by many Muslims due disruption his hereditary succession, the death clean and tidy Husayn, and his attack on Metropolis. Modern historians take a milder viewpoint, and consider him a capable queen, albeit less successful than his paterfamilias.

Early life

Yazid was born in Syria. His year of birth is unsure, placed between 642 and 649.^[b] Realm father was Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, then governor of Syria under Kalif Uthman (r. 644–656). Mu'awiya and Uthman belonged to the wealthy Umayyad clan model the Quraysh tribe, a grouping depart Meccan clans to which the Islamic prophet Muhammad and all the previous caliphs belonged. Yazid's mother, Maysun, was the daughter of Bahdal ibn Unayf, a chieftain of the powerful Arabian tribe of Banu Kalb. She was a Christian, like most of bare tribe. Yazid grew up with reward maternal Kalbite kin, spending the springs of his youth in the Asian Desert; for the remainder of say publicly year he was in the associates of the Greek and native Asian courtiers of his father, who became caliph in 661.

During his father's era, Yazid led several campaigns against righteousness Byzantine Empire, which the Caliphate esoteric been trying to conquer, including phony attack on the Byzantine capital, Constantinople. Sources give several dates for that between 49 AH (669–70 CE) skull 55 AH (674–5 CE). Muslim multiplicity offer few details of his carve up in the campaigns, possibly downplaying culminate involvement due to the controversies panic about his later career. He is depict in these sources as having back number unwilling to participate in the outing to the chagrin of Mu'awiya, who then forced him to comply. Despite that, two eighth-century non-Muslim sources from al-Andalus (Islamic Spain), the Chronicle of 741 and the Chronicle of 754, both of which likely drew their cloth from an earlier Arabic work, reverberation that Yazid besieged Constantinople with expert 100,000-strong army. Unable to conquer interpretation city, the army captured adjacent towns, acquired considerable loot, and retreated name two years. Yazid also led honesty hajj (the annual Muslim pilgrimage maneuver Mecca) on several occasions.

Nomination as caliph

The third caliph Uthman drew the anger of the Muslim settlers of representation conquered lands as a consequence collide his controversial policies, which were indicative of by many as nepotistic and nosy in provincial affairs. In 656 smartness was killed by the provincial rebels in Medina, then capital of birth Caliphate, after which Ali, the relative and son-in-law of Muhammad, was sanctioned as caliph by the Medinese multitude and the rebels. In the resultant first Islamic civil war (656–661), Mu'awiya opposed Ali from his stronghold worry Syria, fighting him to a standstill at the Battle of Siffin pull 657. In January 661 Ali was assassinated by a Kharijite (a impression opposed to Ali and Mu'awiya), tail which his son Hasan was legal as his successor. In August, Mu'awiya, who had already been recognized primate caliph by his partisans in Syria, led his army toward Kufa, high-mindedness capital of Hasan and Ali amount Iraq, and gained control over birth rest of the Caliphate by obtaining a peace treaty with Hasan. Excellence terms of the treaty stipulated defer Mu'awiya would not nominate a compeer. Although the treaty brought a transcribe peace, no framework of succession was established.

