The Crusades began in the year 1095, when Pope Urban II called for armies of Christians to go to war against Muslims in the Holy Land. During the First Crusades, the invading Christians successfully captured Jerusalem in 1099. During this time, the invading Christians had constructed Latin Christian states, even though the Muslims in the region pledged to a holy war in order to defend their religion and regain control of the land. The civil relations that the Crusaders and their Christian allies in the Byzantine Empire had culminated had begun to degenerate in the Siege of Constantinople in 1204 during the Third Crusade. Throughout the rise of the Mamluk dynasty in Egypt near the end of the 13th century, the final retribution for the Crusaders …show more content…
destroyed the coastal stronghold of Acre and forced the European invaders out of Palestine and Syria in 1291. The Crusades first originated by the end of the 11th century. Western Europe by this time had become a significant power but it was still far behind other Mediterranean civilization such as the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic Empire of the Middle East and North Africa. During this same time, the Byzantine Empire was losing territory fast to the Seljuk Turks who had defeated the Byzantine Army in the battle of Manzikirt in 1071. Shortly after, they had gained control of most of Anatolia. General Alexius Comnenus seized the Byzantine throne in 1081 after years of civil war. He reinforced control of what remained of the empire as Emperor Alexius I. In the year 1095, Emperor Alexius I asked Pope Urban II for mercenary troops from the West to help challenge the threat received from the Turks. Even though Christians from the East and West hadn’t had the best of relationships, Alexius’ requested assistance while the entire situation was improving. At the Council of Clermont in France in November of 1095, Pope Urban II sent Christians from the West to suit up and aid the Byzantines in the recapture of the Holy Land from Muslim Control. Pope Urban’s plea to aid Christians in the East received a moving reaction from military men and citizens. It was then decided that those who aided in the religious expedition would wear a cross to symbolize the Church. The Umayyad Dynasty ruled for nearly 100 years from the year 661 to 750 AD; then, the Abbasid Dynasty overthrew the Umayyad Dynasty and ruled for nearly 500 years from 750 AD to 1258 AD.
Despite their multiple centuries of success, the Abbasid Dynasty was overthrown by the Mongols in 1258 AD. Despite the fact that both the Umayyad and Abbasid Dynasties shared Muslim faith, there were still many differences in the dynasties that would lay the foundation for the future of Islam. The Islamic principles that are worldly known originated during the Umayyad Dynasty; however, those tenets of Islam were expanded throughout the world in the time of the …show more content…
Abbasids. In regards to expansion, the Umayyad had greater success in military and political expansion in their short time. There were often tribal rivalries that threatened the strength and unity of the empire. The Umayyad Dynasty expanded the Islamic state westward through North Africa and to the Atlantic Ocean. In 711 AD, the empire entered into the Iberian Peninsula took control of most of it which would in turn establish a forward base into South France. Despite the trying efforts of the exclusively Arab and Muslim armies, the Umayyads were defeated between Tours and Poitiers in 732 by Charles Martel causing a pause in the expansion through Western Europe. In the East however, Umayyads moved from Iran into Central Asia and northwest India. The conversion to Islam during this time was not a greatly accepted idea because it would harm the treasury’s tax collection on non-Muslims. When the Abbasids took over in 750 AD, the ruled with Islamic devotion and spoje of reformation.
In their rule, Abbasids had built a skilled bureaucracy and army; much of whom, were Persian. In respect to the assistance Abbasids received from the Persians in the takeover of the Umayyads, Abbasid courts had Persian refinement, Persian titles, wives, wines, clothing all while Arabic was still the primary language of Islam. Simplicity was still a virtue in the holy cities of Medina and Mecca but luxury was now a major desire. This is no surprise considering the increase in trade that the Islamic empire was experiencing during the 800s.Caravans had connected Syria, Egypt and Aden who consequently connected Baghdad to India and China. The trade that Muslims were achieving by sea dominated the Mediterranean Sea and even extended into the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.
