Podcasts about seljuk

Writing to his brother from prison in 1949, a young African American man opens his letter citing these lines from a medieval Persian poet: Indeed the Idols I have loved so long,  Have done my credit in this World much Wrong: Have dropped my Glory in a shallow Cup, And sold my Reputation for a song The writer would later achieve acclaim as the civil rights activist Malcolm X, and the lines he was citing were by Omar Khayyam, the subject of today's episode. Q1. Omar Khayyam was born in 1048CE in Nishapur, Iran. The Abbasid caliph in Baghdad was al-Qāʾim which was witnessing a so-called Sunni Revival with the ousting of the Caspian Zaydi Shia Buyid de facto control of the caliphate by the Turkic Sunni Seljuks in 1055CE. The Cold War with the rival Ismaili ShiaFatimid caliphate of Cairo was still at its height. Tell us more about the world of Omar Khayyam. Q2. He had an exemplary education becoming an authority in mathematics. He was employed as a head astronomer by the Seljuk regime and after the death of Sultan Malik-Shah, Omar Khayyam made hajj seemingly to allay suspicions about his own religious alignment. What else do we know about his life? Q3. Omar Khayyam is known in English through the popular Victorian translation by Edward Fitzgerald. But is it misleading to limit our knowledge of him to these series of translated quatrains. Q4. Omar Khayyam dies in 1131 aged 83 in his hometown. What has been his legacy, influence and genealogy? Q5. And finally before we end, please share with us a sample of Omar Khayyam's work in the original Persian with the translation. Further reading: The Wine of Wisdom: The Life, Poetry and Philosophy of Omar Khayyam — Mehdi Aminrazavi (original translations with an appendix dedicated to the Fitzgerald translations) Ali Hammoud: https://x.com/AliHammoud7777 https://alihammoud7.substack.com/  We are sponsored by IHRC bookshop. Listeners get a 15% discount on all purchases. Visit IHRC bookshop at shop.ihrc.org and use discount code AHP15 at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Contact IHRC bookshop for details. 

The poorly equipped forces of the People's Crusade, who lacked cohesive leadership, were quickly overwhelmed by the experienced Seljuk cavalry with the battle turning into a massacre where tens of thousands of crusaders were ...

A selection of excerpts from the texts Tamhidát and Laváyeh by Ayn-al-Qużāt Hamadānī . Translated by Ali Yansori - with thanks to Ali for gifting this beautiful translation. Ayn-al-Qużāt Hamadānī (1098–1131) (Persian: عین‌ القضات همدانی), was a Persian jurisconsult, mystic, philosopher, poet and mathematician who was executed by the Seljuk rulers at the age of 33 on charges of heresy. He is one of the many overlooked figures of the pre-modern Islamic tradition. Born in Hamadhan in Seljuk Iran to a family of prominent Shāfi'ī scholars, by the age of 20 he had mastered Arabic, Persian, jurisprudence, ḥadīth, Qur'ān, poetry, kalām (dialectical theology), philosophy and various strands of mystical thought. A student of Aḥmad al-Ghazālī he became an eminent scholar and mystic in his own right, composing various works in both Persian and Arabic, the most important of which were Tamhīdāt and the Zubdat al-Haqāʾiq fī Kashf al-Khalāʾiq. Much of his mystical philosophy was focused on the concept of divine love. Music - from the album 'The Great Intimacy' by Sujatha Maheshwari With thanks to Sujatha for sharing this sublime music for this channel. You can find links to her album on all major platforms here: https://www.sujathamaheshwari.com/music Art/image: "Source" by Mevlana Canan Berber   / canan-berber  

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a conversation with Michael Cook about the history of the Muslim world. They discuss Islamic civilization from origins to modernity, early antecedents before Islam, genesis of Islam, and the Prophet Muhammad and his creation of a monotheistic religion and state. They discuss succession after the death of Muhammad and the caliphate, the Umayyid dynasty, the Abbasid dynasty, and how important Islam and the Arabic language were for an Islamic civilization. They talk about the origin of the Turks, Bilga Qaghan, Turks being pagan and interacting with Islam, and the three ways the Turks spread out of the Steppe. They discuss the Mongols and their relationship with Islam, the Seljuk dynasty, the Safawid dynasty and the impact of Shiism. They also talk about the Ottoman Empire and their administration and integration of other cultures. They discuss the spread of Islam into India by conquest and merchants, Islam in Southeast Asia and around the Indian Ocean, Sahara and central Africa, and conflict between Christians and Muslims in Ethiopia. They also discuss Arab identity, Islam's spread through conquest, Islam juxtaposed with other religions and cultures, Islam in the modern period, future of Islam, and many other topics. Michael Cook is the Class of 1943 University Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University. He was educated at Cambridge studying English and European history and learned Turkish and Persian. He was also educated at the School of Oriental and African Studies in the University of London, emphasizing research into Ottoman population history in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. He spent many years teaching and researching Islamic history at the School of Oriental and African Studies. He is the author of numerous books, including the most recent book, A History of the Muslim World: From its Origins to the Dawn of Modernity. Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode we'll explore the rise of the Seljuk Turks and the crises within the Byzantine Empire leading up to the pivotal Battle of Manzikert in 1071. We delve into the transformation of the Seljuk Turks from a steppe horde into a powerful empire under the leadership of Alp Arslan. His strategic brilliance and conquests have cemented his status as an Islamic hero today. As the Seljuk Empire expands its influence, their ambitions bring them into direct conflict with the Byzantine Empire, setting the stage for a major clash of civilizations. We trace the escalating situation within Byzantium, marked by political instability and military challenges. Amidst this turmoil emerges Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes, a soldier-emperor whose rise to power is fraught with internal strife and external threats. Romanos IV's reign is defined by his efforts to restore the empire's strength and counter the Seljuk advance. Join us as we explore the rise of the Seljuks under Alp Arslan and the Byzantine struggle for survival on the eve of Manzikert, a battle that would alter the course of the Byzantine Empire and the region forever. Help support the show on Patreon! Sources and Attributions on our website. Cost Of Glory Podcast CHAPTERS: 00:00:00-Introduction 00:02:13-Origins of The Seljuks 00:09:58-Tughril I & Chaghri Beg's exodus 00:21:13- Rise of Alp Arslan 00:27:27-Byzantium unravels 00:38:44-Fall of Ani aftermath 00:42:29-Romanos IV takes the throne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest: Juan Cole is a public intellectual, prominent blogger and essayist, and the Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan. He is the translator of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam: A New Translation from the Persian. Omar Khayyam (1048 – 1131) was a Persian astronomer and mathematician born in Nishapur in northeastern Iran who lived and worked at the courts of the Seljuk dynasty. Modern scholars agree that there is very little (if any) of the collected work of poetry know as the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam that can be certainly attributed to the historical figure. A tradition of attribution grew up in the centuries after Khayyam's death which culminated in Edward Fitzgerald's translation in the 19th Century. The post KPFA Special – The History Behind The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam appeared first on KPFA.

Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥarīrī was an Arab poet, scholar and Seljuk government official who died in 1122CE aged 68 years old. His work al-Maqāmāt, a compilation of 50 highly-stylised comic anecdotes about the exploits of trickster Abū Zayd, received widespread renown in his time across the Muslim world and is regarded as a high point of Arabic literature. We are pleased to be joined by Nasim Hassani in Tehran. Ms. Hasani hold a master's degree in Islamic Studies from Shahid Beheshti University,Tehran, Iran, where her dissertation was an Analysis of Mary and Jesus' Birth and Early Life in Quran and Apocrypha: James and Infancy Gospel of Thomas. She has a number of articles and translations in publication.  This is an unusual episode in that  despite attempts at Zoom calls, the internet is currently too unstable in Iran, so instead I have sent audio files of my questions which she has kindly edited together for our presentation. TIMESTAMPS: 02:29 Al-Ḥarīrī was born in Basra 1054CE. He was descended from a companion of the Prophet Muḥammad. His family was wealthy. Before we look at his work, what do we know about the author's life and socio-political context? 14:23 Before we speak about his al-Maqāmāt and this specific illustrated edition, tell us about this genre of Arabic literature. 20:00 Before we dive into this specific illustrated edition, give us an overview of al-Ḥarīrī's al-Maqāmāt. 25:55 Now tell us more about this specific illustrated edition. 31:00 And finally before we end tell us where listeners can turn next to learn more about today's topic and what are other current projects that listeners can anticipate? Edited and produced by Nasim Hassani For more on our guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nasimhassani   SPONSOR:  We are sponsored by IHRC bookshop. Listeners get a 15% discount on all purchases online and in-store.  Visit IHRC bookshop at shop.ihrc.org and use discount code AHP15 at checkout.  Terms and conditions apply. Contact IHRC bookshop for details. IslamicHistory #MedievalHistory #AbbasidHistory #Poetry #ArabicPoetry #Literature #WorldLiterature #Seljuk   https://linktr.ee/abbasidhistorypodcast  

An important update on the thousand pounds of rocks we bought a few weeks ago that have made me feel old as hell. Plus some news about a radio broadcast in support of protests happening in Iran, and a new tape from Mark Trecka on Beacon Sound. Wednesday episodes are exclusively on Patreon. Album of the Day: Seljuk Rustum “Cardboard Castles” https://seljukrustum.bandcamp.com/album/cardboard-castles Additional links for the day: https://soundcloud.com/freecityradio/voices-across-borders https://mtrecka.bandcamp.com/album/loping-gestures Brad Rose is the the principal writer and editor-in-chief of Foxy Digitalis, an online music magazine and has run various DIY record labels for the last 30 years. Wednesday episodes are exclusively on Patreon. foxydigitalis.zone patreon.com/foxydigitalis twitter: @foxydigitalis Instagram: @foxy.digitalis Mastodon: foxydigitalis@mastodonmusic.social

The most disruptive and transformative event in the Middle Ages wasn't the Crusades, the Battle of Agincourt, or even the Black Death. It was the Mongol Conquests. Even after his death, Genghis Khan's Mongol Empire grew to become the largest in history—four times the size of Alexander the Great's and stretching from the Pacific to the Mediterranean. But the extent to which these conquering invasions and subsequent Mongol rule transformed the diverse landscape of the medieval Near East have been understated in our understanding of the modern world.Today's guest is Nicholas Morton, author of “The Mongol Storm: Making and Breaking Empires in the Middle East.” We discuss the overlapping connections of religion, architecture, trade, philosophy and ideas that reformed over a century of Mongol rule. Rather than a Euro- or even Mongol-centric perspective, this history uniquely examines the Mongol invasions from the multiple perspectives of the network of peoples of the Near East and travelers from all directions—including famous figures of this era such as Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, Ibn Khaldun, and Roger Bacon, who observed and reported on the changing region to their respective cultures—and the impacted peoples of empires—Byzantine, Seljuk and then Ottoman Turks, Ayyubid, Armenian, and more—under the violence of conquest.

