Umayyad Caliphate

The Umayyad Caliphate was one of the most powerful and expansive of the
Islamic Caliphates. It was also the first of the Islamic dynasties. This meant
that the leader of the Caliphate, called the Caliph, was typically the son (or
other male relative) of the previous Caliph.

When did it rule?

The Umayyad Caliphate ruled the Islamic Empire from 661-750 CE. It
succeeded the Rashidun Caliphate when Muawiyah I became Caliph after the
First Muslim Civil War. Muawiyah I established his capital in the city of
Damascus where the Umayyads would rule the Islamic Empire for nearly 100
years. The Umayyad Caliphate was brought to an end in 750 CE when the
Abbasids took control

What lands did it rule?

The Umayyad Caliphate expanded the Islamic Empire into one of the largest
empires in the history of the world. At its peak, the Umayyad Caliphate
controlled the Middle East, parts of India, much of North Africa, and Spain.
Historians estimate the Umayyad Caliphate had a population of around 62
million people, which was nearly 30% of the world’s population at the time.

Government

The Umayyads modeled their government after the Byzantines (Eastern

Roman Empire) who had previously ruled much of the land conquered by the
Umayyads. They divided the empire Into provinces that were each ruled by a
governor appointed by the Caliph. They also created government bodies
called “diwans” that handled different government agencies.

Contributions

The Umayyads made several important contributions to the Islamic Empire.

Many of their contributions had to do with unifying the large empire and the
many cultures that were now part of the empire. These included creating a
common coinage, establishing Arabic as the official language throughout the
empire, and standardizing weights and measures. They also built some of the
most revered buildings of Islamic history including the Dome of the Rock in
Jerusalem and the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.

Fall of the Umayyads

As the empire expanded, unrest among the people and opposition to the
Umayyads increased. Many Muslims felt that the Umayyads had become too
secular and were not following the ways of Islam. Groups of people including
the followers of Ali, non-Arab Muslims, and the Kharjites began to rebel
causing turmoil in the empire. In 750, the Abbasids, a rival clan to the
Umayyads, rose to power and overthrew the Umayyad Caliphate. They took
control and formed the Abbasid Caliphate which would rule much of the
Islamic world for the next several hundred years.

Iberian Peninsula

One of the Umayyad leaders, Abd al Rahman, escaped to the Iberian

Peninsula (Spain) where he established his own kingdom in the city of
Cordoba. There the Umayyads continued to rule portions of Spain until well
into the 1400s.

Interesting Facts about the Umayyad Caliphate

Umayyad is sometimes spelled “Omayyad.”

Non-Muslims had to pay a special tax. This tax offered them protection under
the Caliphate. People that converted to Islam no longer had to pay the tax.

Some historians consider the Umayyad dynasty as more of a “kingdom” than

a Caliphate because their rulers were hereditary rather than elected.

The Caliph Yazid (son of Muawiya I) had Hussein (the son of Ali, the famous
fourth caliph) killed when Hussein refused to take an oath of loyalty to the
Umayyads.

The borders of the Umayyad Caliphate spread nearly 6,000 miles from the
Indus River in Asia to the Iberian Peninsula (modern day Spain).

Abbasid Caliphate

The Abbasid Caliphate was a major dynasty that ruled over the Islamic
Empire during its peak. Like the Umayyad Caliphate before it, the leader of
the Abbasids was called the caliph. During the time of the Abbasids, the
caliph was usually the son (or other closest male relative) of the previous
Caliph.

When did it rule?

The Abbasid Caliphate had two major periods. The first period lasted from
750-1258 CE. During this period, the Abbasids were strong leaders who
controlled a vast territory and created a culture that is often referred as the
Golden Age of Islam. In 1258 CE, however, the capital city of Baghdad was
sacked by the Mongols causing the Abbasids to flee to Egypt.

The second period lasted from 1261-1517 CE. During this time the Abbasid
Caliphate was located in Cairo, Egypt. While the Abbasids were still
considered the religious leaders of the Islamic world, a different group called
the Mamluks held the true political and military power.

What lands did it rule?

The Abbasid Caliphate ruled over a large empire that included the Middle
East, western Asia, and northeast Africa (including Egypt)

Golden Age of Islam

The early part of the Abbasid rule was a time of peace and prosperity. Great
advances were made in many areas of science, mathematics, and medicine.
Schools of higher education and libraries were built throughout the empire.
The culture flourished as Arabic art and architecture reached new heights.
This period lasted from around 790 CE to 1258 CE. It is often referred to as
the Golden Age of Islam.