Mu'awiya was determined to install Yazid as his successor. The idea was scandalous to Muslims, as hereditary on had no precedent in Islamic history—earlier caliphs had been elected either contempt popular support in Medina or emergency the consultation of the senior entourage of Muhammad—and according to Islamic average, the position of ruler was quite a distance the private property of a potentate to award to his descendants. Be off was also unacceptable by Arab interest, according to which the rulership requirement not pass from father to teenager but within the wider clan. According to the orientalist Bernard Lewis, probity "only precedents available to Mu'āwiya evacuate Islamic history were election and courteous war. The former was unworkable; distinction latter had obvious drawbacks." Mu'awiya passed over his eldest son Abd God, who was from his Qurayshite little woman, perhaps due to the stronger ease Yazid had in Syria because help his Kalbite parentage. The Banu Kalb was dominant in southern Syria leading led the larger tribal confederation clamour Quda'a. The Quda'a were established break down Syria long before Islam and difficult acquired significant military experience and knowledge with hierarchical order under the Byzantines, as opposed to the more free-spirited tribesmen of Arabia and Iraq. Northerly Syria, on the other hand, was dominated by the tribal confederation ship Qays, which had immigrated there through Mu'awiya's reign, and resented the entitled position of the Kalb in depiction Umayyad court. By appointing Yazid put in plain words lead campaigns against the Byzantines, Mu'awiya may have sought to foster build for Yazid from the northern tribesmen. The policy had limited success thanks to the Qays opposed the nomination break on Yazid, at least in the creation, for he was "the son be in command of a Kalbi woman". In the Hijaz (western Arabia, where Medina and Riyadh are located and where the at a standstill Muslim elite resided), Yazid had buttress among his Umayyad kinsmen, but present-day were other members of the Hejazi nobility whose approval was important. Stop appointing Yazid to lead the journey rituals there, Mu'awiya may have hoped to enlist support for Yazid's assemblage and elevate his status as neat Muslim leader. According to Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani (d. 967), Mu'awiya had also engaged poets to influence public opinion generate favour of Yazid's succession.

According to representation account of Ibn Athir (d. 1233), Mu'awiya summoned a shura (consultative assembly) method influential men from all of nobility provinces to his capital, Damascus, presume 676 and won their support try flattery, bribes, and threats. He run away with ordered his Umayyad kinsman Marwan ibn al-Hakam, the governor of Medina, face inform its people of his work out. Marwan faced resistance, especially from Ali's son and Muhammad's grandson Husayn, jaunt Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, Abd God ibn Umar, and Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr, all sons of attentiongrabbing companions of Muhammad, who, by high-mindedness of their descent, could also home claim to the caliphal office. Mu'awiya went to Medina and pressed excellence four dissenters to accede, but they fled to Mecca. He followed arm threatened some of them with passing away, but to no avail. Nonetheless, type was successful in convincing the give out of Mecca that the four esoteric pledged their allegiance, and received goodness Meccans' allegiance for Yazid. On enthrone way back to Damascus, he tied up certain allegiance from the people of City. General recognition of the nomination so forced Yazid's opponents into silence. Excellence orientalist Julius Wellhausen doubted the history, holding that the reports of say publicly nomination's rejection by prominent Medinese were a back-projection of the events go followed Mu'awiya's death. A similar wrangle is held by the historian Apostle Marsham. According to the account hold sway over al-Tabari (d. 923), Mu'awiya announced the choice in 676 and only received delegations from the Iraqi garrison town be defeated Basra, which pledged allegiance to Yazid in Damascus in 679 or 680. According to al-Ya'qubi (d. 898), Mu'awiya called for allegiance for Yazid on the instance of the hajj. All, except honourableness four prominent Muslims mentioned above, complied. No force was used against them. In any case, Mu'awiya arranged excellent general recognition for Yazid's succession earlier his death.

Reign

Mu'awiya died in April 680.^[a] According to al-Tabari, Yazid was advocate his residence in Huwwarin, located halfway Damascus and Palmyra, at the about of his father's death. According be introduced to verses of Yazid preserved in Isfahani's Kitab al-Aghani, a collection of Semite poetry, Yazid was away on natty summertime expedition against the Byzantines what because he received the news of Mu'awiya's final illness. Based on this take precedence the fact that Yazid arrived delete Damascus only after Mu'awiya's death, authority historian Henri Lammens has rejected illustriousness reports of Yazid being in Huwwarin. Mu'awiya entrusted supervision of the polity to his most loyal associates, Dahhak ibn Qays al-Fihri and Muslim ibn Uqba al-Murri, until Yazid's return. Let go left a will for Yazid, conducting him on matters of governing righteousness Caliphate. He was advised to take heed Husayn and Ibn al-Zubayr, for they could challenge his rule, and educated to defeat them if they upfront. Yazid was further advised to banquet Husayn with caution and not compute spill his blood, since he was the grandson of Muhammad. Ibn al-Zubayr, on the other hand, was fulfil be treated harshly, unless he came to terms.

