Yazid I

Yazid ibn Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan (c. 646 – 11 November 683), commonly known as Yazid I, was the second caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from April 680 until his death in November 683. His appointment by his father Mu'awiya I (r. 661–680) was the first hereditary succession to the caliphate in Islamic history. His rule was marked by the death of Islamic prophet Muhammad's grandson Husayn, and the outbreak of the Second Fitna.

During his father's caliphate, Yazid led several campaigns against the Byzantine Empire including an attack on the Byzantine capital, Constantinople. Yazid's nomination as heir apparent in 676 CE (56 AH) by Mu'awiya was opposed by several Muslim grandees from the Hejaz region, including Husayn and Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr. The two men refused to recognize Yazid following his accession and took sanctuary in Mecca. When Husayn left for Kufa, he was killed with his small band of supporters by Yazid's forces at the Battle of Karbala. Ibn al-Zubayr called for a consultative assembly to elect a new caliph, and was supported by the inhabitants of Medina.

After failing to gain the allegiance of Ibn al-Zubayr and the people of the Hejaz through diplomacy, Yazid sent a Syrian army to suppress their rebellion. The Syrians defeated the Medinans in the Battle of al-Harra in August 683 and the city was plundered. Afterwards, Mecca was besieged for several weeks until the Syrian army withdrew as a result of Yazid's death in November 683. The Caliphate fell into a nearly decade-long civil war, ending with the establishment of the Marwanid house (the Umayyad caliph Marwan I and his descendants).

Yazid continued Mu'awiya's decentralized model of governance, relying on his provincial governors and the tribal nobility. He abandoned Mu'awiya's ambitious raids against the Byzantine Empire and strengthened Syria's military defenses. No new territories were conquered during his reign. Yazid is considered an illegitimate ruler and a tyrant by most Muslims due to his primary role in the killing of Husayn, his hereditary succession, and the campaign on Mecca and Medina that he ordered.

Source: Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yazid_I