The “People’s Crusade” actually preceded the First Crusade, so you could argue that it was sort of a test case for the concept. In hindsight, certainly, European leaders should have treated it as such and scrapped the Crusading enterprise before it really got started. This is just a placeholder. If you’d like to read the … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the “People’s Crusade” ends (1096)
Tag: history
Today in European history: the Second Battle of Kosovo ends (1448)
When you mention the names of some famous battles, everybody knows which engagement you're talking about. There's only one “Battle of Actium,” for example, and the 1815 “Battle of Waterloo” is unlikely to be confused with any other “Battle of Waterloo” that may have taken place. That’s not always the case, though. If you want … Continue reading Today in European history: the Second Battle of Kosovo ends (1448)
Today in Middle Eastern history: Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim destroys the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (1009)
It would be easy to read the title of this post and think, “See? Muslims persecuting Christians; it’s been going on for over a thousand years!” But that would be unfortunate, because it wasn’t “Muslims” who ordered the destruction of the church that (allegedly) stands on the site of Jesus’s crucifixion and burial. It was, … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim destroys the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (1009)
Today in European history: the Siege of Vienna ends (1529)
The city of Vienna has kind of an odd but prominent place in Ottoman history. It was never part of the empire, but two Ottoman attempts to conquer it bookend the period of the empire’s greatest territorial reach and military power. The second of those attempts, the 1683 Battle of Vienna, serves as the empire’s high water … Continue reading Today in European history: the Siege of Vienna ends (1529)
Today in European history: the Knights Templar order is purged (1307)
The Knights Templar are the more famous of the two major Christian military orders that were founded during the Crusades. We talked about the other, the Knights Hospitaller, when we looked at the failed Ottoman siege of Malta in 1565. Ironically, while the Templars get more press it’s the Hospitallers who have survived to the present … Continue reading Today in European history: the Knights Templar order is purged (1307)
Today in European history: the Battle of Lepanto (1571)
The Battle of Lepanto is the mother lode of historical turning points. It broke the Ottoman Empire’s domination of the eastern Mediterranean and marked a turning of the tide in the long-simmering conflict between the European powers (particularly the Habsburgs) and the Ottomans. It gave European Christians the confidence that they could stand up to … Continue reading Today in European history: the Battle of Lepanto (1571)
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Yom Kippur War begins (1973)
On October 6, 1973, Egyptian forces crossed the Suez Canal in a surprise attack against Israeli positions in the Sinai Peninsula (which was then under Israeli occupation), while Syrian forces attacked Israeli positions in the Golan Heights (which is still under Israeli occupation). Thus began the Yom Kippur War, or the 1973 War if you … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Yom Kippur War begins (1973)
Today in Middle Eastern history: Heraclius becomes Byzantine emperor (610)
Islamic historians didn't get into the habit of discussing Roman or Byzantine emperors at any length, with the exception of Byzantine Emperor Heraclius (d. 641). And that makes sense, because Heraclius is actually a pretty important figure in early Islamic history. Without Heraclius, the world in which Muhammad began preaching might have looked considerably different … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: Heraclius becomes Byzantine emperor (610)
Today in Middle Eastern history: Saladin takes Jerusalem (1187)
There are plenty of things wrong with Ridley Scott’s 2005 Crusades epic Kingdom of Heaven. It completely rewrites the history of the court at Jerusalem, for one thing. In Scott’s story, Princess (later queen) Sybilla (d. 1190) is trapped in an unhappy marriage to malicious idiot (and later king) Guy of Lusignon (d. 1194), leading her … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: Saladin takes Jerusalem (1187)
Today in Mediterranean history: the Battle of Preveza (1538)
There are a couple of anniversaries we could commemorate today. For example, if you’re a fan of lost causes, on this date in 1995 Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat signed the Oslo II accord, which was supposed to provide for Palestinian autonomy leading to future (HA!) talks on an independent Palestinian state. Five years later … Continue reading Today in Mediterranean history: the Battle of Preveza (1538)
The Foreign Exchanges Companion 