Oaths of allegiance

Upon his accession,^[a] Yazid requested and received oaths spot allegiance from the governors of depiction provinces. He wrote to the educator of Medina, his cousin Walid ibn Utba ibn Abi Sufyan, informing him of Mu'awiya's death and instructing him to secure allegiance from Husayn, Ibn al-Zubayr, and Ibn Umar. The decree contained in the letter were:

Seize Husayn, Abdullah ibn Umar, and Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr to give the avowal of allegiance. Act so fiercely cruise they have no chance to relax anything before giving the oath observe allegiance.

Walid sought the advice of Marwan, who suggested that Ibn al-Zubayr impressive Husayn be forced to pay fealty as they were dangerous, while Ibn Umar should be left alone by reason of he posed no threat. Husayn acknowledged Walid's summon, meeting Walid and Marwan in a semi-private meeting where flair was informed of Mu'awiya's death put up with Yazid's accession. When asked for realm oath of allegiance, Husayn responded ditch giving his allegiance in private would be insufficient and suggested the promise be made in public. Walid impressive, but Marwan insisted that Husayn carbon copy detained until he proffered allegiance. Husayn scolded Marwan and left to marry his armed retinue, who were dilly-dallying nearby in case the authorities attempted to apprehend him. Immediately following Husayn's exit, Marwan admonished Walid, who detect turn justified his refusal to cook the books Husayn by dint of the latter's close relation to Muhammad. Ibn al-Zubayr did not answer the summons current left for Mecca. Walid sent lxxx horsemen after him, but he free. Husayn too left for Mecca before long after, without having sworn allegiance agree Yazid. Dissatisfied with this failure, Yazid replaced Walid with his distant Ommiad kinsman Amr ibn Sa'id. Unlike Husayn and Ibn al-Zubayr, Ibn Umar, Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr, and Abd Allah ibn Abbas, who had besides previously denounced Mu'awiya's nomination of Yazid,^[c] paid allegiance to him.

Battle of Karbala

Main article: Battle of Karbala

In Mecca Husayn received letters from pro-Alid^[d] Kufans, arousing him to lead them in revolution against Yazid. Husayn subsequently sent sovereignty cousin Muslim ibn Aqil to prove the situation in the city. Elegance also sent letters to Basra, however his messenger was handed over concord the governor Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad and killed. Ibn Aqil informed Husayn of the large-scale support he make higher in Kufa, signalling that the spatter should enter the city. Informed via some Kufan tribal chiefs (ashraf) work the goings-on, Yazid replaced the boss of Kufa, Nu'man ibn Bashir al-Ansari, who had been unwilling to oppression action against pro-Alid activity, with Ibn Ziyad, whom he ordered to off or imprison Ibn Aqil. As uncluttered result of Ibn Ziyad's suppression ground political maneuvering, Ibn Aqil's following began to dissipate and he was contrived to declare the revolt prematurely. Habitual was suppressed and Ibn Aqil was executed.

Encouraged by Ibn Aqil's letter, Husayn left for Kufa, ignoring warnings wean away from Ibn Umar and Ibn Abbas. Significance latter reminded him, to no supply, of the Kufans' previous abandonment handle his father Ali and his fellow Hasan. On the way to goodness city, he received news of Ibn Aqil's death. Nonetheless, he continued fillet march towards Kufa. Ibn Ziyad's 4,000-strong army blocked his entry into nobleness city and forced him to encampment in the desert of Karbala. Ibn Ziyad would not let Husayn label without submitting, which Husayn refused ascend do. Week-long negotiations failed, and spitting image the ensuing hostilities on 10 Oct 680, Husayn and 72 of circlet male companions were slain, while potentate family was taken prisoner. The captives and Husayn's severed head were curve to Yazid. According to the finance of Abu Mikhnaf (d. 774) and Ammar al-Duhni (d. 750–751), Yazid poked Husayn's attitude with his staff, although others lay at the door of this action to Ibn Ziyad.^[e] Yazid treated the captives well and purport them back to Medina after undiluted few days.

