Chauliodus said:
Muslim Empire?
Plz be correct and call it the Ottoman Empire.
Perhaps he was refering to the Arab Empire:
Arabs 632 - 16th century C.E.
It is known that Semitic-speaking peoples inhabited the Arabian peninsula as early as 3500 B.C.E. For thousands of years, several kingdoms ruled in Arabia, primarily in the higher, watered areas of southwest Arabia. During this period trade flourished, a system of writing was developed, and both Judaism and Christianity were introduced into the region.
The most significant event in the history of Arabia was the rise of Islam. The founder of this religion was Muhammad, who was born in Mecca about 570 C.E. and died in Medina in 632 C.E. The followers of Muhammad called themselves Muslims, meaning "those who have given themselves to the will of God." Mecca became the spiritual center of Islam, and Medina became the political center of a united Muslim state. Under the caliphs (the successors to Muhammad) Arab armies first conquered Syria, Egypt, and Persia, and finally swept over the whole of northern Africa and into the Iberian peninsula. Eventually the caliphate was moved to Damascus in 658 and finally to Baghdad in 751.
Apart from their military skills, the Arabs had a great respect for art and learning. The Baghdad University, established around 800 C.E., was known throughout Europe and the East, and was particularly famous for architecture, astronomy, medicine, and mathematics. The system of numbers we use today was brought to Europe by the Arabs.
The vast lands that the Arabs conquered did not remain part of a single empire for long. Rival caliphates were set up in Egypt and Spain, and in the thirteenth century the Baghdad caliphate was overthrown by the Mongols. In the eleventh century Christian countries in Europe began a series of invasions known as the Crusades. Although these Christian armies were eventually defeated and expelled, the Crusades did have the positive effect of increasing trade between Europe and the Arabs.
In the fifteenth century a new power arose in the area, the Ottoman Turks. Within a hundred years nearly all of the Arabic people had become subjects of the Ottoman Empire.
References:
1. Microsoft Encarta 1996 Encyclopedia, Microsoft.
2. Time-Frame AD 600-800, The March of Islam, Time-Life Books, 1988.
3. Hourani, Albert, A History of the Arab Peoples, Harvard University Press, 1991.
Suggested Reading:
1. Armstrong, Karen, Muhammad - A Biography of the Prophet, Harper Collins, 1992.
and not the Ottoman Turks:
Ottoman Turks 13th - 20th Century C.E.
The Ottoman Turks, also known as the Osmanlis, started as a small Anatolian Amirate which was founded in the late 13th century by Osman, leader of a minor group of Turks from Central Asia. The Osmanlis fled the Mongol hordes, leaving Turkestan and heading to Asia Minor. When they fought the Christians of the Byzantine Empire in about 1300 C.E., they began to attract support from other Muslim groups. They extended their control to include all of Asia Minor and part of the Balkans. They demanded an annual tribute of Christian children from their European subjects. The children were trained to become one of the most powerful armies in Europe - the janissaries. The Turks also discovered the use of firearms and artillery. The Empire grew rapidly, despite severe losses to Tamerlane. When the Sultan Mohammed II became ruler in 1451, he sat on the throne of a powerful empire extending to east and west of the city of Constantinople. He led his people as they extinguished the remnants of the Byzantine state (as well as the last vestiges of the Roman Empire) - claiming the Byzantine city of Constantinople as their own, and renaming it Istanbul in 1453. During the 16th century, the Ottoman empire extended as far as Egypt, Syria, the Balkans and Hungary. They even attacked Vienna unsuccessfully in both 1529 and 1683.
One of the greatest of the Ottoman leaders was Suleiman, who was only 26 when he gained the throne. Known as Suleiman the Magnificent and Suleiman the Just, he reigned for 46 years. Suleiman was aided by his favorite wife, Roxelana, who acted as one of the sultan's advisors. After Suleiman's death, the Empire began a long, slow decline - they lost Hungary to Austria during the Great Turkish War, and later fought Russia. During the early 19th century, Greece and Egypt broke away from the Empire. Finally, treaties following World War I dissolved the Empire entirely.
References:
1. Monarchs Rulers Dynasties and Kingdoms of the World, compiled by R.F. Tapsell, 1983, Thames and Hudson Ltd., London.
2. Microsoft Encarta 96, Microsoft Corporation, 1996.
3. TimeFrame AD 1300-1400, The Age Of Calamity, Time-Life Books, 1989.
