The story of the late middle/early modern Islamic world is dominated by the three so-called “Gunpowder Empires”—the Ottomans with their vast empire circling the Mediterranean; the Safavids in Iran and, at various times, parts of the Caucasus and Central Asia; and the Mughals in South Asia. They're called “gunpowder empires” because two former University of … Continue reading Today in South Asian history: Nader Shah sacks Delhi (1739)
Category: history
Today in Middle Eastern history: Iran becomes “Iran” (1935)
I know that title seems too cutesy and I apologize for that. It is both a historical oddity and a signifier of our general Orientalist indifference toward the peoples of the Middle East that the nation (kingdom, empire, whatever it was at any particular point in history) of Iran was never officially called “Iran” by … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: Iran becomes “Iran” (1935)
Today in Iranian history: the Shahnameh is completed (1010)
Obviously there are a lot of important works of literature that have been created over the years and across the many cultures of the world, so if I were to describe Abu'l-Qasim Ferdowsi's Shahnameh as simply a great work of literature I would be doing it something of an injustice. It is a great work … Continue reading Today in Iranian history: the Shahnameh is completed (1010)
Today in North African history: the Battle of Kasserine Pass ends (1943)
The Battle of Kasserine Pass, on February 19-25, 1943, was the second part of the Battle of Sidi Bouzid earlier that month. Or more to the point, Sidi Bouzid—along with a smaller battle between German and Allied forces at Tunisia’s Faïd Pass in late January—served as the opening act of this much larger engagement. Both Sidi Bouzid … Continue reading Today in North African history: the Battle of Kasserine Pass ends (1943)
Today in South Asian history: the Battle of Karnal (1739)
Nader Shah (d. 1747) is often considered the last of the great (in the sense of “impressive,” not “good”) Central Asian conquerors, after Genghis Khan and Timur (Tamerlane), and (depending on who’s making the list) assorted other figures like the first Mughal Emperor Babur. He’s also the man who kept Iran more or less intact … Continue reading Today in South Asian history: the Battle of Karnal (1739)
Today in Middle Eastern history: the 1966 Syrian coup
Syria’s road from French colony (er, I mean “mandate”) to the mess it is today was littered with coups d’état: three in 1949, one each in 1951, 1954, 1961, 1963, and 1966, and finally the 1970 Corrective Movement that brought Hafez al-Assad to power. I’m probably missing a couple somewhere along the way. Through it all, … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the 1966 Syrian coup
Today in Middle Eastern history: the 1921 Iranian coup
The fall of imperial Russia in the aftermath of the 1917 Russian Revolution should have been good news for Iran’s Qajar dynasty, which had fought three wars with Russia and lost much of its Caucasian territory in the process. But instead of eliminating a serious rival, the events of 1917 upset the delicate balance of … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the 1921 Iranian coup
Today in Mexican history: the shortest presidency ever (1913)
Hey, I've moved! If you enjoy this post you can find more of my writing at Foreign Exchanges, a Substack newsletter covering a variety of topics in history and foreign affairs. Check it out today and become a subscriber! I have to start this post with a caveat, which is that that Mexican history is … Continue reading Today in Mexican history: the shortest presidency ever (1913)
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Sixth Crusade ends (1229)
If it’s fair to say that the Fourth Crusade’s sacking of Constantinople discredited the whole enterprise, and in my opinion it is, the Sixth Crusade wrung the last vestiges of seriousness out of the movement. Ironically, of the numbered Crusades it was one of the more successful—certainly more successful than the disastrous Second, Fifth, Seventh, … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Sixth Crusade ends (1229)
Today in North African history: the burning of the USS Philadelphia (1804)
Stephen Decatur (d. 1820) is one of the US Navy’s first famous heroes, alongside Revolutionary War captain John Paul Jones, and among the earliest American war heroes in general. Technically we should call him Stephen Decatur Junior, so as not to confuse him with his father, who was also an important early American naval officer. But … Continue reading Today in North African history: the burning of the USS Philadelphia (1804)
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