BETWEEN GREATER KHOROSAN AND THE KHOROSAN PROVINCE The continuity of Greater Khorasan in the social identity of Iranian Sunnis in Khorasan province The Persian-speaking Iranian Sunnis of the Khorasan province feel a deep collective resonance with the historical roots of Greater Khorasan in their social identity. Even today, they continue to praise and illustrate the glorious Islamic past through their narratives. This is in contrast to most Iranian Sunnis with a non-Persian-speaking ethnic identity. Historically Khorasan has long been recognized as the center of Sunni education. This dates back to the Seljuk period and the establishment of Sunni educational institutions such as Nizamiyyeh of Niyshabur. However, the central status of this eastern region of the Islamic world was diminished following the 15th century – in particular, due to the early 16th-century expansion of Shiʿi Islam under the Safavids. Yet the sense or idea of centrality has continued like a thread weaving through the social identity of the Iranian Sunnis in Khorasan and remains reflected in their religious and historical narrations today. This lecture explores this continuity of Greater Khorasan, shows how the historical roots of Khorasan shaped the social identity of Sunnis in the Khorasan province, and investigates transnational identity within the local social identity. BERT FRAGNER MEMORIAL LECTURE 2022 The Bert Fragner Lectures highlight current developments in Iran and establish connections between historical classification and contemporary challenges. Inspired by the life's work of the eminent Austrian Iranist Professor Bert Fragner (1941-2021), they offer a forum for exchange with established and – in the spirit of Bert Fragner's tireless promotion of young scholars – younger researchers.

Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 545, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: "Oil" 1: Petroleum as it comes to the surface is called this; that's why it has to be refined. Crude oil. 2: This Procter and Gamble product has nearly a third of the U.S. facial moisturizer market. Oil of Olay. 3: A long waterproof garment for sailors in sou'westers. Oilskin. 4: "Beds Are Burning" was a 1988 hit from this rock band led by Peter Garrett. Midnight Oil. 5: Familiar phrase meaning to calm a tense situation. "Pouring oil on troubled waters". Round 2. Category: Why Didn't I Think Of That? 1: This invention began in 1951 as a bottle of white tempera waterbase paint and a small brush. Wite-Out (or Liquid Paper). 2: In 1888 Nikola Tesla came up with the first practical system for generating and transmitting this type of current. A.C.. 3: Hiram Percy Maxim invented the muffler for a car and this for a gun. a silencer. 4: Andrew Beard invented an improvement for the device that coupled 2 of these when they bumped together. train cars. 5: Garrett Morgan's "safety hood" was one of these used by World War I soldiers. a gas mask. Round 3. Category: Origin Of The Specious 1: Forwarding an e-mail supposedly sent by this Microsoft chairman got you $1,000 and a free copy of Windows. Gates. 2: Altar-bound Jennifer Wilbanks' 2005 kidnapping proved to be less than true, so she was given this 2-word nickname. the "Runaway Bride". 3: This Caribbean leader's reported baseball tryouts for the Major Leagues in the '40s never happened. Castro. 4: Oprah Winfrey said that she was "deeply sorry" over the scandal that this man's "A Million Little Pieces" had caused. (James) Frey. 5: Words from Marianne Williamson's "A Return to Love" have been attributed to this African leader. (Nelson) Mandela. Round 4. Category: Tough Facts 1: Throughout the Middle Ages, it was the principal, if not the only table utensil. Knife. 2: Former county of England known for a pudding and a terrier. Yorkshire. 3: Spanky was part of "Our Gang" and Jiang Qing, Mao's widow, was part of this gang. The Gang of Four. 4: Opposed to the Stamp Act, the Sons of Liberty formed committees of this to spread the word. Committees of Correspondence. 5: From Arabic for "authority", it's the title used by monarchs of the Seljuk and Ottoman Empires. Sultan. Round 5. Category: Let's "Split" 1: A house with floors that differ by about half a story. split-level. 2: These singing and dancing animals hosted their own Saturday morning "Adventure Hour" from 1968 to 1970. the Banana Splits. 3: On May 25, 2000 Sony investors suddenly had twice as many shares thanks to one of these actions. stock split. 4: It could be slang for a town where divorced people live. splitsville. 5: In football, you'll find them outside the offensive tackles or when the quarterback has a bad hair day. split ends. Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia! Special thanks to https://blog.feedspot.com/trivia_podcasts/

Your weekly source for locksport news and sometimes interviews.Full show notes, including all links, and the audio-only podcast can be found athttps://www.thelocksportscast.com/84In this week's episode:00:00 - Start00:09 - In this episode01:11 - Announcements01:44 - What Is Social Engineering03:24 - Seljuk combination lock box05:59 - Torch and snap attack08:54 - OzSecCon sites down?09:28 - 2nd pick of Fichet 787 interior10:19 - Keypicking migration10:52 - Cheap safe attacks methods11:27 - What happened to the Ilco Key Blank Book12:01 - Lock made from stainless bolt12:55 - Self changing lock setup13:39 - Primus RP and XP differences14:37 - Quick safe manipulation tip15:30 - Lockpicking on steam16:01 - Padlocked Presents17:33 - LPU belts19:19 - Speedlocks records19:35 - Producer credit break22:54 - Speed record to 100 subs, a locksport story29:23 - Padlocked Buttons in an elevator31:31 - Chocolate Heist32:49 - Other criminals34:52 - Sales35:43 - GiveawaysContact Informationhttp://contact.thelocksportscast.com/Join the Discord at http://discord.thelocksportscast.comDonate at:http://paypal.thelocksportscast.comhttps://patreon.com/thelocksportscastSales:https://www.thelocksportscast.com/news https://bareboneslockpicking.com/ https://www.hooligankeys.com/ 15% off, code MAKE2022BETTERhttps://masterlocks.com/collections/surplus-sale 50% offwww.mattslockpit.com picks discounted on sitehttps://www.3dlocksport.com/ 10% off. CODE: LSCAST10https://makolocks.com/ 15% off with code BUYMAKO Unknown exphttps://uklockpickers.co.uk/ 10% off with code GIFTGiveaways and Contests:Panda-Frog: #SpeedAbushttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIBCLO9ziFQ Locksport Viking: 100 Sub Giveaway! #LocksportViking100https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmTBa2b6wPw MrBlack-Magic: #lockmagic500https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7KUFFTLOr0 Michael Gilchrist: #Norlin800 subscriber giveaway!!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh4RKm9rj8A CLK Supplieshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RowW12owkTk Credits:Executive Producers: Founding Executive Producers:Panda-Frog https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmIqJOrfQr8NTEDrOU2lF3QMichael Gilchrist https://www.youtube.com/user/norlin76Starrylock https://www.youtube.com/c/Starrylock_LocksportWilliamsBrain https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRGmm9FQqF6HMu9-wq9ODSQDave 2BDCy4D https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0X0TTCPK5kBRY3yDu40EKgLiibans Locksport Journey https://www.youtube.com/user/CODNuubster Pat from Uncensored Tactical https://uncensoredtactical.com/threeraccoonsinacoat https://youtube.com/channel/UCMjGnC1m9XlN_X8OHVwxphQChirael https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwPTxD1-2PPgmi6ATOJKlUw Associate Executive Producers:Patty--cakesDoctorHogmasterClayton Howard (Kewltune)Co-Producers:m0gJon Lock...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJjFofgJyog

1037 – 1194 - From humble beginnings in the lands of the Oghuz Turks, Seljuk traveled east to become Islamised and start a movement which would conquer the lands of the Middle East and directly permanently influence the politics of Eurasia and religion.

The Seljuks conquered vast swaths of land throughout Anatolia, Persia, and Central Asia, but they are best known for their educational and architectural prowess! The Seljuks created their own currency, the dirhem, which is the ancestor for many of the modern MENA/SWANA countries' currencies, and were a major stop on the "Tin Road," a metalworking trade route across Asia. Thank you to Ana Campusano for writing about this fascinating empire. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

The Seljuk Empire was a Turkic state that served an important role in the history of the development of the eastern Mediterranean. Professor of Religion, Dr. Suleiman Mourad, Smith College, joins the show to explain the Seljuk's previous hegemony in the Mediterranean Basin.

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Katrina Kelly a dear friend of mine and collector of experiences. All jewelry tells a story– and Katrina Kelly's designs tell the story of a journey of fun, love, light, lore, wisdom, and magic. Katrina Kelly is known for her Fine Jewelry Wands– called Wisdom Wands®. These gold charms are designed to help light up your world and remind you to always welcome magic & wisdom into your life! Share & Wear Wisdom® all wands come with a quote of wisdom shared by the designer Katrina Kelly. Captivated by fine jewelry's intrinsic, mystical, and symbolic attributes, Katrina creates a classic jewelry style that fuses these ideas and combines fine intricate mastery. The jewelry has an ancient, heirloom and cultural feel, enlivened with a flare of modern whimsy. Katrina Kelly studied jewelry design at Le Arti Orafe in Florence, Italy– and worked at Urart, a Turkish jewellery company that reinterprets the region's rich past with a modern perspective by appropriating styles from the Ottoman, Byzantine, Seljuk, ancient Sumerian, and Phrygian cultures. She studied Iconography for her Masters in Art History, won Archeological travel and Art History fellowships for her research, and is an Adjunct Professor of Art History and Humanities. She takes cues and inspiration from all these experiences and translates her findings into enchanting golden treasures inspired by ancient wisdom and the magic of wand iconography– and her belief in always seeking and sharing wisdom. And, of course, her love for all things that sparkle and shine. Her jewelry collection uses responsibly sourced precious gemstones. The gemstones Katrina chooses represent the beauty of the earth that have been tested by time, pressure, and fire. The gold they are bound in symbolizes the light of the heavens and the cosmos. “Wisdom is knowing how magical you are– and being brave enough to let it light up the world.” Katrina Kelly Jewelry Katrina Kelly, Fine Jewelry Designer | Adjunct Humanities and Art History Professor Fine Designer Jewelry that speaks to your soul – a multi-themed collection embracing light, lore, wisdom and magic. www.katrinakelly.com Social: Instagram Wisdom Wands® Jewelry that celebrates fun, love, wisdom and magic! Share & Wear Wisdom® Go show off your magic–it's meant to sparkle! You can also follow me @iamshaniakhan and @flpmarketing If you enjoy this podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes. It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to continue bringing you amazing guests!

