Yezid 1

Prosopography of the Byzantine Empire
SexM
FloruitM/L VII
Dates668 (taq) / 683 (ob.)
Variant NamesIzidos;
Yzyd
ReligionMuslim
EthnicityArab
LocationsThrace;
Damascus (burialplace);
Damascus (deathplace);
Constantinople;
Syria;
Damascus;
Damascus (residence);
Hexapolis (Phrygia);
Chalcedon (Bithynia);
Amorion (Galatia);
Huwarrin
TitlesCaliph (office)
Textual SourcesBar Hebraeus, Chronographia, tr. E. A. W. Budge, The Chronography of Abu 'l-Faraj (London, 1932; repr. Amsterdam, 1976) (history);
Chronicon Anonymi ad annum 1234 pertinens, ed. and tr. J.-B. Chabot, I = CSCO 81-82 (Paris, 1916-20), II = CSCO 109 (Louvain, 1937) (chronicle);
Chronicon Anonymum ad annum 819 pertinens, ed. Aphram Barsaum (CSCO 81, 1920), trans. J.-B. Chabot, CSCO 109, Scriptores Syri 56 (Louvain, 1937) (chronicle);
Chronicon Maroniticum, ed. E. W. Brooks, CSCO 4, Scriptores Syri 4 (Louvain, 1904), tr. J.-B. Chabot (Louvain, 1955), pp. 36-55; also tr. A. Palmer, The Seventh Century in West-Syrian Chronicles (chronicle);
Chronicon ad annum Domini 846 pertinens, ed. E. W. Brooks, tr. J.-B. Chabot, CSCO 3-4 (Louvain, 1904); also tr. E. W. Brooks, "A Syriac Chronicle of the Year 846", Zeitschrift der deutschen morgenländ (chronicle);
Chronique de Denys de Tell-Mahré, ed. and tr. J.-B. Chabot (Paris, 1895); tr. A. Palmer, The Seventh Century in West-Syrian Chronicles (Liverpool, 1993), pp. 54-65 (chronicle);
Constantine Porphyrogenitus, De Administrando Imperio, ed. G. Moravcsik, trans. R. J. H. Jenkins (Washington, D.C., 1967) (history);
Elias Barshinaya, Chronicle (Eliae metropolitae Nisibeni, Opus chronologicum, pars prior, ed. and tr. E. W. Brooks, CSCO 62 and CSCO 63 (1910) (chronicle);
Michael the Syrian, Chronicle, ed. and tr. J.-B. Chabot, La chronique de Michel le Syrien (Paris, 1899-1904) (chronicle);
Tabari, al-, Ta'rikh al-rusul wa-l-muluk, ed. M.-J. de Goeje et al., 15 vols. (Leiden 1879-1901); Eng tr. The History of al-Tabari, general editor E. Yar-Shater, 39 vols. (New York, 1985-) (history);
Theophanes Confessor, Chronographia, ed. C. de Boor, 2 vols. (Leipzig, 1883-85, repr. Hildesheim/NewYork, 1980); tr. and comm. C. Mango and R. Scott, The Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor, Oxford 1997 (chronicle)

Yezid 1 is Ἰζίδ in Theoph. AM 6159, Yzyd in Chron. 1234 and Yazid b. Mu`awiyah in Tabari. He was the son of the caliph Mu`awiyah b. Abi Sufyan (Mu`awiya 1) by one of his wives, Maysun bt. Bahdal: Tabari XVIII, p. 215, XIX, p. 226. His full name is given as Abu Khalid Yazid b. Mu`awiyah b. Abi Sufyan: Tabari XIX, pp. 225-226.

Son of the caliph Mu`awiya 1, Yezid 1 was sent by his father in 667/668 to reinforce Fadalas 1 at Hexapolis; together they raided as far as Chalcedon and took many prisoners and then captured and garrisoned Amorion before returning to Syria: Theoph. AM 6159 (Μαυΐας τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Ἰζίδ), cf. Chron. 1234, §138 (p. 286). In 680 Yezid 1 succeeded his father to the position of caliph, ruling in Damascus: Theoph. AM 6171 (καὶ ἦρξεν Ἰζίδ, ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ), Chron. 1234, §142 (p. 288). He died in 683: Theoph. AM 6175 (ἀπεβίω Ἰζίδ), Chron. 1234, §143 (pp. 289-290) (he reigned for three years and five months). At his death he had no sons of age to reign: Chron. 1234, §143 (p. 290) (cf. however Mu`awiya 6). His widow was subsequently married by the caliph Marwan 1: Chron. 1234, §144 (p. 291), Tabari XIX, p. 226.

