Husayn refused to pledge allegiance to Yazid I , the second Umayyad caliph, whom he viewed as an unjust and morally corrupt ruler.
A small band of roughly 70–145 family members and supporters of Husayn ibn Ali (grandson of the Prophet Muhammad) were pitted against a massive Umayyad army of several thousand. battle of kerbala
Karbala, a desert land near the Euphrates River in modern-day Iraq . Key Figures Significance Husayn ibn Ali Leader of the Alid forces Grandson of the Prophet Muhammad; martyred in the battle. Yazid I Umayyad Caliph Husayn refused to pledge allegiance to Yazid I