In a post-Manzikert Anatolia, Suleyman ibn Qutlumush is using the Roman civil wars and his legitimacy as a member of the house of Seljuk to consolidate power and build his own Sultanate of the Romans, the Sultanate of Rûm. As always, maps and sources available at https://historyoftheoutremer.wordpress.com/ (historyoftheoutremer.wordpress.com )and new episodes every other week.

Today that may be surprising given the deep religiosity that has come to characterise President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice & Development Party (AKP). The extent to which Erdogan’s Islamist leanings has filtered into public life has caused many Turks to chafe, but the president has persisted in his imposition of a more religious character onto Turkey. Dr. Gökhan Bacık explained in a recent podcast interview with Ahval News’ Editor-in-Chief Yavuz Baydar that traditionally the state has long used religion to help govern Turkey. However, the relationship was traditionally more asymmetric than it may be today. “What we call Turkish state tradition has been more or less the same since the thirteenth century,” said Bacik, who teaches political science at Palacky University in the Czech Republic and is an expert on Turkish and Middle Eastern politics. Rulers in Turkey during the Seljuk, Ottoman and republican era have all used Islamic groups in different ways as part of their governance. As the host of the caliphate and while controlling Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem, Islam’s three holiest cities, Ottoman rulers relied especially on Islam to cement its legitimacy as the centre of the Muslim world. Once the Ottoman Empire collapsed, the new Turkish republic under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk underwent a process of reducing the power of Islam vis-a-vis the state, but not removing it completely. To this end, the Ministry of Religious Affairs was established in 1924 “to administrate the affairs related to faith and worship of the religion of Islam”. Bacik acknowledges that Islam in Turkish politics was frequently used as an “ideology of justification” and was not always a “dynamic paradigm.” To this end, Turkey’s government would be content to work with religious groups, but only so long as it was the dominant player. “When a group becomes too powerful to challenge the power elite, the state is quick to purge it,” said Bacik. This has been a defining feature in the story of President Erdogan’s rise to power and take-over of the state. For years, Erdogan was a member of numerous Islamist parties that were suppressed by the republican authorities, but once he became prime minister in 2003, Erdogan found a ready ally in the movement of Fethullah Gulen. Together, they took over numerous posts in the government and worked together to defang the military, who saw itself as the protector of state secularism. This partnership began crumbling after the Gezi Park protests and corruption investigations against the AKP in 2013. The drift reached a climax in 2016 after the failed coup attempt against Erdogan that he blamed on Gulen and his followers. Today they are regarded by terrorists by the Turkish state. In some sense, Erdogan is a part of both trends; using religion as an ideology of justification and increasing pressure on it when religious forces opposed to him becomes a force in its own right. “Erdogan has always been a part of this network, but skeptical of these religious orders,” Bacik explained.

narrated by Chris Gratien featuring Joshua White, Zoe Griffith, Sara Nur Yıldız, and Neelam Khoja | The Mongol conquests of the 13th century were an unprecedented event. Not since the Islamic conquests of the 7th and 8th centuries had such a rapid political rise occurred. For a time, Mongol successor states controlled most of Asia. And though many of these dynasties would not last, the lasting consequences of the Mongol Empire would be many. In this episode, we study the consequences of the Mongol period for the Islamic world, focusing both on the immediate destructive impacts that appear in the Islamic sources from the period as well as the lasting transformations introduced by Mongol rule. Whether in terms of political ideology, law, trade, or culture, the Mongol period represented a significant departure for Muslim societies east of Egypt. In addition to highlighting the impacts of the Mongols in former Seljuk domains of Iran and Anatolia, we discuss the rise of the Timurid dynasty in Khorasan and foreshadow its legacy for South Asia. « Click for More »

narrated by Chris Gratien featuring Joshua White, Zoe Griffith, Sara Nur Yıldız, and Neelam Khoja | The Mongol conquests of the 13th century were an unprecedented event. Not since the Islamic conquests of the 7th and 8th centuries had such a rapid political rise occurred. For a time, Mongol successor states controlled most of Asia. And though many of these dynasties would not last, the lasting consequences of the Mongol Empire would be many. In this episode, we study the consequences of the Mongol period for the Islamic world, focusing both on the immediate destructive impacts that appear in the Islamic sources from the period as well as the lasting transformations introduced by Mongol rule. Whether in terms of political ideology, law, trade, or culture, the Mongol period represented a significant departure for Muslim societies east of Egypt. In addition to highlighting the impacts of the Mongols in former Seljuk domains of Iran and Anatolia, we discuss the rise of the Timurid dynasty in Khorasan and foreshadow its legacy for South Asia. « Click for More »

Guest Shakil Khan, Prominent Banker, writer, columnist and Voice Over artist. Sharing his views on Great Poet Mirza Ghalib. Hosted by Wasif Burney, Produced by Wow Be creatives For Wow Be Podcast. Mirza Ghalib was born in Kala Mahal, Agra into a family of Mughals who moved to Samarkand (in modern-day Uzbekistan) after the downfall of the Seljuk kings. His paternal grandfather, Mirza Qoqan Baig, was a Seljuq Turk who had immigrated to India from Samarkand during the reign of Ahmad Shah (1748–54).[6] He worked in Lahore, Delhi and Jaipur, was awarded the sub-district of Pahasu (Bulandshahr, UP) and finally settled in Agra, UP, India. He had four sons and three daughters. Mirza Abdullah Baig and Mirza Nasrullah Baig were two of his sons. Mirza Abdullah Baig (Ghalib's father) married Izzat-ut-Nisa Begum, an ethnic Kashmiri, and then lived at the house of his father-in-law. He was employed first by the Nawab of Lucknow and then the Nizam of Hyderabad, Deccan. He died in a battle in 1803 in Alwar and was buried at Rajgarh (Alwar, Rajasthan).[8] Back then, Ghalib was a little over 5 years of age. He was then raised by his Uncle Mirza Nasrullah Baig Khan, but in 1806, Nasrullah fell off an elephant and died from related injuries. At the age of thirteen, Ghalib married Umrao Begum, daughter of Nawab Ilahi Bakhsh (brother of the Nawab of Ferozepur Jhirka). He soon moved to Delhi, along with his younger brother, Mirza Yousuf, who had developed schizophrenia at a young age and later died in Delhi during the chaos of 1857. None of his seven children survived beyond infancy. After his marriage, he settled in Delhi. In one of his letters he describes his marriage as the second imprisonment after the initial confinement that was life itself. The idea that life is one continuous painful struggle which can end only when life itself ends, is a recurring theme in his poetry. One of his couplets puts it in a nutshell --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wow-be-podcast/message

Diriliş: Ertuğrul is a Turkish historical fiction and adventure television series created by Mehmet Bozdağ, starring Engin Altan Düzyatan in the leading role. It was filmed in Riva, a village in the Beykoz district of Istanbul, Turkey, and premiered on TRT 1 in Turkey on December 10, 2014. The show is based on the history of the Muslim Oghuz Turks and takes place in the 13th century. It centers around the life of Ertuğrul, the father of Osman I, who was the founder of the Ottoman Empire. Ertugrul Ghazi is the founder of the Ottoman Caliphate. He was born in 1188 AD and died in 1280 AD. He had three sons Gohar, Shehryar and Usman، The caliphate was named after the same son of Uthman of Ertugrul, the Ottoman Caliphate, but the foundation of the caliphate was laid by Ertugrul Ghazi. His father's name was Suleiman Shah, Artagul Ghazi had three brothers, Sarem, Zaljan and Guldaro. In 1232 Where Sultan Salahuddin Ayubi's grandson Aziz ruled, first Ertugrul Ghazi befriended Aziz then married Sultan Alauddin's niece Halima Sultan. After the death of Sultan Allauddin, Ertugrul Ghazi became the sultan of the Seljuk kingdom. Narrated By Wasif Burney Special Thanks to Mr Umar Khitab Khan of Metro live TV --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wow-be-podcast/message

1141A.D-The Kara Kitai Turkomans defeat the Seljuks at Amu Darya. 1144A.D-The Seljuks, under Zengi, recapture Edessa.Pope Eugene declares the Second Crusade.1145A.D-The Second Crusade collapses in Anatolia but succeeds in capturing Lisbon in Portugal.End of the Murabitun rule in Andalus.1146A.D-The al Muhaddithin captures Morocco.The assassins murder Seljuk Emir Zengi. 1149A.D-Al Zafir becomes the Fatimid Caliph. 1150A.D-The University of Paris is established. 1151A.D-Al Idrisi constructs a map of the then known world. 1154A.D-The Kurdish officer Nuruddin, in Seljuk service, takes Damascus.Al Faiz becomes the Fatimid Caliph in Cairo. 1157A.D-The al Muhaddithin captures Andalus. 1160A.D-Al Mustanjid becomes the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad.Al Adid, the last of the Fatimids, becomes the Caliph in Cairo. 1163A.D-The Seljuks and the Crusaders compete for influence in Fatimid Egypt. 1166A.D-Death of Shaykh Abdul Qader Jeelani of Baghdad, called Shaykh ul Mashaiq, founder of the Qadariya Sufi order.Death of the geographer, al Idrisi.1167A.D-Establishment of Oxford University in England.1170A.D-Salahuddin takes Egypt from the Fatimids.Al Mustadi becomes the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad. 1171A.D-End of the Fatimid era. Egypt reverts to the Abbasid Caliphate.1173A.D-Ghiasuddin Ghori established the kingdom of Ghor in Afghanistan. 1175A.D-Salahuddin consolidates his hold on Syria and Egypt.Death of Ahmed al Rifai, founder of the Rifaiyah Sufi brotherhood.1177A.D-Muhammed Ghori adds Multan, Uch, Dera Ismail Khan and Sindh to his dominions.1179A.D-Muhammed Ghori starts campaigns to capture Peshawar and Sialkot. 1182A.D-Khwaja Muhammed Ghouse of Sindh introduces the Qadariya order into India and Pakistan. 1187A.D-Battle of Hittin. Salahuddin triumphs and recaptures Jerusalem --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/history-of-islam/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/history-of-islam/support

