Invasion Of Islam Dbq Essay

In the 400 years between 1000 and 1400 the Islamic Empire was crippled by successive, unavoidable attacks. These losses, both civil and political, began the beginning of a transfer of power away from the modern and progressive Muslims and instead to the evolving Europeans, who would find themselves in the birth of the Renaissance around the time of the end of the Crusades (and thus, the end of Islam’s power). However, their downfall was twofold: on one hand, they faced external pressure from the Crusaders and the Mongols; on the other, the Black Death proved itself to be a significant internal devastation. Moreover, their vulnerability was born from pre-existing weaknesses within the Empire.

The invasions on the Islamic Empire did not bring

new troubles to dominion, but rather exaggerated and surfaced those which already existed. The time of the First Crusade coincided with the decline of Baghdad’s Golden Age. By then, the Empire was spread over thousands of miles.

While there are obvious benefits to extensive territorial jurisdiction—power, ease of international trade, access to further lands—the drawback is that it is much harder to maintain an organized and cohesive state. When the Crusaders arrived, success came easily. Document 8 notes that they killed 70,000 Muslims in a presumably short period of time and pillaged the area for a week. Document 6 speaks to the facility with which they occupied the territory, citing homes and slaves which they acquired through “inheritance.” It even mentions interracial marriages which may very well have been forced, as people do not typically voluntarily marry their conquerors. Both sources were written within roughly 100 years of the First Crusade. This time frame reveals the rate at which the Crusaders were able to accomplish this level of possession. However, had the Islamic Empire had a sufficiently trained,

efficient military system within place, at the very least the Crusaders would have been delayed, and at best they would not have been successful. Documents 8 and 6 exploit the structural weaknesses within the Empire, mainly their inability to assemble across their land, that allowed Christian victory. The success of the Mongols was quite similar. Document 4 extensively describes the infrastructure of the Mongol military and the obedience and loyalty to the Khan among their soldiers. Again, it is not surprising that these foreigners, with their companies and commanders, were able to defeat the Muslims who seemed to be lacking a defensive military that would even be able to hold off the invasion.
Furthermore, the Muslim attitude toward the death of their people does not suggest any urge to assemble the Muslim people to reclaim their land.

Document 2 states only that to die in battle for Islam or for the defence of the faith is the highest form of death and that the fallen are martyrs. While this declaration demonstrates a strong value of faith, it also demonstrates an attitude that, to some extent, seems to accept failure or loss. These were not rousing words to inspire resistance within the Empire. This attitude stands in stark contrast with that of the Christians, who were filled with righteousness and religious justification. In Document 1 Pope Urban II refers to Jerusalem as Christian land occupied by the Muslims. His tone is provoking and his words specifically call for aid, which suggests that he believed aid could be assembled, whereas the Muslims do not make any such implications. They exercise that same attitude toward the Black Death. Muslims killed by the plague were also referred to as martyrs in Document 2. Document 3 describes the people as being “terrified by the multitude of the dead.” Again, and though this document focused solely on the Black Death, this was not a statement of action, but rather, reaction. And once more, it suggests a certain inability at that time of the Muslim people and of the Islamic Empire as a whole to congregate into a community capable of handling serious challenge, stemming from the disorder caused by such an expansive

domain.
The Crusades, the Mongol Invasion, and the Black Death combined to create a period of plights for the Islamic Empire. While these circumstances were unavoidable and unprovoked by the Muslim people, the blend of internal and external pressure elevated their past and present struggle with cohesion within the Empire and aided their own defeat.