Sulayman ibn Hisham

Sulaymān ibn Hishām ibn ʿAbd al-Malik (سليمان بن هشام بن عبدالملك; ) was an Arab general, the son of the Umayyad Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik (723-743). He is known for his participation in the expeditions against the Byzantine Empire as well as his prominent role in the civil wars that occurred during the last years of the Umayyad Caliphate. Defeated by Marwan II (744-750), he fled to India, where he died. Sulayman was the son of the Umayyad caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik and his wife Umm Hakim, a daughter of the Umayyad prince, Hisham's paternal granduncle Yahya ibn al-Hakam. Sulayman was acquainted with the Islamic traditionist Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri and composed fine Arabic poetry, according to the medieval Syrian historian Ibn Asakir (d. 1175). Sulayman is first attested as leading the northern summer expedition ("of the right") against Byzantine-held Anatolia in 732, and again in 735, 736 (this time into Armenia) and in 737, but on neither campaign does he seem to have accomplished anything of note. In 738 however, he sacked a Byzantine fortress called Sideroun ("Iron Fort") taking many prisoners, including its commander, Eustathios. In 740, he was placed in overall charge of the exceptionally large campaign prepared for that year, which according to the chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor totalled 90,000 men. Two task forces were sent first, one of 10,000 lightly armed men under al-Ghamr ibn Yazid which was to raid the western coast of Anatolia, and 20,000 under Abdallah al-Battal and al-Malik ibn Su'aib who followed after towards Akroinon. The main force of some 60,000 (the number is certainly much inflated), under Sulayman, raided Cappadocia with Tyana as their target. Sulayman failed to take the city, and returned home after plundering the countryside. The second task force however suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Akroinon, losing some two thirds of its men, as well as its commanders. In 741, Sulayman again led the summer campaign, and was again unsuccessful: while his forces besieged a Byzantine fortress, a disease struck their camp.