1087A.D-The Crusaders sack Mahdiya in North Africa.The assassin terror grows in Iraq and Syria.1090A.D-Al Ghazzali teaches at NizamiyaCollege, Baghdad.The Crusaders capture Malta.The assassins capture Alamut in northern Syria and establish a training center for fidayees.1091A.D-End of Muslim presence in Sicily.Smyrna in Anatolia becomes the Seljuk capital.Death of Sultan Malik Shah.The assassins murder grand vizier Nizam ul Mulk.1094A.D-Al Mustansir becomes the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad.Al Mustadi becomes the Fatimid Caliph in Cairo.1095A.D-Pope Urban II declares a Crusade to take Jerusalem.Al Afdal, grand vizier of Fatimid Egypt, recaptures Jerusalem from Turkish emir Duqaq of Damascus.1096A.D-The start of the First Crusade.1097A.D-Konya Anatolia becomes the Seljuk capital.The Turks retreat before the advancing Crusaders.The Fatimids in Egypt start negotiations with the Crusaders to divide up Seljuk territories.1098A.D-The Crusaders capture Antioch.1099A.D-Jerusalem falls to the Crusaders. The Muslims and the Jews are massacred. Baldwin becomes king of Jerusalem.1100A.D-Al Ghazzali writes a powerful diatribe, Tahaffuz al Falsafa, against speculative philosophy. In Ihya al Uloom, he accords tasawwuf an honored position in the Islamic sciences.1101A.D-Shaykh Abdullah Arif introduces Islam into the island of Sumatra, Indonesia.1106A.D-Death of Yusuf bin Tashfin, emir of the Murabitun.1111A.D-Abu Hamid al Ghazzali dies after transforming the intellectual landscape of the Islamic world.1113A.D-Maudud, a Seljuk officer from Mosul, defeats King Baldwin of Jerusalem.1118A.D-Al Mustarshid, Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad.1123A.D-Death of Omar al Khayyam, mathematician, mystic.1124A.D-Death of Hassan al Sabbah, leader of the Assassins.1126A.D-Archbishop Raymond establishes a school in Toledo to translate Arabic books into Latin.1127A.D-The Assassins murder Turkish officer Maudud.1130A.D-Death of ibn Tumart, leader of the Al Muhaddithin.1132A.D-Roger II of Sicily invites Muslim scholars to work at his court.1139A.D-Birth of Khwaja Moeenuddin Chishti, Sufi sage. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/history-of-islam/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/history-of-islam/support

1031A.D.-Al Qaim becomes the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad.1032A.D.-The Church of Constantinople breaks with the Church of Rome over the issue of icons in the Church.1036A.D.-Taghril Beg becomes Seljuk Sultan.Al Mustansir becomes the Fatimid Caliph.1037A.D.-Death of Abu Ali ibn Sina, one of the greatest of physicians.Ferdinand I, king of Castille, captures Leon.1038A.D.-Death of Al Hazen, noted physicist.1043A.D-The Fatimid Empire begins to crumble. Mecca, Madina, Yemen and North Africa are lost by the Fatimids.1048A.D-Death of al Bairuni, historian, author of Kitab ul Hind.1050A.D-The Christians advance in Sicily.1051A.D-Beginning of the Murabitun revolution in West Africa.1056A.D-The Seljuk Taghril Beg and the Buyid Basisiri contest the control of Baghdad.1058A.D-Taghril Beg is anointed by Abbasid Caliph Kaim as “sultan of the east and the west” for his role in protecting the Abbasid Caliphate.1060A.D-The Seljuk Turks advance into Persia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.The Crusaders raid the coast of North Africa.1061A.D-The Murabitun capture Morocco.The Murabitun establish the city of Marrakesh as their capital.1063A.D-Taghril Beg dies childless. His nephew Alap Arsalan becomes the Seljuk sultan.1068Beginning of the Songhay Empire in West Africa.1072A.D-Battle of Manzikert. The Seljuk Turks under Alap Arsalan defeat the Byzantines under Emperor Romanus and open up Anatolia for Turkish settlement.The Christians capture Palermo in Sicily.1075A.D-The Seljuk Sultan Malik Shah retakes Syria from the Fatimids.Al Muqtadi becomes the Abbasid Caliph.1077A.D-Birth of Abdul Qader Jeelani, celebrated Sufi sage.1085A.D-Alfonso I of Castile captures Toledo, the ancient capital of Visigoth Spain. The extensive libraries of Toledo become accessible to Christian Europe.1086A.D-The Murabitun emir, Yusuf bin Tashfin, advances into Spain at the head of a powerful African force.The Nizamiya College is founded in Baghdad by Nizam ul Mulk, grand vizier to Sultan Malik Shah. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/history-of-islam/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/history-of-islam/support

Season 15, Episode 2. Ngaji Filsafat - Dr. Fahruddin Faiz Nasruddin Nasruddin atau Nasreddin (Turki: Nasreddin Hoca, Turki Ottoman:نصر الدين خواجه, Persia:خواجه نصرالدین, Pashtun:ملا نصرالدین}}, Arab: نصرالدین جحا‎, ALA-LC: Naṣraddīn Juḥā, Urdu:ملا نصرالدین, Uzbek:Nosiriddin Xo'ja, Nasreddīn Hodja, Bosnia: Nasrudin Hodža) adalah seorang sufi satirikal dari Dinasti Seljuk, dipercaya hidup dan meninggal pada abad ke-13 di Akshehir, dekat Konya, ibu kota dari Kesultanan Rûm Seljuk, sekarang di Turki. Ia dianggap orang banyak sebagai filsuf dan orang bijak, dikenal akan kisah-kisah dan anekdotnya yang lucu. Ia muncul dalam ribuan cerita, terkadang jenaka dan pintar, terkadang bijak, tetapi sering juga bersikap bodoh atau menjadi bahan lelucon. Setiap kisah Nasruddin biasanya mengandung humor cerdas dan mendidik. Festival Nasreddin Hodja dirayakan secara internasional antara 5–10 Juli setiap tahun di kota tempat tinggalnya. Asal dan warisan Berbagai masyarakat mengklaim Nasruddin ke dalam etnis mereka. Beberapa sumber menyebutkan tempat kelahirannya di Desa Hortu di Sivrihisar, Provinsi Eskişehir, sekarang Turki, pada abad ke-13. Ia kemudian tinggal di Akşehir, dan kemudian di Konya saat pemerintahan Dinasti Seljuk. Ia meninggal pada tahun 1275/6 atau 1285/6 M. Makam Nasruddin dipercaya berada di Akşehir dan "Festival Internasional Nasreddin Hodja" diadakan setiap tahunnya di Akşehir pada 5–10 Juli. Menurut Prof. Mikail Bayram yang mengadakan penelitian ekstensif mengenai Nasreddin Hoca, nama lengkapnya adalah Nasir ud-din Mahmud al-Hoyi, gelarnya Ahi Evran (karena menjadi pemimpin organisasi ahi). IUa lahir di Kota Hoy di Azerbaycan, menempuh pendidikan di Horasan dan menjadi murid seorang mufassir Quran yang terkenal, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, di Herat. Ia dikirim ke Anatolia oleh sang Khalif di Baghdad untuk mengorganisasi pertahanan dan perlawanan terhadap invasi Mongol. Ia menjabat sebagai seorang kadı (hakim Islamik) di Kayseri. Hal tersebut menjelaskan mengapa dalam cerita dirinya diminta menjadi hakim, tidak hanya dalam segi religius saja. Selama kekacauan invasi Mongol, ia menjadi lawan politik Jalaluddin Rumi, tokoh hebat lain pada masa itu yang juga tinggal di Konya. Ia dikenal di Masnavi dalam anekdot juha karena alasan ini. Ia menjadi pengawas dalam ruang sidang Kaykaus II di Konya. Karena telah tinggal di berbagai kota dan area luas dan setia melawan invasi Mongol serta memiliki karakter yang jenaka, ia diterima berbagai bangsa dan kultur dari Turki sampai Arab, dan dari Rusia hingga China, yang kebanyakan merupakan bangsa-bangsa yang menderita akibat invasi Mongol. Setelah beberapa generasi berlalu, beberapa cerita baru ditambahkan dalam kumpulan kisah Nasruddin, beberapa cerita dimodifikasi, ia dan kisah-kisahnya menyebar ke berbagai wilayah. Teman-tema dalam cerita menjadi bagian cerita rakyat dari beberapa negara dan mengekspresikan imajinasi nasional dari berbagai kultur. Meskipun kebanyakan menggambarkan Nasruddin berada di lokasi desa yang kecil, beberapa kisah lain menggunakan konsep masa hidup Nasruddin tidak dibatasi waktu. Mereka melengkapi folklorenya dengan kebijaksanaan ringkas tetapi tajam yang mengungguli semua ujian dan penderitaan. Manuskrip Nasruddin tertua berasal dari tahun 1571.

