
Marwan II (688-6 August 750) was Caliph from 744 to 750, succeeding Ibrahim ibn al-Walid and preceding as-Saffah and Abd-al-Rahman I of Cordoba. He was the last ruler of the Umayyad Caliphate.
Biography[]
Marwan was appointed Governor of Armenia and Azerbaijan by Caliph Hisham in 733, and in 736 he invaded Georgia, taking three fortresses from the Alans. Marwan opposed Yazid III in favor of Ibrahim ibn al-Walid, although he later favored Yazid. In 744 he deposed Ibrahim and became the new caliph, taking Edessa (Homs) from the Abbasids when they rebelled against him. He fought against the Abbasids and Kharijites, but in 750 he was defeated at the Battle of the Zab by as-Saffah. As-Saffah took power and had Marwan and his family massacred in August 750.