![[Media/Ali_and_Aisha_at_the_Battle_of_the_Camel.jpg]] *Ali and Aisha at the Battle of the Camel* Ali accepted the authority of the first three caliphs, and in 656 was elected the fourth. But Aisha (Muhammad's widow and Abu Bakr's daughter) opposed Ali. The third caliph, Uthman, had been assassinated and although Ali was not implicated in his killing, Aisha accused him of not punishing the killers and being complicit in the conflict that led to the killing. Aisha led troops against Ali in the Battle of the Camel (656) and was captured and sent back to Medina under Ali's protection. Ali ruled for another five years, moving his capital to Mesopotamia, until he too was assassinated in 661; leading to the establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate that established its base in Damascus and solidified Sunni dominance. ![[Media/Umayyad_Caliphate_720_AD_(orthographic_projection).svg.png]] *The Umayyad Caliphate at its greatest extent, under Caliph Umar II, c. 720* ----- Next: [[9.12 - Persia]] Back: [[9.10 - Schism]]