Al-Muzaffar Yusuf I

Al-Muzaffar Yusuf I (1222–1295) was the second Rasulid sultan of Yemen. Born in Mecca, he succeeded his assassinated father al-Mansur Umar in 1249. During his 46-year reign the sultanate reached its apogee: he secured the Tihamah and southern highlands, defeated the Zaydi imams and briefly occupied Sanaa, and made Taiz a second seat.

He built Red Sea trade, and after the fall of Baghdad in 1258 claimed the caliphal title through his hold on Mecca. His son Umar II succeeded him.