Fall of the Abbasids

The early 1200s saw the rise of the Mongol Empire in eastern Asia. The
Mongols conquered China and then began their march west to the Middle
East. In 1258, the Mongols arrived at Baghdad, the capital city of the Abbasid
Caliphate. The Caliph at the time believed that Baghdad could not be
conquered and refused to meet the Mongols’ demands. The leader of the
Mongols, Hulagu Khan, then set siege to the city. In less than two weeks
Baghdad had surrendered and the Caliph was put to death.

Rule from Egypt

In 1261, the Abbasids reclaimed the Caliphate from Cairo, Egypt. The real
power in Egypt was a group of former slave warriors called the Mamluks. The
Mamluks ran the government and the armies, while the Abbasids had
authority over the Islam religion. Together they ruled the Caliphate from
Cairo until 1517 when they were conquered by the Ottoman Empire.

Interesting Facts about the Abbasid Caliphate

The sacking of Baghdad in 1258 is considered to be the end of the Islamic

Caliphate by many historians.
The Mamluks were once the slave warriors of the Islamic Caliphate. However,
they eventually gained power of their own and took control in Egypt.

The Abbasids got their name from being descendents of Abbas ibn Abd
al.Muttalib. Abbas was an uncle of the Prophet Muhammad and one of his
companions.

The first capital city of the Abbasids was Kufa. However, they founded and
built the city of Baghdad as their new capital in 762 CE.

Historians estimate that around 800,000 people were killed during the
sacking of Baghdad by the Mongols. They killed the Caliph by wrapping him
up in a carpet and trampling him with horses.

Middle Ages
The Crusades

Siege of Tyre by Jean Colombe

The Crusades were a series of wars during the Middle Ages where the Christians of
Europe tried to retake control of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslims.

Why did they want to control Jerusalem?

Jerusalem was important to a number of religions during the Middle Ages. It was
important to Jewish people as it was the site of the original temple to God built by King
Solomon. It was important to the Muslims because it is where they believe Muhammad
ascended to heaven. It was important to Christians as it is where they believe Christ
was crucified and rose again.

Who fought in the Crusades?

The Crusades were between the armies of Europe, mostly the Holy Roman Empire, and
the Arabs that had control of Jerusalem. In the first Crusade Europe battled the Seljuk
Turks.

There were around 30,000 soldiers from Europe in the first Crusade, they were made
up of Knights, peasants, and other commoners. Some saw the army as a way to get
rich and try out their fighting skills, while others saw it as a way into heaven.

How they got started

The initial Crusade began when the Seljuk Turks took control of the Holy Land. Prior to
this, the Arabs had been in control of the land. However, the Arabs had allowed
Christians to pilgrimage and visit the city of Jerusalem. In 1070, when the Turks took
control, they began to refuse Christian pilgrims into the area.

Byzantine Emperor Alexius I called for help from the Pope with defending his empire
from the Turks and to help push them out of the Holy Land. The Pope helped to gather
an army, primarily with the help of the Franks and the Holy Roman Empire.

Timeline of the Crusades

There were a number of Crusades that took place over the course of 200 years starting
in 1095:
 The First Crusade (1095-1099): The First Crusade was the most successful.
Armies from Europe drove out the Turks and took control of Jerusalem.
 The Second Crusade (1147-1149): In 1146 the city of Edessa was conquered by
the Turks. The entire population was killed or sold into slavery. Then a second
Crusade was launched, but was unsuccessful.
 The Third Crusade (1187-1192): In 1187 Saladin, the sultan of Egypt,
recaptured the city of Jerusalem from the Christians. A third Crusade was
launched led by Emperor Barbarossa of Germany, King Philip Augustus of
France, and King Richard the Lionheart of England. Richard the Lionheart fought
Saladin for several years. In the end he could not conquer Jerusalem, but he did
win the right for pilgrims to visit the holy city once again.
 The Fourth Crusade (1202-1204): The Fourth Crusade was formed by Pope
Innocent III with the hope of taking back the Holy Land. However, the Crusaders
got sidetracked and greedy and ended up conquering and plundering
Constantinople instead.
 Children's Crusade (1212): Started by a French child named Stephen of Cloyes
and a German kid named Nicholas, tens of thousands of children gathered to
march to the Holy Land. This ended in total disaster. None of the children made it
to the Holy Land and many were never seen again. They were likely sold into
slavery.
 Crusades Five through Nine (1217 - 1272): Over the next several years there
would be 5 more Crusades. None of them would be very successful in terms of
gaining control of the Holy Land.
Interesting Facts about the Crusades
 "Deus vult!", meaning "God wills it" was the battle cry of the Crusaders. It came
from a speech the Pope gave while gathering support for the First Crusade.
 The symbol of the Crusaders was a red cross. Soldiers wore it on their clothing
and armor. It was also used on flags and banners.
 Between the second and the third Crusades, the Teutonic Knights and the
Templars were formed to help defend Christendom. These were famous groups
of Holy Knights.
World war 2

