Second Fitna

The Second Fitna was a civil war in the early Islamic caliphate, fought mainly from 680 to 692 between rival claimants to leadership after Caliph Yazid I’s death.

Battle of Karbala: The 680 battle in which Umayyad forces killed Husayn ibn Ali and most of his small following. Husayn’s death deepened opposition to Umayyad rule and became a defining early episode of the war.
Yazid I: The Umayyad caliph whose reign lasted from 680 to 683. His death without a secure succession opened the crisis that fragmented Umayyad authority.
Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan: The Umayyad caliph who ruled from 685 to 705 and consolidated the dynasty’s authority. His victory over Ibn al-Zubayr reunified the caliphate under Umayyad rule.
Umayyad Caliphate: The Islamic dynasty and caliphate that ruled from 661 to 750, first from Damascus and later from other capitals. The dynasty survived the civil war and emerged with stronger centralized rule under Abd al-Malik.
Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr: A Meccan leader who claimed the caliphate and resisted Umayyad rule until his defeat in 692. His rival caliphate in Mecca gave the conflict its longest-running center of opposition.
Muawiya I: The first Umayyad caliph, who ruled from 661 to 680 and established dynastic succession. His designation of Yazid helped make succession the central fault line after his death.
Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad: An Umayyad governor and general who fought the Zubayrid and Alid movements during the civil war. His campaigns helped shape the struggle in Iraq, where rival claims found strong support.
Kharijites: An early Islamic movement that rejected both Umayyad and Alid claims when it judged rulers illegitimate. Kharijite uprisings persisted beyond the war’s dynastic contest and challenged both major camps.
Marwan I: The Umayyad caliph who ruled from 684 to 685 and restored Umayyad authority in Syria. His accession at the Battle of Marj Rahit revived Umayyad power after a succession collapse.
Battle of Siffin: A 657 battle between the forces of Caliph Ali and Muawiya during the First Fitna. Its unresolved dispute over legitimate leadership formed a longer historical backdrop to this war.

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