Hassan
(Madina c.625- Madina 669) Second Imam of Shi'i Islam; eldest son of Ali. Hassan is presented as the favourite of Muhammad, his grandfather, but he did not get along well with his father and brother, Husayn, after the death of his mother, Fatima, in 633.
With the death of Ali in 661, Hassan was proclaimed Caliph in Iraq by his followers. These followers were principally interested in ousting Syria from its position, and wanted Hassan to resume the war between the two countries. All that came from this, was a rupture between Hassan and the Iraqis, and Hassan, who had actual power in Iraq at first, lost this. Hassan's main interest was to come to an agreement with the Caliph of Syria, Mu'awiyya. A pension was offered for both Hassan and Husayn, and Mu'awiyya had the Alid brothers off his back.
While Shi'i texts try to blame Mu'awiyya for the death of Hassan, these represent probably a falsification, as Hassan at the time of his death represented no danger whatsoever for the ruling Mu'awiyya, made passive since 8 years and living far away, but under good control. Hassan died of consumption, and after his death his brother Husayn became the head of the Alids.