Marwan II
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Marwan II, whose full name was Marwan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan, was the last caliph of the Umayyad dynasty to rule the Islamic state. His reign began in 744 and ended in 750, when the Abbasid rebellion overthrew his regime. The epithet "Marwan the Donkey" (Arabic: al-Himar) is commonly explained as reflecting military prowess and renown as a warrior, and is not merely derogatory.
Marwan was the son of Muhammad ibn Marwan, a renowned Umayyad commander; he was thus born into the family's centers of power. Before his caliphate, he governed the northern regions for an extended period—Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Jazira territories (modern eastern Turkey and northern Iraq)—where he built a strong, well-organized military force.
How he came to power
His rule emerged from the turmoil historians call the Third Fitnah (civil war). Following the assassination of the caliph al-Walid II, power passed to Yazid III and then to Ibrahim ibn al-Walid. Marwan brought his northern army to Syria, succeeded in overthrowing Ibrahim, and proclaimed himself caliph. He transferred the state capital from Damascus to Harran in the Jazira, signaling that his power base lay with the tribal and northern forces rather than the central Syrian establishment.
Wars of his reign
Throughout his reign he faced persistent rebellions. He fought the Kharijites in Iraq and the Jazira, whose leaders included al-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Shayban. He also contended with resistance in Syria and the Hijaz, and various uprisings in Iran. Though he won many battles, these constant insurgencies drained the state's military resources.
The end of the Umayyad state
The Abbasid rebellion, which began in Khurasan (eastern Iran and Central Asia) under Abu Muslim al-Khurasani, advanced swiftly westward. Marwan's forces were defeated in the Battle of the Great Zab in 750, fought near the Tigris River in northern Iraq. After this defeat, Marwan retreated westward through Syria and Palestine, reaching Egypt, where Abbasid forces killed him. His death marked the end of Umayyad rule in the central Islamic world, though they subsequently established power in al-Andalus.