The second Umayyad caliph, he reigned from 680 to 683.
During the reign of his father, Yazid had commanded the army that laid seige to Constantinople. After his accession, Yazid was confronted with two rebellions. The first was that of Husayn, son of Ali and grandson of Muhammad, which occured in Kerbala in 680; the rebellion was short-lived and unsuccessful, but the martyrdom of Husayn and his family created a permanent division between the Shi`ites, the partisans of Ali, and the Sunni majority.
The second, far more serious revolt was led by Ibn al-Zubayr in Medina and Mecca. In 682, the Medinans declared Yazid deposed; a Syrian army was sent and the Medinese were defeated. The army then marched to Mecca, where Ibn al-Zubayr had taken refuge, and laid seige to that city; however, during the siege news arrived that Yazid had died. Doubts about his successor prevented a speedy resolution to the conflict, which persisted for nine more years.
Although often depicted by Muslim historians as a dissolute ruler, Yazid attempted to continue his father's administrative and military policies. He reformed the tax system and improved the irrigation system in the environs of Damascus.