The first large Seljuk raids on the Empire lead to a series of events which unravel Byzantium's Western defences. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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We break from the history of Al Andalus and take a quick peek on the other end of the Mediterranean. A new era in warfare begins as the Crusades would start and pit Christianity versus Islam.    ANCIENT HISTORY GUY CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6gQS5SByUgXeS8DwjTgSuw Contribute on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FPHx Leave some feedback: flashpointhistory@gmail.com Follow along on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FLASHPOINTHX/ Engage on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlashpointHx YouTube Video Accompaniment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dijsGMu_4bA&t=80s   MUSIC Omri Lahav - Peak of Atlas - The Road Ahead - Honor Bound - Med Waves - Tavern in the mist Aakash Gandhi (YouTube Archive) - Eyes of Glory - Spirit of the Dead Ugonna Onyekwe (YouTube Archive) - Inescapable From http://www.purple-planet.com - Cambodean Odessy  - Warhammer   YouTube Archive  - Still Standing - Epic Battle Speech - Thunder Storm   Premium Beats - Unlimited Imagination

Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111) is one of the most famous Muslim thinkers in history. His autobiographical account, The Deliverer from Error, tells us of his spiritual crisis and transformative experience of journeying, which lead to his subsequent life as a pious recluse. From this experience al-Ghazali wrote his magnum opus, The Revival of the Religious Sciences, filled with mystical knowledge. At least that is how it has generally been read in the Euro-American tradition. Kenneth Garden, Associate Professor at Tufts University, reexamines al-Ghazali’s work from an historical hermeneutical in The First Islamic Reviver: Abu Hamid al-Ghazali and his Revival of the Religious Sciences (Oxford University Press, 2014). Garden outlines the social and political contexts al-Ghazali’s life demonstrating he was an active participant in Seljuk empire. A close reading of The Revival of the Religious Sciences reveals al-Ghazali’s promotion of a revivalist vision of the tradition, which he called “Science of the Hereafter.” Garden also presents the strategies al-Ghazali utilized to campaign for The Revival of the Religious Sciences, the tactics of his opponents, and the historical context that may force us to rethink the purpose of his autobiography, The Deliverer from Error. In our conversation we discussed al-Ghazali’s social and political life, his relationship to philosophy and mysticism, the connections between his early and later writings, the content of The Revival of the Religious Sciences, accusations against him and his legal trial, and what lead to the widespread popularity and influence of al-Ghazali’s work. Kristian Petersen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. His research and teaching interests include Theory and Methodology in the Study of Religion, Islamic Studies, Chinese Religions, Human Rights, and Media Studies. You can find out more about his work on his website, follow him on Twitter @BabaKristian, or email him atkjpetersen@unomaha.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111) is one of the most famous Muslim thinkers in history. His autobiographical account, The Deliverer from Error, tells us of his spiritual crisis and transformative experience of journeying, which lead to his subsequent life as a pious recluse. From this experience al-Ghazali wrote his magnum opus, The Revival of the Religious Sciences, filled with mystical knowledge. At least that is how it has generally been read in the Euro-American tradition. Kenneth Garden, Associate Professor at Tufts University, reexamines al-Ghazali's work from an historical hermeneutical in The First Islamic Reviver: Abu Hamid al-Ghazali and his Revival of the Religious Sciences (Oxford University Press, 2014). Garden outlines the social and political contexts al-Ghazali's life demonstrating he was an active participant in Seljuk empire. A close reading of The Revival of the Religious Sciences reveals al-Ghazali's promotion of a revivalist vision of the tradition, which he called “Science of the Hereafter.” Garden also presents the strategies al-Ghazali utilized to campaign for The Revival of the Religious Sciences, the tactics of his opponents, and the historical context that may force us to rethink the purpose of his autobiography, The Deliverer from Error. In our conversation we discussed al-Ghazali's social and political life, his relationship to philosophy and mysticism, the connections between his early and later writings, the content of The Revival of the Religious Sciences, accusations against him and his legal trial, and what lead to the widespread popularity and influence of al-Ghazali's work. Kristian Petersen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. His research and teaching interests include Theory and Methodology in the Study of Religion, Islamic Studies, Chinese Religions, Human Rights, and Media Studies. You can find out more about his work on his website, follow him on Twitter @BabaKristian, or email him atkjpetersen@unomaha.edu.

Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111) is one of the most famous Muslim thinkers in history. His autobiographical account, The Deliverer from Error, tells us of his spiritual crisis and transformative experience of journeying, which lead to his subsequent life as a pious recluse. From this experience al-Ghazali wrote his magnum opus, The Revival of the Religious Sciences, filled with mystical knowledge. At least that is how it has generally been read in the Euro-American tradition. Kenneth Garden, Associate Professor at Tufts University, reexamines al-Ghazali’s work from an historical hermeneutical in The First Islamic Reviver: Abu Hamid al-Ghazali and his Revival of the Religious Sciences (Oxford University Press, 2014). Garden outlines the social and political contexts al-Ghazali’s life demonstrating he was an active participant in Seljuk empire. A close reading of The Revival of the Religious Sciences reveals al-Ghazali’s promotion of a revivalist vision of the tradition, which he called “Science of the Hereafter.” Garden also presents the strategies al-Ghazali utilized to campaign for The Revival of the Religious Sciences, the tactics of his opponents, and the historical context that may force us to rethink the purpose of his autobiography, The Deliverer from Error. In our conversation we discussed al-Ghazali’s social and political life, his relationship to philosophy and mysticism, the connections between his early and later writings, the content of The Revival of the Religious Sciences, accusations against him and his legal trial, and what lead to the widespread popularity and influence of al-Ghazali’s work. Kristian Petersen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. His research and teaching interests include Theory and Methodology in the Study of Religion, Islamic Studies, Chinese Religions, Human Rights, and Media Studies. You can find out more about his work on his website, follow him on Twitter @BabaKristian, or email him atkjpetersen@unomaha.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111) is one of the most famous Muslim thinkers in history. His autobiographical account, The Deliverer from Error, tells us of his spiritual crisis and transformative experience of journeying, which lead to his subsequent life as a pious recluse. From this experience al-Ghazali wrote his magnum opus, The Revival of the Religious Sciences, filled with mystical knowledge. At least that is how it has generally been read in the Euro-American tradition. Kenneth Garden, Associate Professor at Tufts University, reexamines al-Ghazali’s work from an historical hermeneutical in The First Islamic Reviver: Abu Hamid al-Ghazali and his Revival of the Religious Sciences (Oxford University Press, 2014). Garden outlines the social and political contexts al-Ghazali’s life demonstrating he was an active participant in Seljuk empire. A close reading of The Revival of the Religious Sciences reveals al-Ghazali’s promotion of a revivalist vision of the tradition, which he called “Science of the Hereafter.” Garden also presents the strategies al-Ghazali utilized to campaign for The Revival of the Religious Sciences, the tactics of his opponents, and the historical context that may force us to rethink the purpose of his autobiography, The Deliverer from Error. In our conversation we discussed al-Ghazali’s social and political life, his relationship to philosophy and mysticism, the connections between his early and later writings, the content of The Revival of the Religious Sciences, accusations against him and his legal trial, and what lead to the widespread popularity and influence of al-Ghazali’s work. Kristian Petersen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. His research and teaching interests include Theory and Methodology in the Study of Religion, Islamic Studies, Chinese Religions, Human Rights, and Media Studies. You can find out more about his work on his website, follow him on Twitter @BabaKristian, or email him atkjpetersen@unomaha.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111) is one of the most famous Muslim thinkers in history. His autobiographical account, The Deliverer from Error, tells us of his spiritual crisis and transformative experience of journeying, which lead to his subsequent life as a pious recluse. From this experience al-Ghazali wrote his magnum opus, The Revival of the Religious Sciences, filled with mystical knowledge. At least that is how it has generally been read in the Euro-American tradition. Kenneth Garden, Associate Professor at Tufts University, reexamines al-Ghazali’s work from an historical hermeneutical in The First Islamic Reviver: Abu Hamid al-Ghazali and his Revival of the Religious Sciences (Oxford University Press, 2014). Garden outlines the social and political contexts al-Ghazali’s life demonstrating he was an active participant in Seljuk empire. A close reading of The Revival of the Religious Sciences reveals al-Ghazali’s promotion of a revivalist vision of the tradition, which he called “Science of the Hereafter.” Garden also presents the strategies al-Ghazali utilized to campaign for The Revival of the Religious Sciences, the tactics of his opponents, and the historical context that may force us to rethink the purpose of his autobiography, The Deliverer from Error. In our conversation we discussed al-Ghazali’s social and political life, his relationship to philosophy and mysticism, the connections between his early and later writings, the content of The Revival of the Religious Sciences, accusations against him and his legal trial, and what lead to the widespread popularity and influence of al-Ghazali’s work. Kristian Petersen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. His research and teaching interests include Theory and Methodology in the Study of Religion, Islamic Studies, Chinese Religions, Human Rights, and Media Studies. You can find out more about his work on his website, follow him on Twitter @BabaKristian, or email him atkjpetersen@unomaha.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111) is one of the most famous Muslim thinkers in history. His autobiographical account, The Deliverer from Error, tells us of his spiritual crisis and transformative experience of journeying, which lead to his subsequent life as a pious recluse. From this experience al-Ghazali wrote his magnum opus, The Revival of the Religious Sciences, filled with mystical knowledge. At least that is how it has generally been read in the Euro-American tradition. Kenneth Garden, Associate Professor at Tufts University, reexamines al-Ghazali’s work from an historical hermeneutical in The First Islamic Reviver: Abu Hamid al-Ghazali and his Revival of the Religious Sciences (Oxford University Press, 2014). Garden outlines the social and political contexts al-Ghazali’s life demonstrating he was an active participant in Seljuk empire. A close reading of The Revival of the Religious Sciences reveals al-Ghazali’s promotion of a revivalist vision of the tradition, which he called “Science of the Hereafter.” Garden also presents the strategies al-Ghazali utilized to campaign for The Revival of the Religious Sciences, the tactics of his opponents, and the historical context that may force us to rethink the purpose of his autobiography, The Deliverer from Error. In our conversation we discussed al-Ghazali’s social and political life, his relationship to philosophy and mysticism, the connections between his early and later writings, the content of The Revival of the Religious Sciences, accusations against him and his legal trial, and what lead to the widespread popularity and influence of al-Ghazali’s work. Kristian Petersen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. His research and teaching interests include Theory and Methodology in the Study of Religion, Islamic Studies, Chinese Religions, Human Rights, and Media Studies. You can find out more about his work on his website, follow him on Twitter @BabaKristian, or email him atkjpetersen@unomaha.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 54 – The Crusades – Part 1In the first episode of Communio Sanctorum, we took a look at the various ways history has been studied over time. In the Ancient world, history was more often than not, propaganda. The old adage that “History is written by the winners” was certainly true for the ancients. With the implementation of the Scientific Method in the Modern Era, the researching and recording of history became more unbiased and accurate. It was far from a pure report, but it could no longer be considered blatant propaganda. The Post-Modern Era has seen a return to bias; this time an almost knee-jerk suspicion of ALL previous attempts at recording history. Even attempts of Modernity to document history are suspect and assumed guilty of recording little more than the bias of the authors, though their works were footnoted and peer-reviewed. Post-modern critics adopt a presupposition all recorded history is fabrication, especially if there's anything heroic or virtuous. If it's a dark tale of hopelessness and tragedy, well, then, maybe it can be accepted. It's almost as though Post-moderns want to make up for the ancient historians' penchant for propaganda. Post-Moderns cast history as “neg-paganda” if I can coin a word.Let's attempt a shedding of our bias, even though we can't fully do that, as we look at the Crusades. Instead of layering onto the Christians of Europe in the 11th and 12th Cs the sensibilities of people who live a thousand years later, let's attempt to understand the reasoning behind the idea of taking up a pitchfork or sword and making a life-altering trip over hundreds of miles, through strange lands, to risk one's life for è What? Oh yeah, to rid the Holy Land of pagan infidels.Wait; Mr. Crusader-person; have you ever been to the Holy Land? Do you own land there that's been stolen? Do you have relatives or friends there you need to protect?  Have you ever met one of these infidels? Do you know what they believe or why they invaded?No? Then why are you so amped about marching half-way around the world to liberate a land you've not been all that interested in before from a people you know nothing about?See? There must have been some powerful forces at work in the minds and hearts of the people of Europe that they'd go in such large numbers on a Crusade. We may find their reasons for crusading to be horribly ill-conceived, but they were totally sold out to them.The Crusades reflected a new dynamism in the Christianity of Medieval Europe. People were driven by religious fervor, a yearning for adventure, and of course if some personal wealth could be thrown in, all the better. For 200 years, Crusaders tried to expel the Muslims from the Holy Land. It seems all the colorful figures of this era were caught up in the cause, from Peter the Hermit in the 1st Crusade, to the godly Louis IX, King of France, who inspired the 6th and 7th.Many Europeans of the medieval period viewed a pilgrimage as a form of especially poignant penance. These pilgrimages were usually trips to a local holy place or shrine erected to commemorate a miracle or to cathedrals where the relics of some saint were kept in a reliquary. But there was one pilgrimage that was thought to gain a special dose of grace – a trip to the Holy City of Jerusalem. The merchants of Jerusalem did a good business in keeping the constant flood of Christian pilgrims supplied with food, lodging and of course sacred mementos. Some pilgrims went by themselves; others in a group—ancient versions of the modern day Holy Land Tour. When pilgrims arrived in Jerusalem they'd make the rounds of all the traditional points of interest. They walked the Via Dolorosa to Calvary then sat for hours praying. When these pilgrims returned home, they were esteemed by their community as real saints; towering figures of spirituality.For centuries, peaceful pilgrims traveled from Europe to Palestine. The arrival of Islam in the Middle East in the 7th C didn't interfere. By the 10th C European bishops organized mass pilgrimages to the Holy Land. The largest we know of set out from Germany in 1065, with some 7,000 ! That's a lot of buses.To impede a pilgrim's journey was considered by the medieval Church as a serious breach of protocol because you endangered the pilgrim's salvation. If his pilgrimage was penance for some sin, you might deny him pardon by your altering his course. The mind-set of European Christians became one of extreme care to not interfere with Pilgrims once they'd set out.All of this faced a major problem in the 11th C when a new Muslim force took control of the Middle East. The Seljuk Turks, new and fanatical converts to Islam, came sweeping in to plunder the region. They seized Jerusalem from their fellow Muslims, then moved north into Asia Minor.The Byzantine Empire tried desperately to stop their advance, but at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071 the Turks captured the eastern emperor and scattered his army. Within a few years nearly all Asia Minor, the chief source of Byzantine wealth and troops, was lost, and the new Byzantine emperor sent frantic appeals to the West for help. He pleaded with Europe's nobility and the Pope, seeking mercenaries to aid in the rescue of lost territory.Then, reports began to trickle back about the abuse of Christian pilgrims on the Turkish controlled roads to Jerusalem. The trickle turned to a stream, the a river. Even when pilgrims weren't mistreated, they were subject to heavy fees to travel thru Muslim lands.The standard, brief description of the inception of the First Crusade goes like this ... In 1095, the Eastern Emperor Alexius I sent an urgent appeal for help against the Muslims to Pope Urban II. The Pope responded by preaching one of history's most influential sermons. In a field near Clermont, France he said to the huge crowd that had gathered, “Your Eastern brothers have asked for your help. Turks and Arabs have conquered their territories.  