Marwan II

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Marwan II

Marwan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan or Marwan II (688-750) (Arabic: ????? ?? ???? ?? ????? ?? ?????) was an Umayyad caliph

Caliph

The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah....
who ruled from 744 until 750 when he was killed. He was the last Umayyad ruler to rule from Damascus

Damascus

Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is List of oldest continuously inhabited cities and its current population is estimated at about 4,000,000....
.

In A.H. 114 (732-733) Caliph Hisham appointed Marwan governor of Armenia and Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan , is the largest and most populous country in the South Caucasus, located partially in Eastern Europe and partially in Western Asia....
.

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Marwan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan or Marwan II (688-750) (Arabic: ????? ?? ???? ?? ????? ?? ?????) was an Umayyad caliph

Caliph

Damascus

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan , is the largest and most populous country in the South Caucasus, located partially in Eastern Europe and partially in Western Asia....
. In A.H. 117 (735-736) Marwan took three fortresses of the Alans

Alans

The Alans or Alani were a group among the Sarmatians people, Eurasian nomads of the 1st millennium AD who spoke an Eastern Iranian language which derived from Scytho-Sarmatian language and which in turn evolved into modern Ossetian language....
and made peace with Tumanshah. In A.H. 121 he launched further raids and obtained tribute. In A.H. 126 on hearing news of the plotting to overthrow al-Walid II

Al-Walid II

Walid ibn Yazid or Walid II was an Umayyad caliph who ruled from 743 until 744. He succeeded his uncle, Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik.Al-Walid succeeded to the throne on the death of Hisham on February 6, 743....
Marwan wrote to his relatives from Armenia strongly discouraging such an act. He urged them to harmoniously preserve the stability and well being of the Umayyad house.

When Yazid III persisted in overthrowing al-Walid II, Marwan at first opposed him, then rendered allegiance to him. On Yazid's early death, Marwan renewed his ambitions, ignored Yazid's named successor Ibrahim

Ibrahim

, the Pentateuch patriarch 'Abraham' , is an important prophet in Islam. He is the son of Azar and the father of the Prophet Ismail , his firstborn son....
and became caliph. Ibrahim initially hid, then requested Marwan give him assurances of personal safety. This Marwan granted and Ibrahim even accompanied the new caliph to Hisham's residence of Rusafah.

Marwan named his two sons Ubaydallah and Abdallah heirs. He appointed governors and proceeded to assert his authority by force. However, anti-Umayyad feeling was very prevalent, especially in Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
and Iraq

Iraq

Iraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros Mountains, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. The Abbasids had gained much support. As such, Marwan's reign as caliph was almost entirely devoted to trying to keep the Umayyad empire together.

Marwan took Hims (Emesa) after a bitter ten month siege. Al-Dahhak led a Kharijite rebellion. He defeated Syrian forces and took Kufa. Sulayman ibn Hisham turned against Marwan, but suffered a severe defeat. The Kharijites advanced on Mosul and were defeated. Sulayman joined them. Al-Dahhak's successor al-Khaybari was initially successful in pushing back Marwan's centre and even took the caliph's camp and sat on his carpet. However, he and those with him fell in fighting in the camp. Shayban succeeded him. Marwan pursued him and Sulayman to Mosul and besieged them there for six months. Then reinforced the caliph drove them out. Shayban fled to Bahrayn where he was killed; Sulayman sailed to India.

In Khurasan there was internal discord with the Umayyad governor Nasr ibn Sayyar facing opposition from al-Harith and al-Kirmani. They also fought each other. In addition Abbasid envoys arrived. There had long been religious fervour and a kind of messianic expectation of Abbasid ascendency. During Ramadan 747 (May 16-June 14), they unfurled the standards of their revolt. Nasr sent his retainer Yazid against them. Yazid, however, was bested, taken and held captive. He was impressed by the Abbasids and when released told Nasr he wanted to join them, but his obligations to Nasr brought him back.

Fighting continued throughout Khurasan with the Abbasids gaining increasing ascendency. Finally, Nasr fell sick and died at Rayy on November 9, 748 at the age of eighty five. The Abbasids achieved success in the Hijaz. Marwan suffered a decisive defeat by Abu al-'Abbas al-Saffah on the banks of the Zab River

Zab River

File:Zab rivers.PNGZab is the name given to two separate rivers that flow through Iran, Iraq and Turkey to become the two principal tributary of the Tigris....
called Battle of the Zab

Battle of the Zab

The Battle of the Zab took place on the banks of the Zab river river in what is now Iraq on January 25, 750. It spelled the end of the Umayyad Caliphate and the rise of the Abbasids, a dynasty that would last until the 13th century....
. At this battle alone, over 300 members of the Umayyad family died. Marwan fled, leaving Damascus, Jordan and Palestine and reaching Egypt

Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
, where he was caught and killed on August 6, 750. His heirs Ubaydallah and Abdallah escaped to Ethiopia. Ubaydallah died in fighting there.

Marwan's death signalled the end of Umayyad fortunes in the East, and was followed by the mass-killing of Umayyads by the Abbasids. Almost the entire Umayyad dynasty was killed, except for the talented prince Abd ar-Rahman

Abd ar-Rahman I

Abd ar-Rahman I was the founder of the Umayyad Emirate of C?rdoba, Spain, a Muslim dynasty that ruled the greater part of Iberian Peninsula for nearly three centuries ....
who escaped to Spain

Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
and founded an Umayyad dynasty there.

Bibliography

Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari
Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari

Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari was one of the earliest, most prominent and famous Persian people historian and tafsir,who wrote exclusively in Arabic , most famous for his History of the Prophets and Kings and Tafsir al-Tabari....
History v. 25 "The End of Expansion," transl. Khalid Yahya Blankinship, SUNY, Albany, 1989; v. 26 "The Waning of the Umayyad Caliphate," transl. Carole Hillenbrand
Carole Hillenbrand

Carole Hillenbrand Order of the British Empire is professor of Muslim history at the University of Edinburgh. She is currently the Vice-President of the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies and a Member of the Council for Assisting Refugee Academics....
, SUNY, Albany, 1989; v. 27 "The Abbasid Revolution," transl. John Alden Williams, SUNY, Albany, 1985
Sir John Glubb, The Empire of the Arabs, Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1963