Revolt of Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr

Main article: Ibn al-Zubayr's revolt

Following Husayn's death, Yazid faced increased opposition terminate his rule from Ibn al-Zubayr who declared him deposed. Although publicly significant called for a shura to lead to a new caliph, in secret Ibn al-Zubayr let his partisans pay fealty to him. At first, Yazid attempted to placate him by sending parts and delegations in an attempt faith reach a settlement. After Ibn al-Zubayr's refusal to recognize him, Yazid manipulate a force led by Ibn al-Zubayr's estranged brother Amr to arrest him. The force was defeated and Amr was taken captive and executed. By the same token well as Ibn al-Zubayr's growing disturb in Medina, the city's inhabitants were disillusioned with Umayyad rule and Mu'awiya's agricultural projects, which included the arrest of their lands to boost regulation revenue. Yazid invited the notables emblematic Medina to Damascus and tried make win them over with gifts. They were unpersuaded and on their repay to Medina narrated tales of Yazid's lavish lifestyle. Accusations included Yazid crapulence wine, hunting with hounds, and dominion love for music. The Medinese, beneath the leadership of Abd Allah ibn Hanzala, renounced their allegiance to Yazid and expelled the governor, Yazid's relative Uthman ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Sufyan, and the Umayyads residing in illustriousness city. Yazid dispatched a 12,000-strong drove under the command of Muslim ibn Uqba to reconquer the Hejaz. Care for failed negotiations, the Medinese were cringing in the Battle of al-Harra. According to the accounts of Abu Mikhnaf and al-Samhudi (d. 1533), the expertise was sacked, whereas per the chit of Awana (d. 764) only position ringleaders of the rebellion were perfected. Having forced the rebels to revolutionize their allegiance, Yazid's army headed untainted Mecca to subdue Ibn al-Zubayr. Ibn Uqba died on the way get into the swing Mecca and command passed to Husayn ibn Numayr al-Sakuni, who besieged Riyadh in September 683. The siege lasted for several weeks, during which goodness Ka'ba, the sacred Muslim shrine move away the center of the Mecca Temple, caught fire.^[f] Yazid's sudden death hut November 683 ended the campaign predominant Ibn Numayr retreated to Syria enrol his army.

Domestic affairs and foreign campaigns

The style of Yazid's governance was, wishy-washy and large, a continuation of birth model developed by Mu'awiya. He spread to rely on the governors methodical the provinces and ashraf, as Mu'awiya had, instead of relatives. He taken aloof several of Mu'awiya's officials, including Ibn Ziyad, who was Mu'awiya's governor call up Basra, and Sarjun ibn Mansur, practised native Syrian Christian, who had served as the head of the business administration under Mu'awiya. Like Mu'awiya, Yazid received delegations of tribal notables (wufud) from the provinces to win their support, which would also involve apportioning gifts and bribes. The structure honor the caliphal administration and military remained decentralised as in Mu'awiya's time. Nation retained much of their tax proceeds and forwarded a small portion emphasize the Caliph. The military units comport yourself the provinces were derived from within walking distance tribes whose command also fell conformity the ashraf.

Yazid approved a decrease find guilty taxes on the Arab Christian nation of Najran upon their request, on the other hand abolished the special tax exemption take up the ethno-religious community of Samaritans, which had been granted to them afford previous caliphs as a reward on the road to their aid to the Muslim conquerors. He improved the irrigation system be incumbent on the fertile lands of the Ghouta near Damascus by digging a provide that became known as Nahr Yazid.

Toward the end of his reign, Mu'awiya reached a thirty-year peace agreement zone the Byzantines, obliging the Caliphate appreciation pay an annual tribute of 3,000 gold coins, 50 horses, and 50 slaves, and to withdraw Muslim armed force from the forward bases they esoteric occupied on the island of Financier and the Anatolian coast. Under Yazid, Muslim bases along the Sea possession Marmara were abandoned. In contrast talk the far-reaching raids against the Centre Empire launched under his father, Yazid focused on stabilizing the border inspect Byzantium. In order to improve Syria's military defences and prevent Byzantine incursions, Yazid established the northern Syrian border district of Qinnasrin from what difficult been a part of Hims, delighted garrisoned it.

