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In 632, Muhammad passed away. Muhammad was a powerful leader, and the only man who was able to unify the Bedouin tribes. People worried that without him, the faith would die out, and his legacy would not continue. His 1st caliph was Abu Bakr, who was heavily criticized.
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Ali, the son-in-law of Muhammad, was assassinated, putting a strain on the religion and giving birth to the Umayyad Dynasty. There were now two groups of Muslims, known as the Sunnis and the Shiites. (90% of Muslims today are Sunnis) Shiites are more strict with the Koran, and the Sunnis believe the Koran is a guide.
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In 711, the Muslims crossed the Strait of Gibraltar into Spain, and proceeded to move North into France.
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The Muslim's advance into Western Europe was stopped due to their defeat in the battle of Tours.
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Abu al-Abbas, leading the Abbasids, takes over the Umayyads.
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Abbasid control over the Arabian Empire began to break down, while independant dynasties ruled other Muslim states.
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The Seljuk Turks adopted Islam after migrating to the Middle East from Central Asia, and they built a large empire across the Fertile Crescent
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A Seljuk sultan had control over Baghdad, but he left the Abbasid caliph "in charge" so there wouldn't be any problems and people wouldn't criticize him.
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Pope Urban II called for the Fist Crusade. The crusade was a group of Christians who attempted to capture and take control of Jerusalem.
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After a long and arduous siege, the Crusaders finally took control of Jerusalem. For the next 150 years, control of Jerusalem went back and forth between Christians and Muslims.
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The Muslim general Saladin forced Christians out of Jerusalem, giving Muslims sole control over Jerusalem.
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Genghiz Khan led the Mongols out of Central Asia and across Persia and Mesopotamia and took over a ton of land in Asia.
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Genghiz's grandson, Hulagu, burned down Baghdad, killing the last surviving Abbasid caliph.
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Tamerlane, a mongol leader, led his armies toward the Middle East, capturing Persia and Mesopotamia, and eventually invading Russia and India.
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Christian forces had been fighting hard for a long time trying to take back control of Spain. They finally captured Spain, and forced the Muslims out.
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Selim became the first Ottoman caliph, which doubled the size of the Ottoman Empire