More information is recorded about him in Tabari. In AH 49 (Feb. 669/Jan. 670) he raided Byzantine territory and advanced as far as Constantinople (Qustantiniyyah) accompanied by Ibn Abbas (Abdullah 8), Ibn Umar (Abdullah 9), Ibn al-Zubayr (Abdullah 10) and Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (Abu Ayyub 1): Tabari XVIII, p. 94. Some sources (unspecified by Tabari) claimed that he led the pilgrimage in AH 50 (January 670/January 671): Tabari XVIII, p. 103. He led the pilgrimage in AH 51 (January 671/January 672): Tabari XVIII, p. 164. In AH 56 (November 675/November 676) he was proclaimed heir apparent by his father: Tabari XVIII, pp. 183ff. When his father died in 680 he was absent at Huwarrin: Tabari XVIII, p. 214. He was proclaimed caliph in April 680 (in the month of Rajab, in AH 60; the exact day is disputed in the Arabic sources recorded in Tabari): Tabari XIX, pp. 1-2, 226. He died in AH 64 on the fourteenth of the month Rabi` al-Awwal (11 November 683); his age is variously given as 35, 38 or 39: Tabari XIX, pp. 225-226. His sons and wives are listed at Tabari XIX, pp. 226-227. (He was succeeded briefly by his son, Mu`awiya 6.)

In AH 25 (October 645/October 646) = 957 Sel. (645/646) Yazid 1 the son of Mu`awiya 1 was born: Elias, Chron., p. 135, 2023 = p. 65.

In AH 51 (January 671/January 672) = 982 Sel. (670/671) Yazid ibn Mu`awiya invaded the lands of the Romans and advanced as far as Constantinople: Elias, Chron., p. 144, 14-19 = p. 70.

In AH 57 (November 676/November 677) = 988 Sel. (676/677) Yazid 1 spent the winter on Roman territory: Elias, Chron., p. 146, 4-7 = p. 70.

In AH 60 (October 679/October 680) = 991 Sel. (679/680) Mu`awiya 1 died and was succeeded as king by his son Yazid 1, on Friday, the 15th of Rajab (April/May 680): Elias, Chron., p. 146, 23 - p. 147, 1 = p. 71.

In AH 64 (August 683/August 684) = 994 Sel. 682/683) Yazid ibn Mu`awiya died and was buried in Damascus; he was succeeded by his son Mu`awiya 6 on Tuesday the 14th of Rabi I (November): Elias, Chron., p. 148, 8-13 = p. 71.

At some time between the years 971 Sel. and 975 Sel. (between 659/660 and 663/664) Yazid ibn Mu`awiya and a great army invaded the land of the Romans; they made camp in Thrace and plundered widely: Chron. Maron., p. 72, 5-9 = p. 56.

In the year 988 (676/677) Yazid 1 became king of the Arabs in succession to Mu`awiya 1 and reigned for three and a half years: Pseudo-Dion., Chron., p. 153, 19ff. = p. 115. In the year 992 Sel. (680/681) Yazid 1 died and was succeeded by Marwan 1: Pseudo-Dion., Chron., p. 153, 25ff. = p. 115.

In the year 991 Sel. (679/680) Mu`awiya 1 died and was succeeded by his son Yazid 1, who reigned for three years and six months; then in the year 994 Sel. (682/683) Yazid 1 the son of Mu`awiya 1 died and was succeeded by Marwan ibn Hakam (Marwan 1): Chron. 819, p. 12, 26-31 = p. 8, Chron. 846, p. 231, 19-23 = p. 175 (Chabot) = p. 580 (Brooks).

Son of Mu`awiya 1, Yezid 1 succeeded his father as caliph and ruled for three years and eight months; he was succeeded in turn by his son Mu`awiya 6: Bar Hebr., p. 102.

Son of Mu`awiya 1, Yezid 1 succeeded him and ruled for three years and six months: Mich. Syr. II 468. He died in the year 995 Sel., when his children were all too young to succeed: Mich. Syr. II 468.

Son of Mu`awiya 1; Yezid 1 succeeded his father as ruler of the Arabs and ruled for six years: Const. Porph., DAI 21, 37ff. (Ἰζίδ).

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