Yazid I (redirected from Yazid ibn Muawiyah)

Yazid I

(born c. 645, Arabian Peninsula—died 683, Damascus, Syria) Second caliph (680–683) of the Umayyad dynasty. He oversaw the events at the Battle of Karbala' (680), which contributed to the eventual split of Islam into Sunnite and Shi'ite sects. He succeeded his father, Mua'wiyah I, as caliph, keeping Mua'wiyah's advisers and retaining most of his policies, while reforming the financial system, adjusting tax policy, and improving the irrigation system of the Damascus oasis. See also fitnah; al-Husayn ibn 'Ali.