At this time, the Indian Ocean had become a popular trade route. Arab merchants had become common in India so Muslim traders and mariners were spreading their language and religion. By the 800s, over 100,000 Arabs, Persians, and Jews who had traveled on Muslim ships were living in China. The expansion had even gotten as far north as Korea. In return, Baghdad’s docks were filled with warships, trading vessels, Chinese junks, and pleasure
boats. The Umayyads focus on the Mediterranean Coast was the reason Syria, Israel, Lebanon, and Egypt were important in the time of Umayyad Dynasty. While the focus shifted to Iran and Iraq during Abbasid Dynasty. One great difference between the two dynasties was their primary focus on either sea or land. During the Umayyad Dynasty, the capital was Damascus, the capital of Syria; it then shifted to Baghdad under Abbasid Dynasty. Another difference is the amount of power women were granted under the Umayyads. Women during this time were treated with a lot more respect in comparison to the Abbasid Dynasty. They were not secluded from society as wives, concubines, nor slaves; and were instead not forced to were veils that covered their faces and had valuable opinions. The Silk Road was an interconnected series of caravans and ocean vessels that ran through Southern Asia, connecting China to Syria and other geographical points. Its prominence was carried into Korea and eventually stopped in Japan. The Silk Road extends north and south from commercial centers in North China. The north route went into Eastern Europe and the Crimean Peninsula, and then crossed the Black Sea, Marmara Sea, and the Balkans to make a stop in Venice. The southern route passed through Iran and into Mesopotamia and Anatolia; then, through Antioch in Southern Anatolia into the Mediterranean Sea stopping in Egypt and North Africa. These exchanges not only laid the foundation for growing civilizations in Rome China, and India, but they stood the ground for our modern world. Although it is likely that travelers hardly traveled the entire route, goods and religious idea were still spread from the north to the south, and over continents. Domestication of animals such as horses and camels allowed for heavier loads and longer distances so trade and cultural exchanges among far populations was growing rapidly. Also with the growth of grasslands, caravans, merchants, and warriors were able to travel long distances without the worry of neither upsetting, nor disturbing, settled people of various regions.
The political structure of the Arabian and Byzantine empires greatly differed from each other. The Arabian empire was ruled over by a Caliphate. The Caliphate was the successor to the great prophet Muhammad. Politically, the Caliphate sometimes caused trouble for the stability of the empire. With multiple groups such as the Umayyad and the Abbasid believing the were in charge of the Caliphate led to conflicts and violence. An example of conflict would be towards the end of the Abbasid empire when the death of Harun al-Rashid brought several full scale revolutions. Another example would be at the beginning of Abbasid empire when they went as far as too kill off all of the remaining Umayyad leaders to sustain full control with little to no interference. Politically, the Arab/Muslim empire stretched from India and the Middle East into the Africa, the Mediterranean, and Iberia. They also had a large influence in Southeast Asia. When they conquered these areas, there was no forced conversion. On the other hand, they did enforce a higher tax for non-Muslims which prompted people to convert. Only later were there violently forced conversions. A testimony to this would be when the Muslims invaded India and did not touch the Buddhist or Hindus already there. They even respected the Hindu leadership and allowed them to continue. The Muslim empire was successful in other parts of the world due to tolerance, and continued to operate in the face of power struggles.
In 1099 Jerusalem was besieged by bloodthirsty Christian knights from Western Europe, fueled by their religious desire for the holy land. This siege was the commencement of twelve holy crusades led by the Christian West in hope to recover Jerusalem as a Christian city. At that time, Jerusalem was, to the Christians, inconveniently occupied by Muslims. This being the first crusade, it was documented by several sources, notably by Fulcher of Chartres in his, Chronicle of the First Crusade, as well as a Muslim point of view by Ibn al-Athir, a medieval Arab historian.
The First Crusade was propelled in 1095 by Pope Urban II to recover control of the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Christian Holy Land from Muslims.
From the three documents provided, Documents A: Battle of the Yarmuk (Modified), document B: Treaty of Tudmir (Modified) and document C: Fred Donner, I think that the Early Islamic Empire expanded with war, truce, and rare peace. The Empire changed dramatically through the years.
The Crusades were a number of military expeditions by Europeans of the Christian faith attempting to recover the Holy Land, Jerusalem, which was then controlled by the powerful Muslim Empire. In his book People of The First Crusade, Michael Foss an independent historian tells the story of the first Crusade in vivid detail illustrating the motives behind this historic event, and what had really occurred towards the end of the eleventh century. The Christian lands of Western Europe were slowly deteriorating from invasions of the North, and the passing of corrupt laws from within the clergy and the high lords. However, these were not the only challenges those of European Christian faith had to face. Islam strengthened after the conversion of the
Three Muslim empires rose during the spread of Islam. These empires are different, yet also similar. They are the Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals. They united other Muslims but also conquered other territories to form their own empires.