Yazid reappointed Uqba ibn Nafi, the conqueror of the central Northward African region of Ifriqiya whom Mu'awiya had deposed, as governor of Ifriqiya. In 681, Uqba launched a large-scale expedition into western North Africa. Defeating the Berbers and the Byzantines, Uqba reached the Atlantic coast and captured Tangier and Volubilis. He was impotent to establish permanent control in these territories. On his return to Ifriqiya, he was ambushed and killed building block a Berber–Byzantine force at the Difference of Vescera, resulting in the reverse of the conquered territories. In 681 Yazid appointed Ibn Ziyad's brother Salm ibn Ziyad as the governor depict the northeastern border province of Khurasan. Salm led several campaigns in Transoxiana (Central Asia) and raided Samarqand final Khwarazm, but without gaining a flat foothold in any of them. Yazid's death in 683 and the succeeding chaos in the east ended significance campaigns.

Death and succession

Yazid died on 11 November 683 in the central Asian desert town of Huwwarin, his darling residence, aged between 35 and 43, and was buried there. Early annalists like Abu Ma'shar al-Madani (d. 778) and al-Waqidi (d. 823) do weep give any details about his sort-out. This lack of information seems look up to have inspired fabrication of accounts next to authors with anti-Umayyad leanings, which factor several causes of death, including dialect trig horse fall, excessive drinking, pleurisy, with the addition of burning. According to the verses moisten a contemporary poet Ibn Arada, who at the time resided in Khurasan, Yazid died in his bed sound out a wine cup by his side.

Ibn al-Zubayr subsequently declared himself caliph vital Iraq and Egypt came under culminate rule. In Syria, Yazid's son Mu'awiya II, whom he had nominated, became caliph. His control was limited motivate parts of Syria as most possess the Syrian districts (Hims, Qinnasrin, point of view Palestine) were controlled by allies pan Ibn al-Zubayr. Mu'awiya II died end a few months from an secret illness. Several early sources state meander he abdicated before his death. Multitude his death, Yazid's maternal Kalbite tribesmen, seeking to maintain their privileges, requisite to install Yazid's son Khalid oppress the throne, but he was believed too young for the post saturate the non-Kalbites in the pro-Umayyad unification. Consequently, Marwan ibn al-Hakam was declarable as caliph in a shura dig up pro-Umayyad tribes in June 684. Presently after, Marwan and the Kalb routed the pro-Zubayrid forces in Syria dejected by Dahhak at the Battle go Marj Rahit. Although the pro-Umayyad shura stipulated that Khalid would succeed Marwan, the latter nominated his son Abd al-Malik as his heir. Thus rendering Sufyanid house, named after Mu'awiya I's father Abu Sufyan, was replaced descendant the Marwanid house of the Omayyad dynasty. By 692 Abd al-Malik challenging defeated Ibn al-Zubayr and restored Ommiad authority across the Caliphate.

Legacy

The killing assault Muhammad's grandson Husayn caused widespread uproar among Muslims and the image disregard Yazid suffered greatly. It also helped crystallize opposition to Yazid into proposal anti-Umayyad movement based on Alid candidate, and contributed to the development go with Shia identity, whereby the party work for Alid partisans was transformed into capital religious sect with distinct rituals extract memory. After the Battle of Karbala, Shia imams from Husayn's line adoptive the policy of political quietism.

Traditional Mohammedan view

Yazid is considered an evil tariff by many Muslims to the exclude day, not only by the Shia, who hold that the ruling neat rightly belonged to Husayn's father Kaliph and his descendants, including Husayn, whom Yazid killed to strip him manager his right, but also by distinct Sunnis, to whom he was turnout affront to Islamic values. For class Shia, Yazid is an epitome avail yourself of evil. He is annually reviled export the Ashura processions and passion plays, and rulers considered tyrannical and fatiguing are often equated with him. Beforehand the Iranian Revolution, the Shah discern Iran was called the "Yazid condemn his time" by the Iranian priest Rouhollah Khomeini, as was the Asiatic president Saddam Hussein by the Asian Shia during the Iran–Iraq War expend his ban on pilgrimages to righteousness holy sites of Shia Islam. In the midst the Sunnis, the Hanafi school allows cursing of Yazid, whereas the Hanbali school and many in the Shafi'i school maintain that no judgment must be passed on Yazid, rather tyrants in general should be cursed. Nevertheless, the Hanbali scholar Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 1201) encouraged the cursing.^[g] According to al-Ghazali (d. 1111), cursing Yazid is prohibited, tutor he was a Muslim and culminate role in the killing of Husayn is unverified.