 Allied Powers - Countries that fought against the Axis Powers. Primary
members included the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union, France, and
China.
 Appeasement - This was the policy of many countries when Hitler first started to
take over Austria and parts of Czechoslovakia. They gave in to Hitler's demands
in order to avoid going to war. When Hitler invaded Poland, they realized that
appeasement would not work and France and Great Britain declared war on
Germany.
 Axis Powers - An alliance formed by Germany, Italy, and Japan. These countries
wanted to expand and conquer other countries. They were opposed by the Allied
Powers.
 Blitzkrieg - This means "lightning war" in German. Hitler would attack quickly
and try to take over a country before it had time to fight back.
 Concentration camp - A place where the Germans put people they did not like
such as Jewish people.
 D-Day - The day that United States and British forces attacked the German
forces on the shores of Normandy, France. A turning point in the war as the Allies
defeated the Germans.
 Eastern Front - The Germans called the war with the Soviet Union the Eastern
Front.
 Fascism - A type of government ruled by a dictator. Germany with Hitler and Italy
with Mussolini were fascist governments.
 Fuhrer - The title Adolf Hitler gave himself. It means "leader" in German.
 Final Solution - A term used by the Nazis which meant the extermination of the
Jews.
 Gestapo - The Nazi police force. They were mean and very powerful in Germany
during WWII. They hunted down enemies of the Nazi party as well as Jewish
people.
 Holocaust - A term used to describe the murder of 6 million Jewish people by the
German Nazi Party.
 Kamikaze - A term used to describe how Japanese pilots would intentionally
crash their planes into US battleships. The planes were sometimes full of
explosives and the pilots knew they were going to die.
 Luftwaffe - The name for the German air force.
 Manhattan Project - The code name for the research and development program
where scientists invented the atomic bomb.
 Nazi - The Nazi Party was a political party in Germany led by Adolf Hitler. The full
name was the Nationalist Socialist German Workers' Party.
 Pact of Steel - A treaty signed by Germany and Italy. It was later signed by
Japan and called the Tripartite Pact. This pact created the Axis Powers alliance.
 RAF - The air force of Great Britain. It stands for the Royal Air Force.
 V-E Day - Victory in Europe Day. The day the Allied victory in Europe was
celebrated; May 8, 1945.
 V-J Day - Victory in Japan Day. The day the Allied victory in Japan was
celebrated; September 2, 1945.
 Wehrmacht - The name for the German army.
World War II was fought between the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) and the Allied
Powers (Britain, United States, Soviet Union, France). Most of the countries in the world
were involved in some way. It was the deadliest war in all of human history with around
70 million people killed.

When was it?

World War II started in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. Great Britain and France
responded by declaring war on Germany. The war in Europe ended with Germany's
surrender on May 7, 1945. The war in the Pacific ended when Japan surrendered on
September 2, 1945.
Where was it?

World War II started in Europe, but spread throughout the world. Much of the fighting
took place in Europe and in Southeast Asia (Pacific).

The cartoon shows Germany crushing Austria. Next in line is

Czechoslovakia. At the back, Britain says to France who is
next to last: “Why should we take stand about someone
pushing someone else when it’s all so far away?”

Cartoon A Cartoon B

Denotation: (What you see): A German Denotation: (What you see): The first
Soldier is leaning heavily on other countries. country in the line being crushed is Austria.
Connotation: (How it affects its audience) Connotation: (How it affects its audience)
This Refers to German Militarism and Germany was throwing its weight about
Hitler’s aggressive foreign policy. bullying Austria.
Meaning: Nazi Germany is the aggressor- Meaning: Hitler was bullying Austria
Hitler is trying to dominate other countries. (Hitler had just forced to take Nazis into his
government).