One of the reasons why Islam spread so quickly was because of the trading that was happening about the time islam first began. The people how were trading goods with the muslims would spread the word about muhammad in their home towns. Muhammad lived in Mecca, which was a very important and rich town . Mecca was a major crossroads for for the caravan trade. Everything from silk to spices came through Mecca. People from every direction came to Mecca to trade. Muhammad and his followers would tell the traders about Islam and some
... had control various territories. Many merchants learned the Islamic language and became custom to their traditions. This allowed for its culture to spread and Islam had received converts. The trading industry has a major effect on the economy and allows the spread of one’s culture.
The crusades in the middle ages were a long-lasting series of vigorous wars between Christians and Muslims over the Holy Land, Jerusalem. The crusades lasted for almost two hundred years. They began in 1099 and approximately ended in 1291. (What were the motives, and causes of these gruesome wars?) is the first question one might ask. To properly answer this question, I am about to analyze the first four crusades that had began in 1099 and ended in 1212.
McCormick concurs that there was a drop in trade in the beginning of the seventh century but by the second half of the seventh century trading in places like the North Sea was a bustling place of trade. He continues to support his theory on the quick reemergence of trade through a series of documents that show by the middle of the eight-century there were at least six new ways to reach the Middle East. If trade is stagnated by Islam why is there a development of new trade routes? For McCormick the answer is simple, trade is booming.
In 1095, Pope Urban II called the first crusade. Happening between 1096 and 1099, the first crusade was both a military expedition and a mass movement of people with the simple goal of reclaiming the Holy Lands taken by the Muslims in their conquests of the Levant. The crusade ended with the capture of Jerusalem in July 1099. However, there has been much debate about whether the First Crusade can be considered an ‘armed pilgrimage’ or whether it has to be considered as a holy war. This view is complicated due to the ways in which the Crusade was presented and how the penitential nature of it changed throughout the course of the Crusade.
Islam was spreading widely through these routes by Muslim merchants traveling from the north. In the beginning before the introduction
Some people believe that trade routes were most important reason in Islam expansion.People travel through Mecca and trade there while on their way to other cities such as Aden, Medina, and Petra.(Document A) This shows that Mecca is in the middle of many trade cities, as a result of this trade moves through the city. Trade allows people to interact and move around, when they move around they bring their religious beliefs with them. Mecca was also the home to the most famous pagan shrine, the Ka’ba(Document A).This proves that many people come to Mecca, they came seeking the Ka’ba for their own religions that were important to them. , while they were in the city they began to trade. The people came seeking the Ka’ba but they may hear some Islamic people talking about their own religion. While they listen they might like what they hear. This is not an important reason for the quick spread of Islam because the trade routes themselves don’t make people
According to Jean Comby’s book La Historia de la Iglesia, Christianity saw the necessity to join forces against a common enemy with the state, which was the Islam. They were occupying the territory of Palestine and they were threatening Christians in the area. This is the beginning of the Crusade. In order to help the Christians of the East, Pope Urban II convoked the council of Clermont (1095), and then, asking the Templar of the West to conquer the holy places. In 1099 they took Jerusalem, a few Christian feudal states were founded and along those the reign of Jerusalem, but those were disappearing little by little.
Led by King Richard I of England, Emperor Frederick I, and King Philip II of France. They captured the island of Cyprus, and the coastal city of Acre, but they could not capture Jerusalem. But, “Richard campaigned until 1192, when he made peace with Saladin, a compromise which left the Christians in control of the coast down to Ascalon and Saladin as ruler of Jerusalem, with Christian pilgrims allowed free access to the Holy City.” (https://www.usna.edu/Users/history/abels/hh315/crusades_timeline.htm) The Fourth Crusade, began around 1203, with the aim of recapturing Jerusalem. But, under the venetians control, it was diverted to Constantinople, where they raided and pillaged the city. According to a member of the Byzantine Empire, Nicetas Chroniates “the images, which ought to have been adored, were trodden under foot! Alas, the relics of the holy martyrs were thrown into unclean places! Then was seen what one shudders to hear, namely, the divine body and blood of Christ was spilled upon the ground or thrown about… and used the broken remnants for pans and drinking cups,-precursors of