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Muhammad died in 632. His death confused many of his followers and plunged them into grief. His death also caused a rift to form between two parties of the religion, the Shiites and the Sunni.
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The Sunni and the Shiites argued over who should lead the Islamic faith once Muhammad died. The Shiites believed that the only true successors to Muhammad were his son in law, Ali, and his daughter, Fatima. Ali became the fourth caliph. ALthough he was assassinated in 661 in a struggle for leadership.
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Under the first four caliphs, Arab armies fought and took control of land. They conquered areas such as the Byzantine empire, Syria, and Palestine. In 711, the armies crossed over the Strait of Gibraltar into Spain.
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The Battle of Poitiers, also called the Battle of Tours, is when the Islamic army marched north into France. There, they were defeated by the French armies and the Muslim advance into Western Europe was halted. This battle took place close to the French city of Tours, which is where the historical fight gets its name.
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The last Umayyad, Marwān II (reigned 744–750), was defeated at the Battle of the Great Zāb River, The Abbasids take over rule from the Umayyads, shifting the seat of power to Baghdad
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In 850, Abbassid’s control over its empire decreased. Independent dynasties ruled separate Muslim states. As the caliph’s power faded, civil wars began, and the Shiite rulers conquered some of the parts of the empire.
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In the 900s, the Seljuk Turks roamed into the Middle East where they adopted Islam and built large empires.
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In 1055, a Seljuk sultan controlled Baghdad and left the Abbassid caliph.
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Reports of Seljuk interference with Christian pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem led Pope Urban II to call for the First Crusade.
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The city of Jerusalem was passed back and forth between Muslims and Christians for 150 years.
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The Muslim general Salah al-Din, or Saladin, ousted Christians from Jerusalem
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Genghiz Khan led the Mongols out of Central Asia across Persia and Mesopotamia. The Mongol armies kept returning again and again.
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Hulagu, grandson of Genghiz, burned and looted Baghdad, killing the last Abbassid caliph. The Mongols later adopted Islam.
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Another Mongol leader, Timur the Lame, or Tamerlane, led his armies into the Middle East. Tamerlane was Muslim, and his determination led him to conquer Muslim & non-Muslim lands. His triumphant armies overran Persia & Mesopotamia before invading Russia & India.
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Christian forces fought to reconquer Spain for centuries after the battle of Tours. In 1492, the Christian forces finally seized the last Muslim stronghold.
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The Ottoman Empire includes South-East Europe, the Middle East and North Africa