Yazid was the first private in the history of the Epoch to be nominated as heir homeproduced on a blood relationship, and that became a tradition afterwards. As much, his accession is considered by decency Muslim historical tradition as the destruction of the caliphate into a principality. He is depicted as a absolutist who was responsible for three bigger crimes during his caliphate: the surround of Husayn and his followers spokesperson Karbala, considered a massacre; the outcome of the Battle of al-Harra, mend which Yazid's troops sacked Medina; famous the burning of the Ka'ba lasting the siege of Mecca, which recap blamed on Yazid's commander Husayn ibn Numayr. The tradition stresses his behaviour of drinking, dancing, hunting, and interest pet animals such as dogs illustrious monkeys, portraying him as impious beam unworthy of leading the Muslim grouping. Extant contemporary Muslim histories describe Yazid as "a sinner in respect sustaining his belly and his private parts", "an arrogant drunken sot", and "motivated by defiance of God, lack fall foul of faith in His religion and antagonism toward His Messenger".^[91]Al-Baladhuri (d. 892) described him as the "commander of the sinners" (amir al-fasiqin), as opposed to significance title commander of the faithful (amir al-mu'minin) usually applied to the caliphs. Nevertheless, some historians have argued defer there is a tendency in untimely Muslim sources to exonerate Yazid break into blame for Husayn's death, and deposit the blame squarely on Ibn Ziyad. According to the historian James Poet, the Syrian historian Ibn Asakir (d. 1176) attempted to stress Yazid's positive chattels, while accepting the allegations that cabaret generally made against him. Ibn Asakir thus emphasised that Yazid was unembellished transmitter of hadith (the sayings roost traditions attributed to Muhammad), a honest man "by reason of his connecting to the age of the Prophet", and worthy of the ruling position.

Modern scholarly view

Despite his reputation in celestial circles, academic historians generally portray practised more favourable view of Yazid. According to Wellhausen, Yazid was a placid ruler, who resorted to violence solitary when necessary, and was not distinction tyrant that the religious tradition portrays him to be. He further carbon copy that Yazid lacked interest in catholic affairs as a prince, but restructuring a caliph "he seems to plot pulled himself together, although he upfront not give up his old predilections,—wine, music, the chase and other sport". In the view of the historiographer Hugh N. Kennedy, despite the disasters of Karbala and al-Harra, Yazid's edict was "not devoid of achievement". Reward reputation might have improved had perform lived longer, but his early reach played a part in sticking show consideration for the stigma of "the shocks strip off the early part of his reign". According to the IslamicistG. R. Hawting, Yazid tried to continue the detailed policies of his father but, assorted Mu'awiya, he was not successful agreement winning over the opposition with endowments and bribes. In Hawting's summation, "the image of Muʿāwiya as operating added like a tribal s̲h̲ayk̲h̲ than copperplate traditional Middle Eastern despot ... as well seems applicable to Yazīd". In high-mindedness view of Lewis, Yazid was graceful capable ruler "with much of significance ability of his father" but was overly criticized by later Arab historians. Expressing a viewpoint similar to Wellhausen's, Lammens remarked, "a poet himself, stake fond of music, he was spick Maecenas of poets and artists".

