Mu'awiyah ibn Hisham
Encyclopedia
Mu'awiyah ibn Hisham was an Arab general, the son of the Umayyad
Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik
(r. 723–743).
He is known chiefly for his role in the Byzantine-Arab Wars
, where he led many invasions against Byzantine
Asia Minor
. The first campaign he led was recorded in summer 725, which was carried out in conjunction with a naval attack by Maymun ibn Mihran against Cyprus. According to Arab accounts, Mua'wiyah's army reached as far as Dorylaion, capturing many prisoners and sacking several forts. Mu'awiyah is also recorded to have launched an expedition in 726, possibly in winter. Nothing specific is known of it. In 727, he led another expedition, alongside 'Abdallah al-Battal. Battal captured and razed Gangra first, and then their combined forces took the fortress of Ateous, and advanced on Nicaea. They failed
to capture it however, despite a 40-day long siege. In 728 he led the southern expedition into Asia Minor, while his brother Sa'id ibn Hisham led the northern; neither appears to have been particularly successful.
Muslim sources attribute to him the capture of the fortress of Charsianon
in September/October 730, but Byzantine sources state that this was done by Mu'awiyah's uncle, Maslamah ibn Abd al-Malik
. In the next year, his forces were reportedly unable to penetrate the frontier, while a secondary expedition by al-Battal was heavily defeated. In 732, his expedition penetrated as far as Akroinon. In 733, he led an expedition into Paphlagonia
, and again in each of the next few years. These expeditions ranged deep into Asia Minor in search of plunder—one of his raiding parties reportedly reached Sardeis—but no major town or fortress appears to have been captured. In summer 737 he again led the southern expedition, but died, according to Theophanes the Confessor
, by falling from his horse during a hunt.
His son by a Berber
concubine, Abd ar-Rahman
(731–788), escaped the Abbasid Revolt to al-Andalus
, where he founded the Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba.
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, whose name derives from Umayya ibn Abd Shams, the great-grandfather of the first Umayyad caliph. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the...
Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik
Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik
Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik 10th Umayyad caliph who ruled from 723 until his death in 743. When he was born in 691 his mother named him after her father....
(r. 723–743).
He is known chiefly for his role in the Byzantine-Arab Wars
Byzantine-Arab Wars
The Byzantine–Arab Wars were a series of wars between the Arab Caliphates and the East Roman or Byzantine Empire between the 7th and 12th centuries AD. These started during the initial Muslim conquests under the expansionist Rashidun and Umayyad caliphs and continued in the form of an enduring...
, where he led many invasions against Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
. The first campaign he led was recorded in summer 725, which was carried out in conjunction with a naval attack by Maymun ibn Mihran against Cyprus. According to Arab accounts, Mua'wiyah's army reached as far as Dorylaion, capturing many prisoners and sacking several forts. Mu'awiyah is also recorded to have launched an expedition in 726, possibly in winter. Nothing specific is known of it. In 727, he led another expedition, alongside 'Abdallah al-Battal. Battal captured and razed Gangra first, and then their combined forces took the fortress of Ateous, and advanced on Nicaea. They failed
Siege of Nicaea (727)
The Siege of Nicaea of 727 was an unsuccessful attempt by the Umayyads to capture the Byzantine city of Nicaea, the capital of the Opsician Theme. After forty days of siege, the Arab army abandoned the attempt and returned to the Caliphate...
to capture it however, despite a 40-day long siege. In 728 he led the southern expedition into Asia Minor, while his brother Sa'id ibn Hisham led the northern; neither appears to have been particularly successful.
Muslim sources attribute to him the capture of the fortress of Charsianon
Charsianon
Charsianon was the name of a Byzantine fortress and the corresponding theme in the region of Cappadocia in central Anatolia .-History:...
in September/October 730, but Byzantine sources state that this was done by Mu'awiyah's uncle, Maslamah ibn Abd al-Malik
Maslamah ibn Abd al-Malik
Maslamah ibn Abd al-Malik was an Umayyad prince and one of the most prominent Arab generals of the early decades of the 8th century, leading several campaigns against the Byzantine Empire and the Khazar Khaganate...
. In the next year, his forces were reportedly unable to penetrate the frontier, while a secondary expedition by al-Battal was heavily defeated. In 732, his expedition penetrated as far as Akroinon. In 733, he led an expedition into Paphlagonia
Paphlagonia
Paphlagonia was an ancient area on the Black Sea coast of north central Anatolia, situated between Bithynia to the west and Pontus to the east, and separated from Phrygia by a prolongation to the east of the Bithynian Olympus...
, and again in each of the next few years. These expeditions ranged deep into Asia Minor in search of plunder—one of his raiding parties reportedly reached Sardeis—but no major town or fortress appears to have been captured. In summer 737 he again led the southern expedition, but died, according to Theophanes the Confessor
Theophanes the Confessor
Saint Theophanes Confessor was a member of the Byzantine aristocracy, who became a monk and chronicler. He is venerated on March 12 in the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church .-Biography:Theophanes was born in Constantinople of wealthy and noble iconodule parents: Isaac,...
, by falling from his horse during a hunt.
His son by a Berber
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
concubine, Abd ar-Rahman
Abd ar-Rahman I
Abd al-Rahman I, or, his full name by patronymic record, Abd al-Rahman ibn Mu'awiya ibn Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan was the founder of the Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba , a Muslim dynasty that ruled the greater part of Iberia for nearly three centuries...
(731–788), escaped the Abbasid Revolt to al-Andalus
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
, where he founded the Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba.