Title: The incursion and spread of the Arabs in Europe

Authors: Eirini Bompolou (Author)
Licence: CC BY 4.0
Licence terms: The image has been cropped and its ratio has changed to 2:1 to serve as a background.
Changes: 17-07-21 23:07:27 Eirini Bompolou: Image has been cropped

Muhammad

Credits: by Ibrahim ebi (Author); 2012; source https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muhammad2.png; licence CC BY-SA 3.0

[Image: Muhammad's name in Arabic]

Prophet Muhammad (c. 569 CE -632 CE)

•He was a member of the tribe of Quaraysh from Mecca.

•He initially married the widow Khadījah and took charge of her caravans in Syria.

•His thoughts and visions refer tho the benevolence and power of God and in the punishment and reward during the final judgment.

Muhammad

- His preaching was met with opposition at first in Mecca. Subsequently Muhammad fled to Yathrib which was later called Medina (= city of the prophet).
- This migration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE is called Hijra (=migration).  That year (622) was established as the beginning of the Arabic calendar .
- The new community that was formed there recognised Muhammad as their spiritual and secular leader. In 630 CE he finally seized control of Mecca. During the following decade (622 CE to 632 CE) Islam became predominant, all over Arabia.

Muhammad and his followers arrive outside Medina and are greeted by the inhabitants, many of whom ask the Prophet to stay with them. The white colour covering his face is due to the prohibition to depict human faces in the Islamic religion.

Muhammad's preaching

• Muhammad distanced himself from the Jews and presented himself as a Prophet, send by god (Allah) to preach the only true religion.

•His preaching is known by the Quran,(= divine speech), the holy book of Islam. It demanded that the believers (Muslims), the warriors of Islam,  fight Holy War ( = jihad) against the unfaithful under the guidance of the Caliph (= successor of the messenger of God).  If some warriors died in the war, they would become martyrs of faith and secure a place in Heaven.

•The distribution of the spoils of war among the warriors, was included in the Quran as a rule. The need for survival had led the emigrants of Medina to raids and pillage, according to the old Arab customs. This practice was later named “Holy War” against the enemies of Allah from Arab chroniclers.

• The basic principles of Islam were Profession of Faith, Fasting, Prayer, Alms and Pilgrimage

Credits: by Javierfv1212 (Author); source https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muslim_Conquest.PNG; licence PD

[Image: Conquests of Prophet Muhammad and the Rashidun Caliphate]

Conquests of Muhammad (green lines) and the Rashidun caliphs (black lines).

Shown: Byzantine empire (North and West) & Sassanid-Persian empire (Northeast).

Image by: Javierfv1212, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muslim_Conquest.PNG

The Arabs conquer Persia and parts of the Byzantine empire

- Battle of Yarmuk (Syria):  defeat of the Byzantine army under the Emperor Heraclius (636 CE). This defeat marked the end of the byzantine domination of the Middle East and the beginning of the Arabian spread.
- In 651 CE the Persian state came to an end and Persia soon became Islamic, mainly because of the disappointment of its people by the secular and spiritual leadership that had οpressed them to a great extend.
- In 634 CE Khalid prevailed over the Byzantine army and conquered Palestine up to Damascus, Syria except Jerusalem and Caesarea.
- Local military and civil commanders gave over towns and areas of Osrhoene, Syria and Northern Messopotamia to the Aravbs despite orders to the contrary from Emperor Heraclius.
- In 642 CE the Arabs invade Armenia and conquer its capital Dvin.

The Arabs conquer parts of the Byzantine territory

In 646 CE after the unequivocal fall of Egypt, the conquest of all of the former imperial Greco- Roman East by the Arabs was completed.

Byzantium had lost huge territories, in which the biggest cities apart from Constantinople were located (Antiochia, Alexandria, Jerusalem). By losing them it lost a substantial part of its population and huge incomes from taxation and resources (eg wheat and papyrus from Egypt); what is more is that the ones who took control over them were their enemies. The developments concerning trade inside and outside the byzantine territory were also disheartening.

• The Arabs posed a threat to the very existence of the Byzantine empire; its eastern border was at the time located in Cilicia of the South-eastern Asia Minor and to the upper Euphrates.

