Marwan I.
Marwan ibn al - Hakam (. Arabic مروان بن الحكم, DMG Marwan al - Hakam b, * 623, † May 7, 685 ), including Marwan I., was the fourth Caliph of the Umayyad ( 684-685 ). He was a grandson of Abū l - ʿ as and thus belonged to the same branch of the Umayyad family as the third Caliph Uthman ibn Affan ( 644-656 ).
Political role under earlier caliphs
At an unknown date Marwan was appointed secretary ʿ Uthman, 648 he took part in a campaign against Ifriqiya. The major influence on the Caliph Marwan as his secretary, and the fact that a fifth of the booty of North Africa - conquest flowed at him, were among the main accusations made against ʿ Uthmān and finally 656 led to his murder. After this event to Marwan turned first to the side of Aisha, but after the Battle of the Camel paid homage to Ali ibn Abi Talib surprising. Under Muawiya I, he first served as governor of Bahrain and then two stages long ( 661-668 and 674-677 ) as governor of Medina.
Activities during the Umayyad succession crisis
When the Umayyad Caliph Yazid I. 683 died, Abdullah ibn az- Zubayr, the son of al-Zubayr ibn al - ʿ Auwām, in Mecca for the Caliph exclaimed, expelled the Umayyads from the Hijaz, including Marwan and his sons, the had to flee to Syria. After the death of Yazid's successor Muawiya II a year later Ibn az- Zubair received more support. Several chiefs of Qais in Syria and Palestine stood on his side, including Zufar ibn al - Harith in the Military District of Qinnasrin and ad ibn Qays al - Fihri Dahhak, Ibn al-Zubayr said to his governor in Damascus. Marwan, who did not mind believed that the Umayyads could maintain their power, made his way to the Hijaz, to also pay homage to Ibn az- Zubair and obtain from him a promise of security for the Umayyads. In Adhri ʿ AT, Daraa today, but he met the previous Umayyad governor of Iraq, Ziyad ibn ʿ Ubaidullah. This urged him themselves to bid for the caliphate as it was a Sayyid from the descendants of Abd Manaf ibn ʿ of Qusaiy more entitled to have as Ibn az- Zubair. He returned then to go back and initially established himself in Palmyra. In the few weeks later congress taking place in al- Dschābiya he was then raised to the caliph.
After the survey of the Caliph
Immediately after his elevation to the Caliph Marwan I. is made to the fight against his opponents. In the battle of Marj Rahit in August 684 he struck first ad - Dahhak and his followers. Following this battle, he sat Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad ʿ against Zufar in march, which had entrenched with his followers in qaisitischen Qarqīsiyā ʾ at the mouth of the Khabur in the Euphrates. However, the resistance Zufars proved unexpectedly strong, so that ʿ Ubaidullah without having achieved anything had to withdraw again. The greatest success of Marwan was the recovery of control over Egypt. An attack of the Umayyad to Medina but failed. Also, most members of the tribe Association of Qais in the Jund of Qinnasrin remained hostile to him. Alone ʿ Umair ibn al - travel calibration, a leader of the Banū Sulaym, paid homage to him. Shortly before his death on May 7, 685 of the plague Marwan shared the kingdom between his two sons on: the elder of them, ʿ Abd al -Malik was given Syria, the younger, ʿ Abd al - Azeez, Egypt.