يزيد بن معاوية

Army of Yazid

Yazid ibn Mu‘awiya

The Umayyad caliph

His triumph was short-lived; his name, infamous.

Yazid ibn Mu‘awiya became the Umayyad caliph on his father's death and at once demanded the allegiance of Imam al-Husayn (a) to secure his rule.

Known to his contemporaries for open transgression, he ordered the campaign that ended at Karbala and received the captive household at his court in Damascus. His triumph was short-lived: he died within roughly three years, and the dynasty his father had built for him crumbled within decades.