Prior to September 1970, tensions between the Hashemite monarchy of Jordan and the country's majority Palestinian population had been on rise for many years. Palestinians had poured into Jordan after the formation of Israel in 1948, which created a lot of Palestinian refugees, and the ensuing Arab-Israeli War resulted in Jordan annexing the West Bank. … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: Jordan’s Black September begins (1970)
Category: history
Today in European history: the Battle of Vienna (1683)
So yesterday, when we talked about the Great Siege of Malta, I mentioned toward the end that the Ottomans, despite losing that siege, would remain one of the great military powers in the Mediterranean region for another century or more. Well, by 1683 it had been a century or more, and that year’s Battle of Vienna … Continue reading Today in European history: the Battle of Vienna (1683)
Today in European history: the Great Siege of Malta ends (1565)
The two most famous military orders to emerge from the Crusades were the Knights Templar, which was named for its first headquarters on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, and the Knights Hospitaller, which ran a hospital in Crusader Jerusalem before it diversified into the fighting business. The Templars are easily the more famous of the … Continue reading Today in European history: the Great Siege of Malta ends (1565)
Today in European history: the Albanian Revolt of 1912 ends
Albania finally declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire on November 28, 1912, during the First Balkan War. But the outcome of the ~8 month long 1912 Albanian Revolt, which ended on September 4, 1912, with the Ottomans acceding to almost all of the the rebels’ demands, was the immediate cause of that subsequent war … Continue reading Today in European history: the Albanian Revolt of 1912 ends
Today in Middle Eastern History: the Battle of Ayn Jalut (1260)
In 1260, the Mongols were near the height of their power and reach, particularly in the Middle East. In less than 10 years, Mongol armies had stormed through Iran and Iraq, crushing the notorious “Assassins” sect and ending the Abbasid Caliphate in the process. They’d even invaded northern India several times but for multiple reasons—including that … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern History: the Battle of Ayn Jalut (1260)
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Treaty of Jaffa ends the Third Crusade (1192)
So, the Third Crusade. While the First Crusade was undoubtedly the most successful of the numbered Crusades, this is the one I assume most of us envision when we hear the word “Crusades.” After all, it produced probably the two most enduringly famous Crusader figures in history—Richard the Lionheart and Saladin, whose rivalry became legendary … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Treaty of Jaffa ends the Third Crusade (1192)
Today in North African history: the 1969 Libyan coup
The Arab world experienced quite a number of coups in the 1950s and 1960s. Syria went through three coups in 1949 alone—yes, OK, that isn’t the 1950s, but it’s close enough—and another in 1951. Egypt had a major one in 1952—perhaps you’ve heard about that one. Then Syria had another in 1954, Iraq had one … Continue reading Today in North African history: the 1969 Libyan coup
Today in European history: the Battle of Mohács (1526)
Today’s anniversary commemorates the first of two battles fought near the Hungarian town of Mohács a little over a century and a half apart, and so we should be careful not to confuse today’s engagement with the 1687 Battle of Mohács. While both of these battles involved the Ottoman Empire, the circumstances surrounding them could not … Continue reading Today in European history: the Battle of Mohács (1526)
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Manzikert (1071)
For some reason the end of August/beginning of September is a busy season for major battles in Middle Eastern history, like Yarmouk, Chaldiran, and Marj Dabiq. There’s another one coming in a couple of days and another a few days after that, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. You could argue that of all of these major battles, … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Manzikert (1071)
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Marj Dabiq (1516)
Once the Ottomans decisively eliminated any possible threat from the Safavids at the Battle of Chaldiran in 1514, they turned their attention to the Mamluks, who controlled Syria and Egypt. Not coincidentally, the Mamluks were at the same time preparing for a war with the Ottomans. The two empires were direct competitors when it came … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Marj Dabiq (1516)
The Foreign Exchanges Companion 