The umayyad caliphate
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THE SUFYANIND CALIPHS – MU’AWIYA AND HIS FAMILY 661 – 684

• Greatest achievement to ensure, despite protests policies caused opp. From people who resented government and his power, Muslim world untied enough to resist attacks to enemies.
• Used Syrian army, paid off, not for internal disputes but for instrument to attack Byzantines.
• Used system of trading agreements rather than absolutist model of Byzantine or Talib religious model.
• Tensions between Iraq and Syria and internally in Iraq.
• Mu’awaiya managed Iraq and east through use Thaqafi mafia
• Inner circle of advisors to help govern Syrius – Syrian army kept busy by attacking the Byzantine Empire – Rhodes taken in 672, Crete in 674 0 during last seven years of Mu’awiya reign, caliph’s son Yazid led continuous attacks on Constantinople itself. 674-80 – mostly raids and islands were sued for tribute rather than colonisation- Arabs of Jazira led similar expeditions into Armenia – but no permanent settlement.
• Motives for war were to provide Syria with military experience and financial rewards rather than to cope with over-population 0 Mu’awiyta managed Syrians with consummate skill and loyalty was famous – only after death did serious divisions begin to appear.
• Egypt as virtual annexe to Syria – settlement limited to Alexandria and Fustat.  Mu’awaiya caliphate decentralised politically and administratively – continued tradition of previous rulers.
• Old systems no Islamic coinage still using old tax collection and coinage systems
• Two other sources of income – frontier warfare kept loyalty of Syrians – freedmen or slaves embark on government owned agricultural substantial boost to treasury.
• Yazid brief reign – stabilize frontiers between Syria and Byzantium – outpost sea of Marmara abandoned hwile in north of Syria itself – carved up the over-large jund of Homs to make a new frontier province based on Qinnarsrin

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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