I, or rather, the Lord begs you, destroy that vile race from their lands!”But there was more to Urban's appeal than just liberating the East from infidel hordes. He also mentioned the European need for more land. He said, "For this land which you inhabit is too narrow for your large population; nor does it abound in wealth; and it furnishes scarcely food enough for its cultivators. Hence it is that you murder and devour one another, enter upon the road to the Holy Sepulcher; wrest that land from the wicked race, and subject it to yourselves.”Popes and bishops were accustomed to making such bold proclamations and issuing stirring appeals. They were nearly always met by loud “Amens!” and affirmations of the rightness of their call. Then people went home to lunch and promptly forgot all about what they'd just heard.  So the response to Urban's sermon that day was astonishing. The crowd began to chant, “Deus vult = God wills it!” But they did more than chant. People across the entire socio-economic spectrum of Europe began preparations to do precisely what the Pope had said è Go to Jerusalem and liberate it from the Muslims. They sewed crosses onto their tunics, painted them on their shields, fired up the smithies and made swords, spears and maces. Commoners who couldn't afford armor or real weapons, made clubs and sharpened sticks.They were going to go on a new kind of pilgrimage. Not as humble worshippers but as armed warriors. Their enemy wasn't the world, the flesh and the devil; it was the Muslim infidel defiling the Holy Places.As the Pope ended his impassioned appeal to the loud affirmation of the crowd, he declared their slogan Deus Vult! would be the crusader battle cry in the coming campaign.The pilgrims agreed to make their way east any way they could, gathering at Constantinople. Then they'd form into armies and march south toward the enemy.The First Crusade was underway.As word spread across France and Germany of the holy mission, people from across all social levels were caught up in Crusader fervor. A similar excitement was seen in the California and Yukon Gold Rushes. It's not difficult to understand why. We need to be careful here because removed by a thousand years we can't presume to know the motivations that shaped every Crusader's actions, even though there are not a few historians who claim to be able to do so. Surely motives were mixed and diverse. Some, out of simple obedience to the Church and Pope, believed it was God's will to expel the Muslims from the Holy Land. Being illiterate peasants, they couldn't read the Bible or know God's will on the matter. They believed it was the Pope's duty to tell them what God willed and trusted him to do it. When the Pope declared anyone who died in the holy cause would bypass purgatory and enter directly into heaven, all the incentive needed to go was provided for thousands who lived in the constant fear of ever being good enough to merit heaven.Another powerful incentive was the opportunity for wealth. Medieval Europe was locked in a rigid feudalism that kept the poor in perpetual poverty. There was simply no rising above the social level one was born into. A Crusade offered a chance at the unthinkable. The loot of a successful campaign could bring great wealth, even to a peasant. And those who returned gained a reputation as a warrior that could see them and their sons raised into positions of relative honor in a noble's army.The risks were great; but the benefits both tangible and significant. So thousands took up the crusader cause.The problem for the thousands of peasants who wanted to go was that no noble would lead them. On the contrary, the nobles wanted their serfs to stay home and tend their fields and farms. But the Pope's appeal had gone out to all and no noble wanted to be seen as contradicting the Church. So they just hoped no one would rise to lead them. It was one of those moments of profound leadership vacuum that just begged to be filled; who filled it was a man known as Peter the Hermit.Of all the Crusaders, Peter surely had the strongest scent. The monk had not bathed in decades. He rode a donkey that, eyewitnesses said, bore a remarkable resemblance to its owner. Peter's preaching was even more powerful than his odor. In 9 months, he gathered 20,000 peasants under his banner, then began the long and difficult trek east to Constantinople.They created chaos as soon as they arrived. Complaints of robbery poured into the Emperor's office. He knew these Western European peasants were no match for the Muslims, but he couldn't let them camp out in his city. They were ferried across the river where they immediately began pillaging the homes of Eastern Christians. Many of these poor, uneducated and illiterate peasants had come for loot and saw plenty of it right there. They'd already travelled a long way from home and were now among a people who spoke a different language, wore different styles and ate different foods. “Why, they don't look like Christians at all! And what's that you say? These people don't follow the Pope? Well, then maybe they aren't Christians. Didn't we set out to fight unbelievers? Here are some. Let's get to work.”“But these aren't Muslims!”“Okay. We'll compromise. We won't kill them; we'll just take their stuff.”Peter's peasant army put additional strain on the already poor relations between the Eastern and Roman churches. Two months later, the peasants marched straight into a Muslim ambush and were wiped out. Peter, who was in Constantinople rounding up supplies—was the lone survivor. He then joined another army, this one led by European nobility who arrived well after the peasants. These Crusaders defeated the Muslims at Antioch then continued on to Jerusalem.The Muslims failed to take this second movement of the Crusade seriously. It's not difficult to understand why. They'd just defeated a huge force of Europeans easily. They assumed they'd do the same to the smaller force that came against them now. What they didn't realize was that this force, while indeed smaller, was the cream of Europe's warrior class; mounted and armored knights who grew up on battle.On July 15, 1099, Jerusalem fell to the Crusaders. It was a brutal massacre. Around the Temple Mount, blood flowed ankle-deep. Newborn infants were thrown against walls. It wasn't just Muslims who knew the Crusaders' wrath. A synagogue was torched, killing the Jews trapped inside. Some of the native Christians were also put to the sword. To this day, the wholesale slaughter of the First Crusade affects how Jews and Muslims perceive the Christian faith.But -- and this in no wise is meant to be a justification for the brutality of the Crusades; it seems just a tad hypocritical for Muslims to decry the atrocities of the Crusades when it was by the very same means they'd laid claim to the holy land in the 7th C. In truth, while crusading under the Christian cross is a horrible violation of the morality of Biblical Christianity—Jihad, Holy War is one of the main tenets of Islam. Long before the Pope erroneously offered absolution to Crusaders and the promise of heaven to those who died in the campaign, Islam promised paradise to Muslims who died in Jihad. Historically, while the Christian faith has spread by the work of humanitarian missionaries, Islam has spread by the sword. Or we might say, while true Christianity expands by the sword of the Spirit, Islam spreads by a sword of steel.Following the conquest of Jerusalem, the Crusaders carved out four states in the Middle East; the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the County of Tripoli, the Principality of Antioch, and the County of Edessa.This First crusade was followed by eight more, none of them really able to accomplish the success of the first, if we can call it success. All told, the gains of the Crusades lasted less than 200 years. But one major accomplishment was the reopening of international trade between Europe and the Far East, something that had languished for a few hundred years.The Crusades have proven to be the focus of much historical study and debate. They're usually linked to the political and social situation in 11th C Europe, the rise of a reform movement within the papacy, and the political and religious confrontation of Christianity and Islam in the Middle East. The Umayyad Caliphate had conquered Syria, Egypt, and North Africa from the predominantly Christian Byzantine Empire, and Spain from the Arian Christian Visigoths. When the Ummayads collapsed in North Africa, several smaller Muslim kingdoms emerged and attacked Italy in the 9th C. Pisa, Genoa, and Catalonia battled various Muslim kingdoms for control of the Mediterranean.The Crusaders were emboldened in their prospects for success in the Holy Land because of the successes they'd had in the Reconquista, the conquest of the Muslom Moors in the Iberian Peninsula. Earlier in the 11th C, French knights joined the Spanish in their campaign to retake their homeland. Shortly before the First Crusade, Pope Urban II encouraged the Spanish Christians to reconquer Tarragona, using much of the same symbolism and rhetoric he later used to preach Crusade to the people of Europe.Western Europe stabilized after the Saxons, Vikings, and Hungarians were brought into the Church by the end of the 10th C. But the demise of the Carolingian Empire gave rise to an entire class of warriors who had little to do but fight among themselves. The incessant warfare sapped Europe of its strength and wealth. Europe needed an external enemy they could turn their wrath on. As we saw in a previous episode, while the violence of knights was regularly condemned by the Church, and there was the attempt to regulate them in the treaties known as the Peace and Truce of God, the knights largely ignored these attempts at pacification. The Church needed an external threat they could direct the knights lust for battle toward.It was also at this time that the Popes were in constant competition with the Western emperors over the issue of investiture - the question of who had the authority to appoint bishops; the Church or the nobility. In some of the squabbles between Church and State, the popes weren't above calling out knights and nobles loyal to them to back down the power of the Emperor and recalcitrant nobles. So the Pope's mobilizing an armed force wasn't that far out of context.Another reason Pope Urban called for the First Crusade may have been his desire to assert control over the East. Remember that the Great Schism had occurred 40 years before and the churches had been rent ever since. While historians suggest this as one of several reasons driving Pope Urban's decision to start the Crusade, there's no evidence from any of his letters this factored into his plans.Until the crusaders' arrival, the Byzantines had continually fought the Muslim Turks for control of Asia Minor and Syria. The Seljuks, Sunni Muslims, had at one time ruled the Great Seljuk Empire, but by the First Crusade it had divided into several smaller states at odds with each other. If the First Crusade and been waged just a decade before it would probably have been crushed by a united Seljuk force. But by the time they arrived in the Middle East, the Seljuks were at odds with each other.Egypt and most of Palestine was controlled by the Arab Shi'ite Fatimid Caliphate, which was far smaller since the arrival of the Seljuks. Warfare between the Fatimids and Seljuks caused great disruption for the local Christians and western pilgrims. The Fatimids lost Jerusalem to the Seljuks in 1073, then recaptured it in 1098 just before the arrival of the Crusaders.As I said at the outset of this episode, this is just a summary of the First Crusade. Because this is such a crucial moment in Church History, we'll come back to it in our next episode.As we end, I want to once again say, “Thanks” to all the kind comments and those who've given the CS Facebook page a like.Every so often I mention that CS is supporter solely by a few subscribers. You can probably tell the podcast is your typical sole-author, “guy, a mic, and a computer” arrangement. I'm so thankful for those who occasionally send in a donation to keep CS going.

