Creation of An Arab Empire: Section 2
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After the death of Muhammad, unity was difficult
to maintain.
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The friend and father-in-law of Muhammad, Abu
Bakr, was chosen to be the first Caliph, or successor to Muhammad.
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Abu Bakr helped to unify the Muslim world and
expanded in Arabia and beyond.
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Under the idea of jihad, or “struggle
in the way of God” the early Muslims expanded their territory. The believed that defensive warfare was
permitted by the Quran.
Arab Rule
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The Arabs were now united and expanded their territory
instead of fighting each other.
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They defeated the Byzantine army in 636
taking the province of Syria. By 642 they took Egypt and by 650 they controlled
the Persian Empire
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After Abu Bakr died there was conflict over
who would be the next Caliph.
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The next two Caliphs were both assassinated.
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After that Muhammad’s son-in-law
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Ali was
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appointed Caliph,
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but five years later
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he too was assassinated.
Administration
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Muslims administrators were fairly tolerant
of the people they defeated.
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Initially, both Christians and Jews were
allowed to practice their religions, with some restrictions, because they were
“People of the Book” who had written scriptures revealed to them by God before
the time of Muhammad. Those who chose not to convert had to be loyal to the
Muslim state and pay a special tax.
The Umayyad Dynasty
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At the beginning of the eighth century Islam
had expanded across northern Africa and had converted the Berbers (a pastoral
people along the Mediterranean coast) to the faith.
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By 710 combined Berber and Arab forces crossed
the Strait of Gibraltar into Spain and had taken most of the country by
725. In 732, however, the Muslim
advance into Europe was halted at the Battle of Tours.
A Split in Islam
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Many non-Arab Muslims resent the favoritism
which the Umayyad Empire showed toward Arabs.
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The large empire was difficult to rule
efficiently and there were financial problems as well.
The Abbasid Dynasty
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Amidst growing resentment toward the Umayyad
Dynasty Abu al-Abbas, a descendent of Muhammad’s uncle, overthrew the Umayyad
Dynasty in 750 and est. the Abbasid Dynasty.
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The Dynasty lasted until 1258 A.D.
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The Abbasids moved the capital of their
empire to Baghdad.
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This move increased Persian influence and
changed Abbasid culture.
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Under this dynasty the new heroes were judges,
merchants, and government officials.
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This dynasty did not favor Arab rule and the
empire became more culturally diverse.
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Harun al-Rashid
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The greatest of the caliphs of the dynasty.
This is called the golden age of the Abbasid Dynasty (Caliphate)
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He was known for his charity and was a great
supporter of culture and the arts.
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His son continued the tradition and supported
the study of astronomy and began to translate classical Greek works into
Arabic.
Trade
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Baghdad became a major crossroads for trade.
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This made the city very wealthy.
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This also helped spread products and knowledge
from the Middle East to parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Government Administration
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The government of the Abbasids became more
like a monarchy.
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The bureaucracy which assisted the Caliph
became more complicated.
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In order to assist him the Caliph appointed a
Vizier who was like a prime minister.
– This
man was the chief advisor to the Caliph and would help him run the government.
Decline and Division
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There was great difficulty in the Abbasid
Dynasty with imperial succession.
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There was also financial corruption.
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Caliphs began to recruit from non-Arab groups
for government administration such as the Turks and the Persians.
– These
groups came to dominate the political situation.
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Rulers of provinces began to break away and
establish independent kingdoms.
– Spain
had an independent Caliphate at Cordoba which had been established in 750 by Umayyad rulers who fled the Abbasid
Dynasty.
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Morocco became independent.
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The Fatimid dynasty was established in Egypt
with the capital at Cairo in 973.
Seljuk Turks and the
Crusades
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As the Fatimid Dynasty in Egypt became more
powerful they became the new center of the Muslim world.
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One group which came to power in this region
were the Seljuk Turks.
– The
Turks played a large role in the military and many rose through the ranks to
gain a lot of political power.
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The Turks were originally a nomadic people
who converted to Islam and were great soldiers in the Abbasid caliphate.
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As the Abbasids weakened, the Turks became
stronger moving into the areas of Iran and Armenia. They eventually took over
many Abbasid territories.
The Sultan
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The Turks were ruled by a Sultan,
meaning “holder of power.”
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While the Abbasids were still a religious
authority when the Turks captured Baghdad they were the military and
political leaders of the state.
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The Turks in the second half of the 11th
century kept putting pressure on the Byzantine Empire. In 1071 they defeated the Byzantine army at
Manzikert and gained control of Asia
Minor (Anatolian Peninsula)
– In
desperation, the Byzantine Empire turned to the West for help. This led to a series of wars known as The
Crusades.
The Crusades
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The Byzantine Emperor Alexius I sent a letter
to the Pope (Urban II) asking for help against the Turks.
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This led to a series of wars in 1096 known as
The Crusades.
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At first the Crusaders were successful and
took the city of Jerusalem.
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In 1187 the Muslim leader Saladin retook the
city, leaving the Christians with only a small collection of land holdings in
the Middle East.
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The Crusades had a lasting impact-breeding
centuries of mistrust between the Muslim world and the Christian World.
The Mongol Threat
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The Mongols were a pastoral, horse-riding
people who swept out of the Gobi in the early 13th century to seize
control over much of the known world.
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The were not Muslims and find it difficult to
adapt to city life.
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The spread destruction across Asia into
Muslim territory.
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The Invasion began with Genghis Khan and was
continued under the leadership Kublia Khan and Hulegu.
– They
seized Mesopotamia Persia and Mesopotamia destroying the city of Baghdad in
1258
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The Mongols made it as far as the Red Sea,
but were unable to take Egypt.
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Over time the Mongol rulers converted to
Islam and rebuilt the Muslim world.
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