What is the history and genealogy of the House of Wisdom, and how did it impact the West?
Following the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632 AD, Islam began to experience a golden age of learning. This was a stark contrast to the west at the time; where Europe in particular was experiencing a dark age. With war ravaging the lands of Europe, the calendar system utilized by the church was not a reliable means of keeping track of holy dates. When the Crusades begin in 1095, it is no surprise that more than greedy pillagers travel east. While there are those that seek power and infamy, some scholars go east to acquire knowledge that had long been forgotten at this time in Europe.
To understand how the House of Wisdom came to be, one must
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Discuss the question in context of Islam's contribution to geography, astronomy, and astrology.
At the height of the Abbasid period, mapping of the universe was considered to be one of the most important scholarly fields. In contrast, Europe at this time was unsure as to what date Easter was due to errors with their calendar. In Islam, the study of Geography, Astronomy, and Astrology were vital in maintaining one’s spiritual connection to God.
Great strides were made in the field of geography under Abbasid rule. The first Arab astronomers and geographers began to estimate longitude from a knowledge of earlier work; mostly Syriac, Greek, and Indian. More specifically, Arab scholars acquired information through Ptolemy's Geography and grew their knowledge to develop comprehensive systems of navigation and measurement. Al-Biruni, an Arab scholar at this time, recalled in his book the Kitab al-ajramwa-al-abcad that Caliph Al-Mamun desired to know the size of the earth. In his book Tajid, Al-Biruni discusses the method he used to measure the size of the earth, which involved determining the radius of the earth based on the observation of the distant horizon from a mountain peak. More importantly, Al-Biruni theorized that there was a landmass between Europe and Asia (the Americas) and was later proven right by other explorers such as
Like the Arabs, the Europeans sometimes let their religion come between them and the truth. The best example of this is what Boorstin refers to as the “Great Interruption,” a time in the Middle Ages where theological, rather than geographical, accuracy was prioritized in mapmaking. Rather than continuing the work of Ptolemy and refining his rectangular coordinate system, cartographers “spent their energies embroidering a neat, theologically appealing picture of what was already known, or was supposed to be known.” (Boorstin, 100) Maps depicted the world as a circular disc divided into three parts, the three parts being the continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe, separated by a T-shaped flow of water. Jerusalem was always in the center of the maps; the justification came from a verse in Ezekiel saying that God had placed Jerusalem in the midst of the nations, which was interpreted literally. Allowing Christian dogma to determine the shape of the earth was a major failing in Boorstin’s eyes; nevertheless, the episode was only an “interruption,” and Europe eventually resumed discovery. Firstly, Boorstin credits the west for the modern clock and calendar. Although earlier versions of clocks from other parts of the world are mentioned, the author focuses primarily on the contributions of westerners to its development. When missionary
Thomas F. Madden’s The New Concise History of the Crusades is an invaluable account of the crusades that bases its arguments off of factual evidence and draws from historical accounts. Although his arguments may be flawed because of preconceived biases, Madden is still able to present the history of the crusades in an interesting and professional manner. The themes he addresses accurately portray the crusades as both a religious and territorial endeavor. Overall, Madden successfully summarizes and analyzes the crusades in his historical review, infusing his own ideologies in the text while still maintaining a professional voice.
Dava Sobel’s novel, Longitude: The True Story Of A Lone Genius Who Solved The Greatest Scientific Problem Of His Time is a history of the scientific battle to obtain a method of finding the exact longitude of a specific location. Knowing the longitude of a location may seem unimportant, but in fact it is vital. To fully understand the work that went into this effort, first, one must understand the basic principles for determining location on Earth.
The Islamic Empire took great lengths to expand their understanding of the natural world. The Caliph sent scholars to Persia, Rome, and Greece who brought back texts that were translated to Arabic. There were court appointed patronages which allowed for mastery of secular sciences. This effort allowed for advances in abstract studies of subjects such as optics and math. Medical schools are...
What is a Crusade? How did a Crusader crusade? What caused him to seek “holy war?” Is a Crusade a Holy War or a Pilgrimage? Did a crusader only leave to find his own economic benefits? What caused the success of the first crusaders? These are some of the many questions that laid before me when I started my research. The crusading movements are such widely debated among the modern historian that they leave many readers confused about what actually caused the crusades, and what a crusade actually entails. In the coming pages I hope to give my reader something to ponder, understand, and acknowledge about it’s origins, and eventually lead my reader into the first crusading movement. Thus, the argument I intend to make examines the events in previous centuries, and the culmination of political and moral changes, as well as economic ones that occurred before Urban’s call for crusade. We will explore Feudalism, it’s war-centric society and how this caused Urban (as well as some Popes and religious figures before him) to seek a peaceable solution that would ensure safety for the clergy, the peasant, and the non-violent. Furthermore, Pope Urban sought to continue Pope Gregory's (and Cluniac) reform to solidify Papal authority over Christendom, and respond to years of Muslim raids along the Mediterranean and upper Italian Coastlines that threatened Italian unity. In effect, the first crusading movement represented and embodied the European culture, society, and ideologies of the time.