The Arabs conquer parts of the Byzantine territory

Taurus and Anti –Taurus mountains in Cilicia, which weren’t easy to reach, became the border between the two states, the Caliphate and the Empire. The Arabs conquered Cyprus and then Rhodes (654 CE). In the 9th century they conquered Crete and Sicily.

The Arabs built a big fleet in Tripolis, Phoenicia and destroyed in Eastern Middle Asia the Byzantine fleet under the personal command of the inexperienced Constans II, in the so called “Battle of the Masts” (654 CE).

Damascus was promoted to political centre of the Arabs, and at the same time they followed expansive policy that led them to the Indus river in Asia and to the western Africa. The imperial, up to that point, Carthage, (the Exarchate of Africa), was finally taken over by the Arabs later, in 695 CE and permanently in 698 CE.

The conquests of the Arabs

[Image: Conquests of the Arabs (map)]

Interception of the Arabs in the West

Charles Martel, maior domus or majordomo, (in English: Mayor of the Palace) of the Franks, managed to intercept the march of the Arabs at a location between Tours and Poitiers (Battle of Tours/Poitier)

Credits: by Unknown (Author); source https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_Martell_1.jpg; licence PD

Interception at Constantinople

The Arabs put Constantinople under siege twice (674 - 678 C.E. and 717 - 718 C.E.).

The Byzantine warriors pushed the Arabs back both times with the help of the impregnable walls of the city and the use of Greek Fire.

Greek fire was a new weapon that burned away the enemy vessels and was an invention of Callinicus of Heliopolis, a Jewish architect who fled from Syria to Constantinople.

Credits: by Unknown (Author); source https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Greekfire-madridskylitzes1.jpg; licence PD

The reasons for their fast spread

The Arabs conquered these areas quite easily and rapidly because:

- They had a fast and versatile army
- By fighting they did not only spread Islam, but they also collected a lot of plunder; this is the reason why they kept marching
- The Roman Empire and the Sasanian kingdom, which were the most powerful realms of that time, had lost their power because of the wars
- Most of the Christians at the Eastern provinces of the Roman Empire were Monophysites and were oppressed by the Roman administration. This is the reason why they didn't resist the attacks.

The consequences of the spread of the Arabs

Development of the commerce

•    Optimal geographical location of the Caliphate between the East and the West.

•    Taking advantage of the gold and silver mines of Western Africa and the Sahara.

Novelties by the merchants of Islam

i)They founded companies

ii)They invented the check

iii)They developed the banks and the credit system in general

All of those innovations eased the transactions substantially

Credits: by The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Author); source http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/453067; licence CC0 1.0

Scientific accomplishments of the Arabs

Mathematics: they established the Indian numbering system

Geography: they organised long journeys

Astronomy: they calculated precisely the orbit of the Sun and the planets

Chemistry: they discovered the sulphuric acid and the alcohol

Medicine: they established the use of new medicines and performed complex operations

The Arabian civilisation and its impact

• Arts and literature thrived in many cities:

  In Cordoba and Baghdad they built libraries and universities.

• Peoples and philosophers that influenced the thought of the Arabs:

   Persians, Indians and Greeks. The Arabs were interested in and translated mainly Greek philosophy (Aristotle) and scientific texts.

• Arabian art: main characteristics of the first period:

  - Influenced by the Byzantine art

  - Non – iconic style: Arabian artists do not depict faces, especially sacred ones, e.g Muhammad.

The Arabian civilisation and its impact

In everyday life

 - They spread the use of paper (Chinese invention) to the West.

 In agriculture

 - They imported new crops (apricots, cotton, lemon, sugar cane, artichokes, etc) to the West.

Credits: by Unknown (Author); licence PD

Bibliography

Byzantine History (324-1081) Department of History and Archeology, Aristotelian University of Thessalonica (AUTh Οpen Courses)

https://opencourses.auth.gr/modules/document/file.php/OCRS403/%CE%A0%CE%B1%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%85%CF%83%CE%B9%CE%AC%CF%83%CE%B5%CE%B9%CF%82/%CE%95%CE%9D%CE%9F%CE%A4%CE%97%CE%A4%CE%91_08.pdf

Let's see what you remember!

True/False Question 1

Q: 1) Islam was a polytheistic religion established by Muhammad.
A: false
If right: Correct!
If wrong: Actually, Islam was a monotheistic religion.

True/False Question 2

Q: 2) Muhammad was sent away from Mecca in 622 CE.
A: true
If right: That's right!
If wrong: Try again!

