5 – The Overthrow of al-Walid II (744) & Weakening of the Umayyad Caliphate
The Third Fitna was the civil war that ultimately led to the demise of the Umayyad dynasty. It began with the death of caliph al-Walid II in 744. He was the son of former leader Yazid II and became the new caliph upon the death of his uncle Hisham in 743. Although the Umayyad was successful in a variety of military campaigns, the increasing size of the empire started to cause problems for the administration. As well as dealing with a series of revolts, various caliphs had to contend with a rival family called the Abbasids.
The Abbasids were descendants of a man who was related to Muhammad, so they believed they were the real successors of the prophet. They targeted the moral character of the Umayyad and gained support from mawali, a group of non-Arab Muslims who were unfairly treated by the rulers. Al-Walid’s propensity for alcohol and horse racing only angered his rivals more. Eventually, Yazid III, son of al-Walid I, rose up against the immoral ruler and killed him after a skirmish near Palmyra.
Yazid III quickly established himself as a pious ruler, but a brain tumor killed him just six months into his reign. He had named his brother Ibrahim as ruler but the new leader’s tenure was cut short when the grandson of Marwan I, Marwan ibn Muhammad, contested the leadership and became caliph in December 744. He made the mistake of moving the empire’s capital to Harran which led to a revolt in Syria. Marwan took Homs and later razed it along with Damascus in 746.
Although he attempted to solidify power by naming his sons as successors and appointing several governors, the threat of the Abbasids would not go away. Marwan was forced to deal with a Kharijite rebellion, but he eventually ground them down to defeat. After a decisive victory at Mosul, Marwan was able to breathe a little easier after the rebellion collapsed in 747. If he thought that he had finally consolidated his rule, he was mistaken as another rebellion began that ended his reign and his family’s dynasty.