Episode 55 – The Crusades, Part 2As Bruce Shelly aptly states in in his excellent book Church History in Plain Language, for the past 700 years Christians have tried to forget the Crusades, though neither Jews nor Muslims will let them. Modern Christians want to dismiss that era of Church History as the insane bigotry of the illiterate and superstitious. But to do so is to show our own kind of bigotry, one neglectful of the historical context of the European Middle Ages.The Crusaders were human beings, who like us, had mixed motives often in conflict. The word crusade means to “take up the cross,” hopefully after the example of Christ. That's why on the way to the Holy Land crusaders wore the cross on their chest. On their return home they wore it on their back. [1]In rallying the European nobility to join the First Crusade, Pope Urban II promised them forgiveness of past sins. Most of them held a deep reverence for the land Jesus had walked. That devotion was captured later by Shakespeare when he has King Henry IV say:We are impressed and engag'd to fight … To chase those pagans in those holy fields, Over whose acres walked those blessed feet, Which fourteen hundred years ago were nail'd, For our advantage on the bitter cross.For Urban and later popes, the Crusades were a Holy War. Augustine, whose theology shaped the Medieval Church, laid down the principles of a “just war.”  He said that it must be conducted by the State; its broad purpose was to uphold an endangered justice, which meant more narrowly that it must be defensive to protect life and property. In conducting such a just war there must be respect for noncombatants, hostages, and prisoners. And while all this may have been in the mind of Pope Urban and other church leaders when they called the First Crusade, those ideals didn't make it past the boundary of Europe. Once the Crusaders arrived in the East, the difficulties of their passage conspired to justify in their minds the wholesale pillaging of the innocent. Even those who'd originally taken up the Crusader cross with noble intent, didn't want to be left out of acquiring treasure once the looting began. After all, everyone else is doing it?As we return to our narrative of the First Crusade, let's recap …What triggered the Crusade was a request for assistance from Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos. Alexios worried about the advances of the Muslim Seljuk Turks, who'd reached as far west as Nicaea, a suburb of Constantinople. In March 1095, Alexios sent envoys to the Council of Piacenza to ask Pope Urban II for aid against the Turks. Urban's reply was positive. It's likely he hoped to heal the Great Schism of 40 yrs before that had sundered Western and Eastern churches.In the Summer of 1095, Urban turned to his homeland of France to recruit for the campaign. His journey ended at the Council of Clermont in November, where he gave an impassioned sermon to a large audience of French nobles and clergy, detailing the atrocities committed against pilgrims and Christians living in the East by the Muslims.Malcolm Gladwell wrote a bestseller in 2000 called The Tipping Point. The Pope's speech was one of those, an epic tipping point that sent history in a new direction. Urban understood what he proposed as an act so expensive, long, and arduous that it amounted to a form of penance capable of discharging all sins for those who went crusading. And he understood how his audience's minds worked. Coming from a noble house himself and having worked his way up through the ranks of the monastery and Church, he understood the puzzle that lay at the heart of popular religious sentiment. People were keenly aware of their sinfulness and sought to expunge it by embarking on a pilgrimage, or if that wasn't possible, to endow a monk or nun so they could live a life of sequestered holiness on their behalf. But their unavoidable immersion in the world meant it was impossible to perform all of the time-consuming penances which could keep pace with their ever-increasing catalog of sin. Urban saw that he could cut the Gordian knot by prescribing a Crusade. Here at last was a way for men given to violence, one of the most grievous of their misdeeds, to USE it as an act of penance. Overnight, those who were the most in need of penance became the very ones most likely to be the cause of the Crusade's success.While there are different versions of Urban's sermon, they all name the same basic elements. The Pope talked about the need to end the violence the European knights continued among themselves, the need to help the Eastern Christians in their contest with Islam, and making the pathways of pilgrims to Jerusalem safe again.  He proposed to do this by waging a new kind of war, an armed pilgrimage that would lead to great spiritual and earthly rewards, in which sins would be remitted and anyone who died in the contest would bypass purgatory and enter immediately into heaven's bliss.The Pope's speech at Clermont didn't specifically mention liberating Jerusalem; the goal at first was just to help Constantinople and clear the roads to Jerusalem.  But Urban's later message as he travelled thru Europe raising support for the Crusade, did include the idea of liberating the Holy City.While Urban's speech seemed impromptu, it was in fact well-planned.  He'd discussed launching a crusade with two of southern France's most important leaders who gave enthusiastic support. One of them was at Clermont, the first to take up the cause. During what was left of 1095 and into 96, Pope Urban spread the message throughout France and urged the clergy to preach in their own regions and churches throughout Europe.Despite this planning, the response to call for the Crusade was a surprise. Instead of urging people to JOIN the campaign, bishops had to dissuade certain people from joining.  Women, monks, and the infirm were forbidden, though many protested their exclusion. Some did more than protest; the defied officials and made plans to go anyway. When Pope Urban originally conceived the crusade, he envisioned the knights and nobility leading out trained armies. It was a surprise when thousands of peasants took up the cause.What was the bishop to say to these peasants when they indicated their intent to go? “You can't. You have to stay and tend your fields and herds.” When the peasants asked why, the bishops had no good answer, so they formed companies and set off. The clergy was forced to give grudging permission. They gathered local groups of peasants and had them take a vow of devotion to the Holy Cause, setting as their destination, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.Alongside the enthusiasm of the peasants, Urban courted the nobility of Europe, especially in France, to lead the Crusade. Knights from both northern and southern France, Flanders, Germany, and Italy were divided into four armies. Sadly, they often saw themselves in competition with each other rather than united in a common cause. They vied for prominence in bringing glory to God; oh, and of course, the loot that went along with it.While it was the scion of the noble houses that led a few of the armies, the bulk of the knights were lesser sons of the nobility whose only route to wealth lay in conquest. The eldest brother was set to inherit the family name and estate. So hundreds of these younger sons saw the Crusades as a way to make a name for themselves and carve out their own domain in newly acquired lands. If they didn't return to Europe laden with treasure, they hoped to settle down on land they'd won with the sword.One of the many sad results of the spin-up for the First Crusade was the persecution of Jews in Northern France and the Rhineland. Anti-Semitism bubbled beneath the surface of this region for generations. It spilled over now as peasants and commoners mobilized to remove the infidels form the Holy Land. Some began to question why a trip to the Middle East was needed when there were Christ-haters living right at hand. So Jews were attacked, their homes burned, businesses sacked.As we saw in our last episode, the peasants formed into bands and rampaged their way across Europe to Constantinople. They lacked the discipline and supplies of the knights so they foraged their way East like Sherman on his march to the Sea during the American Civil war. Though we don't know the numbers, thousands of these peasant crusaders were killed along the way as armed defenders came out to oppose their trek across their lands.When they finally arrived in Constantinople, they were hurriedly escorted across the Bosporus in August of 1096. At that point they split into two groups. One tried to recapture Nicaea but failed when the Turks surrounded and wiped them out. The other group was ambushed and massacred in October.This phase of the First Crusade is called The People's Crusade because it was made up of btwn 20 and 30,000 commoners. Its leadership include some minor nobles but its most visible leader was the odd Peter the Hermit.Peter's leadership of The People's Crusade was due to his fiery recruitment sermons. He wasn't so skilled in the tactical management of 30,000 would-be warriors. Once they arrived in Constantinople, his lack of administrative skill became obvious and the handful of knights who'd joined up realized they need to take control. But they refused to submit to one another and fragmented into different groups based on nationality. This lack of leadership proved fatal. They lost control of their so-called army which set to looting the homes and towns of Eastern Christians. The German contingent managed to seize a Seljuk city and the French began agitating for their leaders to do likewise. A couple Turkish spies spread a rumor in the French camp that the Germans were marching on Nicaea. So the French rushed out to beat them to it. While passing thru a narrow valley, they were wiped out by waiting Seljuk forces.A remnant made it back to Constantinople where they joined up with the knights who were just then, at the end of the Summer, arriving from Europe. This force formed into contingents grouped around the great lords. This was the kind of military force Pope Urban II and the Emperor Alexius had envisioned.The Crusaders realized they had to conquer and occupy Antioch in Syria first or a victory over Jerusalem would be short-lived. They took the city, but then barely survived a siege laid in by the Turks. Breaking the siege in the Spring of 1099, the leaders of the Crusade ended their quarrels and marched South. Their route took them along the coast to Caesarea, where they headed inland toward their goal. They arrived in the vicinity of Jerusalem in early June.By that time the army was reduced to 20,000. The effect of seeing the Holy City for the first time was electrifying. These men had fought and slogged their way across thousands of miles, leaving their homes and cultures to encounter new sights, sounds and tastes. And every step of the way, their goal was Jerusalem—the place where Jesus had lived and died. Accounts of that moment say the warriors fell on their knees and kissed the sacred earth. They removed their armor and in bare feet w/tears, cried out to God in confession and praise.A desperate but futile attack was made on the City five days later. Boiling pitch and oil were used by Jerusalem's defenders, with showers of stones and anything else they could get their hands on that would do damage. Then the Crusaders set a siege that took the usual course. Ladders, scaling towers, and other siege-engines were built. The problem is, they had to travel miles to get wood.  The trees around Jerusalem had all been cut down by the Roman General Titus twelve centuries before. They'd never grown back.The City was surrounded on 3 sides by Raymund of Toulouse, Godfrey, Tancred, and Robert of Normandy. It was a hot Summer and the suffering of the besiegers was intense as water was scarce. Soon, the valleys and hills around the city walls were covered w/dead horses, whose rotting carcasses made life in camp unbearable.Someone got the brilliant idea to duplicate Joshua's battle plan at Jericho. So the Crusaders took off their shoes and with priests leading, began marching around Jerusalem, hoping the walls would fall down. Of course, they didn't. I wonder what they did with the guy who came up with the idea. Help at last came with the arrival of a fleet at Joppa harbor from Genoa carrying workmen and supplies who went to work building new siege gear.The day of the final assault finally arrived. A huge tower topped by a golden cross was dragged up to the walls and a massive plank bridge was dropped so the Crusaders could rush from tower to the top of the wall. The weakened defenders couldn't stop the mass of warriors who flooded into their City.The carnage that followed is one more chapter in the many such scenes Jerusalem has known.Once they'd secured the City, the blood-splattered Crusaders paused to throw God a bone. Led by Godfrey, freshly changed into a suit of white linen, the Crusaders went to the church of the Holy Sepulcher and offered prayers and thanksgiving. Then, devotions over, the massacre recommenced. Neither the tears of women, nor the cries of children, did anything to halt to terror. The leaders tried to restrain their troops but they'd been let off the chain and were determined to let as much blood out of bodies as possible.When it was finally over, Muslim prisoners were forced to clear the streets of the bodies and blood to save the city from pestilence.Remember Peter the Hermit, who'd lead the peasant army to disaster? He made it to Jerusalem before returning to Europe where he founded a monastery and died in 1115.Pope Urban II also died just 2 weeks after the fall of Jerusalem, before the news reached him.Looking back, it's clear the First Crusade came at probably the only time it could have been successful.  The Seljuk Turks had broken up into rival factions in 1092. The Crusaders entered into the region like a knife before a new era of Muslim union and conquest opened. That's what those newly arrived Crusaders would now have to face.Just eight days after capturing Jerusalem, a permanent government was set-up. It was called “The Kingdom of Jerusalem.” Godfrey was elected king, but declined the title of royalty, unwilling to wear a crown of gold where the Savior had worn a crown of thorns.  He adopted the title Baron and Defender of the Holy Sepulcher.From the moment of its birth, the Kingdom of Jerusalem was in trouble. Less than a year later they made an appeal to the Germans for reinforcements. And Godfrey survived the capture of Jerusalem by only a year. He was buried in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where his sword and spurs are still on display. On his tomb is the inscription: “Here lies Godfrey of Bouillon, who conquered all this territory for the Christian religion. May his soul be at rest with Christ.”Rome immediately moved to make The Kingdom of Jerusalem part of it's region of hegemony. The archbishop of Pisa, Dagobert, who'd been a part of the Crusade, was elected to be Jerusalem's Patriarch.The new rulers turned from conquest to defense and governing. They tried to layer the feudal system of Europe onto Middle Eastern society. The conquered territory was distributed among Crusader barons, who held their possessions under the king of Jerusalem as overlord. The four chief fiefs were Jaffa, Galilee, Sidon, and east of the Jordan River, a region called Kerat. The counts of Tripoli and Edessa and the prince of Antioch were independent of Jerusalem but were closely allied due to the nearby Muslim menace.The Crusader occupation of Israel was far from peaceful. The kingdom was torn by constant intrigues of civil rulers and religious clerics. All that while it faced unending threats from without. But it was the inner strife that was the main cause of weakness. Monks settled in swarms all over the country. The Franciscans became guardians of the holy places. The offspring of the Crusaders by Moslem women, called pullani, became a blight as they were given over to unrelenting greed and the most grotesque immorality.When Godfrey died, he was succeeded by his brother Baldwin, count of Edessa. Baldwin was intelligent and the most active king of Jerusalem. He died after eight years; his body laid next to his brother's.During Baldwin's reign, the kingdom grew significantly. Caesarea fell to the Crusaders in 1101, then Ptolemais in 1104. Beirut in 1110. But Damascus never fell to the Crusaders. With the progress of their arms, they built castles all over their holdings in the Middle East. The ruins of those fortifications stand today and are premier tourist sites.Many of the Crusaders, who began the adventure planning to return to Europe, decided rather to stay once the work of conquest was finished. One wrote, “We who were Westerners, are now Easterners. We have forgotten our native land.” Other Crusaders did return to Europe, only to return later. Even several European kings spent long stays in the Holy Land.During Baldwin's reign most of the leaders of the First Crusade either died or went home. But their ranks were continually replenished by fresh expeditions from Europe. Pope Pascal II, successor to Urban II, sent out a call for recruits. The Italian cities furnished fleets, and coordinated with land forces. The Venetians, Pisans, and Genoese established quarters of their own in Jerusalem, Acre, and other cities. Thousands took up the Crusader cause in Lombardy, France, and Germany. They were led by Anselm, archbishop of Milan, Stephen, duke of Burgundy, William, duke of Aquitaine, Ida of Austria, and others. Hugh who'd gone home, returned. Bohemund also came back with 34,000.  Two Crusader armies attacked the Islamic stronghold at Bagdad.Baldwin's nephew, also named Baldwin, succeeded his uncle and reigned for 13 years, till 1131. He conquered the strategic city of Tyre on the coast. It was 1124 and that marked the high-water point of Crusader power.Over the next 60 yrs, Jerusalem saw a succession of weak rulers while the Muslims from Damascus to Egypt were uniting under a new band of competent and charismatic leaders. The last of these was Saladin. He became caliph in 1174 and set out to retake Jerusalem.But that's for our next episode . . .[1] Shelley, B. L. (1995). Church history in plain language (Updated 2nd ed.) (187–188). Dallas, Tex.: Word Pub.