True/False Question 3

Q: 3) Islam prevailed in Arabia for the decade 632-642 C.E.
A: false
If right: Yes!
If wrong: This is not correct!

Islam prevailed in Arabia for the decade 622 C.E to 632 C.E.

True/False Question 4

Q: 4) The Quran imposed on its followers Holy War against the unfaithful.
A: true
If right: Yes, that's correct!
If wrong: I think this is not quite right!

4) The Quran imposed on its followers Holy War against the unfaithful.

True/False Question 5

Q: 5) Thi islamic religion postulates that there is no life after death.
A: false
If right: Well done!
If wrong: No, this is not correct!

Actually, it postulated that there would be punishment or rewart in the afterlife and that the warriors who died in a holy war would go to heaven!

True/False Question 6

Q: 6) The Eastern Byzantine provinces had been integrated to the Arabic state by the middle of 8th century C.E.
A: false

Q: 7) The Arabs conquered Carthage at the end of the 7th century.
A: true
If right: Correct!
If wrong: Not correct!

They conquered Carthage in 695 CE,

True/False Question 8

Q: 8) The Arabs unsuccessfully besieged Constantinople twice in the period between 674 C.E, and 718 C.E.
A: true
If right: Right!
If wrong: Wrong answer!

The Arabs put Constantinople under siege twice (674-678 CE and 717-718 CE.

True/False Question 9

Q: 9) The battle of Poitier (Tours) terminated the march of the Persians to the European territories.
A: true
If right: Correct!
If wrong: Your answer is not correct!

The battle of Poitier (Tours)  terminated the march of the Persians to the Western European territories.

True/False Question 10

Q: 10) The Greek Fire helped the Byzantines to repulse the attacks of the Arabs.
A: true
If right: Yes! That's right!
If wrong: Are you sure?

Greek fire was a new weapon that helped the Byzantines repulse the Arabs' attacks to Constantinople.

True/False Question 11

Q: 11)  Arabs conquered Rhodes, Chios, Corfu and Cyprus in the 9th century.
A: false
If right: Well done!
If wrong: Oops! Try again!

They conquered Crete and Cicily in the 9th century.

True/False Question 12

Q: 12) The aggressive expansion of the Arabs had negative consequences to the Byzantine commerce.
A: true

This sentence is true.

Match the events with the dates:

- 636 C.E.
- 622 C.E.
- 732 C.E.
- 717 -718 C.E.
Q: 1. Battle of Yarmuk
A: 636 C.E.
Q: 2. Hijra
A: 622 C.E.
Q: 3. Battle of Tours
A: 732 C.E.
Q: 4. Siege of Constantinople
A: 717 -718 C.E.

Products introduced by the Arabs to Europe.

Credits: by Eirini Bompolou, Zoe Spanoudi (Author); licence CC BY-NC 4.0

Circle the products the Arabs brought to the West from the East:

corn                                                                  apricot                                        spices

 pine                                                                  melon                                       sugar-cane

 artichoke                                                       cotton                                         trout

potato                                                                 lemon

paper                                                              tomato
A: apricot; sugar-cane; artichoke; cotton; lemon; paper

Arabs - Match the events with the dates

- 636 C.E
- 622 C.E.
- 732 C.E
- 717-718 C.E.
Q: Battle of Yarmuk
A: 636 C.E
Q: Hijra
A: 622 C.E.
Q: Siege of Constantinople
A: 717-718 C.E.
Q: Battle of Tours
A: 732 C.E

Arabs Drag text

Drag the words and drop them in the boxes.

Q: 1. Quaran = [...]
2. Muslim = [...]
3. Jihad = [...]
4. Martyrs of faith = [...]
5. Successor of the messenger of God = [...]
6. Charles Martel = [...]
7. Callinicus = [...]
A: Holy book; Follower of Islam; Holy war; Heaven; Caliph; Mayor of the Palace; Greek Fire

Arabs Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the missing words.

Q: a) The Arabs founded libraries and Universities in [...] and in [...].

b) The Arabs spread the Indian [...] system and the use of [...] in Europe.

γ) The Arabs studied and translated works of Indians, Persians, and Greek philosophers such as [...]

δ) Arabian artists do not depict [...], especially holy ones.
A: Cordoba; Baghdad; numbering; paper; Aristotle; faces