Crusades Study Post #1

Crusades Post #1

Background of the Crusades 

Prior to the First Crusade 

Pagan cults were widespread throughout pre-Islamic Arabia till Muhamed united the Arabian clans under monotheism and propelled the Islamic conquest of Arabia.

The Pagans of Mecca are conquered in 630 and the Ka'bah now becomes a site for Islamic worship not pagan worship.

Islam spreads throughout the Middle-East and Europe.

Expansion under Muhammad, 622-632(Brown)   Expansion during the Rashidun Caliphate (Orange), 632-661   Expansion during the Umayyad Caliphate, 661-750 (Mustard).

Muslims were largely tolerant of Judaism and Christianity dignifying them as "people of the book"

Differentiations between Sunni and Shia

Sunni traditions, Muhammad left no successor and the participants of the Saqifah event appointed Abu Bakr as the next-in-line (the first caliph).

Shia believed that only decendents of Ali (Muhamed's cousin and the first convert) and Fatima (Muhamed's daughter) could be the caliph.