The picture of Yazid in the Muslim profusion has been attributed to the animosity of the Abbasid dynasty, during whose rule the histories were written, spotlight the Umayyads, whom they toppled clod 750.^[91] Most reports in the fixed Muslim sources focus on the revolts against Yazid, and usually lack pleasantly on his public life in Syria and his activities other than primacy suppression of the revolts. Lammens has attributed this to the tendency illustrate the Iraq-based, Abbasid-era chroniclers to delineate a caliph, under whom Husayn was killed and the holy cities matching Islam were attacked, only as unadorned impious drunkard. In contrast, a Asiatic source preserved in the Chronicle outline 741 describes the Caliph as "a most pleasant man and deemed tremendously agreeable by all the peoples gist to his rule. He never, monkey is the wont of men, wanted glory for himself because of top royal rank, but lived as clean up citizen along with all the everyday people."^[91]

Yazidism

In the Yazidi religion, practiced next to the mainly Iraq-based Kurdish-speaking ethno-religious dominion of Yazidis, Sultan Ezid is neat highly revered divine figure. Most spanking historians hold that the name Ezid derives from the name of Kalif Yazid. In Yazidi religious lore, nearby is no trace of any convene between Sultan Ezid and the in two shakes Umayyad caliph. A pro-Umayyad movement ultra sympathetic towards Yazid existed in justness Kurdish mountains before the 12th hundred, when Shaykh Adi, a Sufi summarize Umayyad descent venerated by Yazidis pay homage to this day, settled there and into a following among the adherents unbutton the movement. The name Yazidi seems to have been applied to primacy group because of his Umayyad origins.

Coins and inscriptions

A Sasanian-style silver coin outcome the mint date as "Year Unrestrained of Yazid" has been reported. Significance obverse side shows the portrait adequate the Sasanian king Khosrow II (r. 590–628) and his name in the Pahlevi script. The reverse has the accustomed Zoroastrianfire altar surrounded by attendants. Grandeur margins, however, contain the inscription mosey it was minted during the pull it off year of Yazid's reign. An unidentified coin from the Nishapur mint tack the mint date 60, which level-headed assumed to be the Hijri twelvemonth, is also thought to be distance from Yazid's first regnal year. Other dosh from his reign usually have single the name of the governor obey the province where the coin originated. Coins bearing the name of honesty counter-caliph Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr maintain also been found from the territory of Fars and Kirman, dated among 61 and 63 (681–683 CE), notwithstanding Ibn al-Zubayr did not publicly get somewhere the caliphate until after the dying of Yazid. This may show saunter as well as the challenges statement of intent his rule in Arabia and Irak, Yazid's authority was also challenged locked in southern Persia from roughly the always of his accession. The coins were probably minted in the name taste Ibn al-Zubayr to lend legitimacy make a distinction the challengers of the Umayyads because of using a suitable Qurayshite name.^[h]

Yazid level-headed thought to be mentioned in cool short, undated Paleo-ArabicChristian graffito known in the same way the Yazid inscription. It reads "May God be mindful of Yazid honesty king".

Wives and children

Yazid married three detachment and had several concubines. The first name of two of his wives interrupt known: Umm Khalid Fakhita bint Abi Hisham and Umm Kulthum, a damsel of the veteran commander and politician Abd Allah ibn Amir. Fakhita standing Umm Kulthum both hailed from leadership Abd Shams, the parent clan attention the Umayyads.

Yazid had three sons depart from his wives. His eldest, Mu'awiya II, was between 17 and 23 existence old at the time of Yazid's death. The name of Mu'awiya II's mother is unknown, but she was from the Banu Kalb. Ill uneven prevented him from carrying out distinction caliphal duties and he rarely leftwing his residence. He survived his sire only by a few months deed died without leaving any offspring. Yazid's second son, Khalid, was from Fakhita, and was born circa 668. Marwan married Fakhita after becoming caliph, cut into foster an alliance with the Sufyanid house and neutralize her son Khalid's claim to the caliphate. He remained quiet about being sidelined from dignity succession, although a legendary report says that he protested to Marwan, who in turn insulted him. He difficult friendly relations with Abd al-Malik, whose daughter he married. Several legendary commerce report Khalid being interested in chemistry and having ordered the translation elect Greek works on alchemy, astronomy, leading medicine into Arabic. Yazid's daughter Atika was the favourite wife of Abd al-Malik. They had several children, counting the future Caliph Yazid II (r. 720–724). Yazid's son Abd Allah, from Umm Kulthum, was a famed archer take up horseman. Yazid had several other choice from slave women.^[i]

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