Civil Wars between the Ummayads & the Abbasids

Civil War	Key Battles	Umayyad Supporters	Umayyad Reasons	Abbasid Supporters	Abbasid Reasons	Who Started It, How and Why
First Fitna	Battle of the Camel (36 AH), Battle of Siffin (37 AH)	Muawiya, Syrian tribes, Marwan ibn al-Hakam	Demanded immediate qisas (retaliation) for Uthman; claimed Ali harbored assassins; sought Syrian autonomy	Ali's supporters, Ansar, some Muhajirun	Believed in Ali's divine right as Prophet's cousin/son-in-law; sought justice for Uthman through proper process	Egyptian rebels assassinated Uthman due to grievances over his policies; Aisha then mobilized opposition claiming Ali failed to punish killers
Second Fitna	Battle of Karbala (61 AH)	Yazid, Syrian army, Umayyad governors	Hereditary succession established; Syrian military backing; pragmatic acceptance of Umayyad rule	Hussein, Kufan Shia, some Iraqi tribes	Rejected Yazid's legitimacy; believed caliphate belonged to Prophet's family; sought to restore "true" Islamic leadership	Yazid demanded bay'ah from Hussein to legitimize hereditary rule; Hussein refused and left Medina, encouraged by Kufan letters promising support
Third Fitna	Battle of the Zab (132 AH)	Various Umayyad claimants, Syrian Arabs, established governors	Sought to maintain family dynasty; had established administrative structure; Syrian Arab tribal loyalty	Abbasids, Abu Muslim, mawali (non-Arab Muslims)	Claimed legitimacy as Prophet's family (Hashemites); promised return to "pure" Islam; appealed to marginalized non-Arabs	Abu Muslim launched Abbasid revolution in Khurasan, exploiting Umayyad weakness and non-Arab grievances against Arab supremacy