Among some of the largest conflicts in the world stand the Crusades; a brutal conflict that lasted over 200 years and was debatably one of the largest armed religious conflicts in the history of humankind. Since this is so clearly an event of importance, historians have searched vigorously for the true answer as to why the crusades began. Ultimately, because of accusatory views on both the sides of the Christians and of the Muslims, the two groups grew in such hatred of each other that they began to act in deep discrimination of each other. Moreover, Christian motives seemed to be driven mostly by the capture of Jerusalem, the dark ages of Europe and the common-folks desperation for land, wealth, and a spot in heaven. What seems to be continually
The success and failures of the crusades “was closely related to the fortunes of the high-medieval papal monarchy” (454). The first crusade started when Pope Urban II called a plea of military aide to “free Jerusalem from Islamic control”. The first crusade was a “great early victory for the papal monarchy” (454-455). However, the crusades were not all victories for the papacy, the failures of the crusades ignited the decline of the papacy control. The crusades began when the Pope appealed to the people “to rescue the Holy Land from the infidels.”
God’s Battalions: The Case for the Crusades by Rodney Stark, will cause readers to question much of what they know about the Crusades, the Crusaders themselves, and the formidable Muslim forces they encountered along the way in liberation of the Holy Land. Stark gives compelling reasons for the Crusades, and argues that readers should not be too quick in following the lead of historians who cast the Crusaders in less than positive light. Stark makes his case supported by evidence that vindicates the valiant struggles of the Crusaders who accomplished the task of keeping Christianity alive through troubled times.
Geometry, a cornerstone in modern civilization, also had its beginnings in Ancient Greece. Euclid, a mathematician, formed many geometric proofs and theories [Document 5]. He also came to one of the most significant discoveries of math, Pi. This number showed the ratio between the diameter and circumference of a circle.
There were a number of Crusades fought during the 11th and 12th centuries, but this paper will only discuss the First Crusade. The First Crusade was fought from 1095 to 1099, and its initial beginning officially started with a speech that Pope Urban II gave, which inspired Europe to muster her forces for the Crusade. When most people think of the Crusades, they conjure up images of evil, bloodthirsty crusaders massacring groups of innocent Muslims who were defending themselves. Contrary to popular belief, the Crusades were a justified series of military campaigns from Catholic Europe intended to rescue and preserve the Christian holy places in the middle-east from Muslim aggression, beginning with a plea for aid from the Byzantine Emperor in Constantinople.
Spanning from 1095 to 1212 C.E, the Crusades were an effort made by medieval Christians to regain their holy lands back from the Muslims. There were five crusades in total going in order from the First Crusade to the Children's Crusade. A few were effective in their own respects although these Crusades proved costly to the European Kingdoms as a result of large losses of life. This paper will explore these crusades and explain why some succeeded whereas others failed.
The Middle East,1095. The sound of horses pierces the silence of the night. The defenders of the Holy Land,Jerusalem rush towards the invaders,the armour-clad Crusaders. In this essay I will talk about how the Crusades were justified. But first,what were the Crusades?
Prior to the first crusade Europe was emerged in problems. The population was growing and the millennium was approaching, with these problems and the uproar of religion, meant that words from a powerful man could assemble an army, and change history. The French Pope Urban announced change; he organized a religious pilgrimage and a retake the holy land. He also wanted to create safe routes to the Holy Land along with unific...
It contained the House of Wisdom which was where the best scholars and professors aspired to reach. This wasn’t only a goal for Muslims from Islam but for others as well. After the Mongols, the House of Wisdom was destroyed along with all the reputation it had within it. It was left useless after being an extremely important institution.
Islamic civilization began in Arabia, but it spread to many areas in the proximity of the peninsula. It spread as far as Spain, as well as many areas between the two locations. The civilization reached the Eastern Roman Empire, Persia, Egypt, and Africa. The Muslim warriors were extremely courageous, and their religious zeal aided in the conquests of many empires surrounding Arabia. However, the weakn...