Caliphate of ali – 656 – 661
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• No breathing space many problems.  Opposed by Quraysh who felt their position threatened by identification with Ansar.  Ali and army faced Al-Zubayr near Basra – Battle of the Camel – 656 – Ali won and first civil war – Pandora’s Box – impossible to close.
• Had sought support from Kufa who had no wish to see Quraysh regime – set to work to remove Uthman;s appointees from positions of power to reward supporters for their services. Ali dependent on Kufans – support from men implicated in Uthman’s death – Mu’awiya refused to acknowledge Ali’s claim to caliph until punished his predecessor’s murderers.
• Ali moved to Iraq from medina – dodgy grain and no place to coordinate battle – Ali had to persuade Kufans to march on Syria to coerce Mu’awiya into accepting his authority.
• 657 – battle but quick ceasefire as Uthman still problems Byzantines – arbitration agreement weakened leadership and coalition began to disintegrate
• Kawarijj split from Ali and into small republic terrorise non-believers – reject urban life of Kufa and returned to Bedouin ways – fierce protest by small groups who believed only true Nuslims on world where Islam was too easy
• Mu’awiya lets Amr go for governorship of Egypt and dents Ali as own man does not get it.  Ali’s coalition disintegrated ad assassinated by a Khawarij in 661 – Mu’awaiya able to occupy country without serious resistance – victory for Mu’awiya over Ali also victory for Quraysh and Syrian followers over Iraqis – conflicts not over.
• Rashidun period great achievement – vast Muslim conquests no means complete – north-eatsern Iran and Sind in eats, North Africa and Spain in West not occupied until Umayadd period – one vast empire destroyed another severely weakened.  Local populations unwilling or unable to take advantage of internal dispute – maintenance of unity of Muslims in face of regionalist tendencies.  Almost all Muslims believed believed should be governed by single caliph and despite vast geographical dispersal – kept common religion and common culture.

Other Notes in this Category

1. army – its size and effectiveness for the defense of the eastern borders
2. Birth of the Islamic State
3. Byzantine authority and the nomads – divergent views
4. Byzantine reliance on arab military resistance
5. Byzantium and the early islamic conquests
6. Caliphate of ali – 656 – 661
7. Conquest and division in the time of the rashidun caliphs
8. Difficulty in devising defence for Syria
9. Elements of Failure and Endurance
10. End of the Ancient Economy
11. Foundation of the marwand caliphate and the achievemnet of ‘abd al-malik
12. Islamic conquests
13. Limitations defense-in-depth strategy
14. Military leadership of heraclius
15. relevance of recent war with persia
16. Richard n. frye – arab conquests in iran
17. State of strategy and warfare
18. The matric of the muslim world:
19. The umayyad caliphate
20. Umar and the early islamic conquests – 634 – 644
21. Whittow – making of byzantium

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