Medieval Warfare Vol V.4 - Islamic Empire in Iberia

Medieval Warfare Vol V.4 - Islamic Empire in Iberia

Medieval warfare vol. 4 - Islamic empire in Iberia

The Caliphate of Cordoba

Subject: Galen Ford, Historical Introduction - The Caliphate of Cordoba
< br>After the dust settled on the blood-soaked fields of tours, the arab commanders led their forces back across the pyrenees, perhaps content to remain the undisputed rulers of their newly conquered territories on the iberian peninsula. peninsula. an era of unique cultural infusion along with constant conflict for dominance developed in the kingdom of al-andalus. although tolerant and independent, al-andalus was far from harmonious and the umayyad provincial establishment was merely the beginning of struggles for political legitimacy, battles for military supremacy and a tide of glory that would ultimately peak in the victorious campaigns of a powerful general.

Source: Murray Dahm, The Poets of the Court of Adb-al Rahman - The Best Men

The importance of poets and poetry to medieval military history cannot be overestimated. Although we often rely on other forms of writing and evidence, it is the poetry that was composed at the time and afterwards that can, with careful examination of the complexities of the various contexts, provide us with a very real picture of what the historical history was like for the important figures or cultures considered.

Topic: Mabel Villagra and Sidney Dean, the man who would be emir - Umar Ibn Hafsun

Early Arab Iberia was far from monolithic. Discontented lords and interest groups regularly emerged to challenge the central government in Córdoba. One of the most powerful rivals was 'Umar ibn Hafsun, who rose from bandit leader to overlord of a major insurgency, extending his control over much of southern Spain by the late 9th century.

Topic: nicola bergamo, the rise of al-mansur bi-llah - the battle of torrevicente

The Battle of Torrevicente (981) was the final episode of a long fratricidal war. An army led by Abi 'Amir (938-1002) defeated rebel forces commanded by Galib ibn Abd al-Rahman (died 981). Following his victory, Abi 'Amir became al-Mansur bi-llah (more commonly known as 'Almanzor'), victorious by God, and as a direct consequence of his military success, the undisputed leader of al-Andalus.

Topic: Carlos Dominguez, Almanzor against the Christian kingdoms - leader of the jihad

With Galib's defeat at Torrevicente, Abi Amir Muhammad ibn Abdullah, now known as Almanzor (al-Mansur, the Victor) was the only strong man left in Cordoba. He quickly undertook a series of campaigns against the Christian kingdoms of the north, unprecedented in scope and degree of devastation.

Subject: Erich B. Anderson, Desert Nomads Come to Europe - The Rise of the Berber Mercenaries

Despite the numerous conflicts that arose between the different ethnic groups that fought in the armies of al-Andalusia,
The Umayyad rulers managed to remain in power for nearly three centuries until the end of the Caliphate of Córdoba in 1031. At first, the ferocity of the numerous Berber warriors combined with the elite Arab soldiers of the former Umayyad Caliphate created a lethal force unmatched in Western Europe. The later shift to a more organized, professional army, composed primarily of mercenaries and slave soldiers from North Africa, was equally deadly, but the decline in native participation in the military had disastrous consequences.

The Castle: Dr. Konstantin Nossov, strongholds of a militant sect in Syria - castles of assassins

The Nizari Ismaili sect, known today as the Assassins, emerged in Iran among Ismaili militants in the 11th century, when Syria was torn apart by fighting between the Fatimids, the Seljuk Turks, and the Byzantines. Taking advantage of the situation, the Assassins quickly extended their influence over Syria, acquiring several castles there, and in the 12th and 13th centuries kept the entire region in fear, playing complicated political games with the Crusaders, the Seljuks, the Fatimids, the Ayyubids, and the Mamluk sultans. A network of castles built by the Assassins in Iran and Syria enabled them to
Remain independent and maintain control over the territories for the next two centuries.

Special: Philippo Donvito, the Euboean War of Succession - Athens vs Sparta

The Fourth Crusade is often recounted as a unique, almost extraordinary episode in the history of the Crusades. And yet, after the sack of Constantinople, the Franks invaded Greece and gave rise to several principalities, as had happened a century earlier in Syria and Palestine. In an irony of fate, the most notable of these newborn Crusader states were the Frankish lordships of Athens and Sparta.

The Weapon: Scott Farrell, Bizarre 15th Century Sword Designs - Mysterious Swords

From the chivalric culture of 15th-century Germany and Italy emerges an intriguing collection of manuscripts documenting the equipment and techniques employed in hand-to-hand combat. Within the pages of these books we find images of swords very different from those typically wielded by a medieval knight. Were these strange weapons intended as prototypes for special combat swords, or simply conceptual curiosities dreamed up by the masters who made their living teaching the art of defense to duelists, knights, and princes in the late Middle Ages?

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