Search Results for: lent

Peter the Hermit and Crusade Evangelism

Posted on December 3, 2022 by Ruth

A century before, when the year changed from 999 to 1000, many people had anticipated the end of the world. Coming up to 1100, the same expectation was in the air. In the months surrounding Pope Urban II’s call to … Continue reading →

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Nobility on Crusade, 1095-6

Posted on September 15, 2022 by Ruth

Pope Urban II appointed a bishop, Adhemar of Monteil, Bishop of Le Puy, as his official legate, or representative on the official mission. Adhemar had been to the Holy Land, and recently; he knew what Seljuk Muslim Palestine was like. … Continue reading →

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Normans Capture Sicily, 1038

Posted on July 4, 2022 by Ruth

You’ll remember that one of the early steps to pacifying the North was the deal the Franks made with Rollo the Dane to have land in exchange for peace. The Northmen who settled in Normandy were probably warriors who took … Continue reading →

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North African Puritans: the Rise of the Malikis

Posted on July 4, 2022 by Ruth

When the Ismaili Shi’ites were looking for an accepting, protective tribe distant from Baghdad’s central power, they found it in the Kutama tribe of Berbers. With this base, they took over the Mediterranean strip of North Africa, and on across … Continue reading →

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Mamluks and Seljuks

Posted on June 9, 2022 by Ruth

During the Abbasid years, rulers began building up private slave armies. From this practice, the Arabic word for a person owned as a possession has come to us as Mamluk. It has come to mean specifically the type of slave … Continue reading →

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Abbasid Caliphs and the Qarmatians, 892-932

Posted on May 23, 2022 by Ruth

Increasingly, the Caliph at Baghdad was not the main story in the Muslim world. At his own court, he could be sidelined by his brother, as al-Mutamid was. He could be outshone by a Vizier, as al-Muktafi was. A few, … Continue reading →

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The Basin of Mercury: Quicksilver Diplomacy

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Ruth

In the 9th century, the Emirs of Andalusia established so much independence from Baghdad that by the early 10th, Abd al-Rahman III called himself a Caliph, not an Emir. Emir means something like Prince; it implies high but subordinate rank. … Continue reading →

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Mozarabic Exports: and more Arabic words in Spanish

Posted on December 23, 2021 by Ruth

Spanish Andalusia got involved in Europe’s international markets in completely new ways. In the early Middle Ages, trade operated mostly through fairs. Near to major highways, rivers and harbors, certain places had a traditional time during the year when people … Continue reading →

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Revolt And Death of Uthman, 655-6

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Ruth

Another Umayyad cousin named Marwan was Uthman’s chief secretary, or probably Chief of Staff. As in the White House, access to the ruler goes through the Chief of Staff. Marwan could determine who got to talk to Uthman, and he … Continue reading →

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Caliph Umar’s Administrative Headaches

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Ruth

The Islamic State of Medina had been a relatively simple organization. Tribute came in, it was collected near the mosque, and it was immediately spent on alms or provisions for an expedition. Caliph Abu Bakr kept things simple too, continuing … Continue reading →

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