Board Thread:Timeline Discussions/@comment-25205072-20150422083509/@comment-25205072-20150814121812

ISLAMIC EMPIRE HISTORIES





 Umayyad:

 When  Abd al-Rahman I ascended to the Umayyad, his former lands were all taken over by the Abbassids, with exception of the North Africa and Islamic spain. At the time, his father had been killed in a battle against the Abbassids and the Umayyad family only narrowly missed annhilation from rejecting amnesty to the Abbassids. As such, the Abbassids marched onto Tunis while Abd al-Rahman I prepared for the battle of his life. In 749, Abul `Abbas al-Saffaḥ marched his army just outside the town of Gabes numbering well into 60,000 men. Abd al-Rahman I had only 20,000 men supported by 15,000 Spanish Christian mercenaries who were skilled heavy infantry hailing from the haydays of Visigothic spain. Abul `Abbas al-Saffah was a skilled fighter and clearly outnumbered the Umayyad army however Abd al-Rahman I had managed to trick 20,000 of Abul's men into thinking he had a larger force. He hid his main body of his force in the dry like, numbering 20,000 while his heavy infantry faced the onlsaught of 40,000 islamic fighters. Abul knew something was wrong however, his arrogance got the better of him and he chraged headlong into the Spanish infantry, main of whom were experienced fighters who had no trouble out matching the lightly armoured Islamic army. Then at the right moment Abd al-Rahman I released his 20,000 strong army onto the weakened 35,000 men of Abul `Abbas al-Saffah, to which most ran. While Abul `Abbas al-Saffah and 5,000 of his riders narrowly escaped and retreated to Damascus. The battle was a major success and the Byzantines coudl take a breather knowing that the Islamic empire could no long threaten its borders for the moment.





Umayyad rule was quite peaceful with the occasional rebellions, Umayyad spain and North Africa entered a golden age under;



Hisham I (788-800)

al-Hakam ( 800-823)

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.7999999999999998;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> Abd al-Rahman II (823-854)

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.7999999999999998;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">Muhammad I (854-886)

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.7999999999999998;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">al-Mundhir (886-890)

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.7999999999999998;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">Abdullah ibn Muhammad (890-913)

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.7999999999999998;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">Abdulllah ibn Muhammad II  (913-950)

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.7999999999999998;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">Muhammad II (950-987)

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.7999999999999998;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">Hisham II (987-1005)

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.7999999999999998;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">al-Mundhir II (1005-1015 regency by Abdullah al-Rahman, 1015-1047)

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.7999999999999998;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">Interregnum infighting from 1047-1051

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.7999999999999998;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">Hisham III (1051-1059 regency by Muhammad al-Umayyah, throne usurped by  Muhammad al-Umayyah  1059-1062, 1062-1073)

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.7999999999999998;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">By this time internal strife within the Umayyad Caliphate finally caught up with it and spread rebellious thought throughout the Umayyad Caliphate. Hisham III was the first of many caliphs to have their power usurped by rebellious subjects.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.7999999999999998;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">Hisham III successor Sulayman I faced internal troubles with the Umayyad ruling family itself, in 1089, his brother Muhammad the "Vengeful", claimed the caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate for his own and marched on Corduba with 10,000 men. Sulayman only had 4,500 men to defend Corduba, however his son al-Mundhir III arrives with a host of 12,750 men to relieve the siege and they kill Muhammad the "Vengeful". However this serverely weakens the power of the Umayyad family. It was only a year later that Hisham III died, ruling from 1073-1090. His son al-Mundhir III tried to reverse the effects of the bloody civil war inside the Umayyad family however he himself fell victim to court intrigue in 1101. His brother Muhammad III, ascended the throne weak and enfeebled. His court supported him but underpressure from the more powerful Alhomad family. His reign finally ended in 1121 when 2 years earlier the Alhomads rebelled and managed to take most of North Africa. Muhammad III managed to hold out for 1 year in Tunis but died when the Alhomads stormed the port city taking its fleet with them.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.7999999999999998;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.7999999999999998;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">With the lost of most of their North African territoriest, it was only a matter of time before Corduba would fall. After a series of incapable rulers which began with Sulayman II (1121-1129) and Sulayman III (1129-1131, usurped and ruling in exile from 1132-1137, restored in 1137-1138, murdered by his own troops) the Umayyad Caliphate was on the brink of collapse. However all was not lost, Muhammad IV, the cousin of the weak Sulayman III, embarked on a campaign to halt the expansion of the Alhomad and Christian Spain. He first would have to fight against his cousin al-Mundhir IV the "infidel". Placed on the throne with the support from the crown of Castille, al-Mundhir was Catholic convert who sought to transform the Umayyad caliphate into a christian caliphate. However with the support of Aragon, who were rivals with castille, they usurped the throne from al-Mundhir IV the "infidel". With the internal struggle finally over, Muhammad IV had to give the Aragonese their demands. In order to stop the Castillan and Alhomad incursions into Umayyad land, they would first need to take the Baeliric islands and give the two northern Islands to Aragon, they would then need to give a small portion of their land to Aragon and then the crown of Aragon would take over castillan lands.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.7999999999999998;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.7999999999999998;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">Muhammad had his son Hisham IV take the Baeliric islands from the local Emir, who had declared independence during the Alhomad crisis. Muhammad would then send a host of 15,000 men to support the Aragonese take Castillan lands. With the success of military campaigns under Caliph Muhammad IV "The Great", Muhammad became concerned with Castille's recent successes against Aragon. However he died in 1163 before he could do anything against Castille. His son Hisham IV, ascended to caliph in a very precarious situation. The kingdom of Portugal began taking lands from local Umayyad Emirs and Castille began raiding within Umayyad territory and began the takeover of the Crown of Galicia-Leon. To make matters worst, the crown of Aragon was embroiled within a civil war.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.7999999999999998;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">Hisham IV immediately rode out in 1165 with 10,000 men to relieve the siege of Beja. The portugese brought 12,500 men while the garrison of Beja numbered around 3000 men. Hiring 2000 Hispanic mercenaries, he prepared for battle. During the night, his men surronded the Portugese trapping them. He sent the mercenaries to slaughter the Portugese men while the slept however, they were alerted. He ordered the garrison to send 2000 men to support the raiding party while he sent a detachment force of 2500 men to raid their food supplies. The remaining bulk of his army snuck around and suprised the Portugese men. All 15,000 were killed including their king Alphonose I. The new king, king Sancho I immedietly sued for peaced a year later after Lisbon was captured.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.7999999999999998;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">The threat of Castille still loomed. But in responding to a raid, Hisham IV was killed in battle and al-Hakam II ascended to the throne in 1180 at age 9, and was under the regency of Aamir "the Byzantine". Aamir was an adventurer and had travelled to Constantinople to get his education there. Aamir immedietly focused on Castille. While not directly attacking them, he built up his forces and began to threaten Madrid itself. In 1191 when the regency ended, Aamir and al-Hakam II rode out to stop a large Castillan host numbering 30,000. al-Hakam II's forces numbered around 25,000 however mostly comprised of archers and light infantry. However Aamir, led a force of 5,000 infantry and cavalry to the pass around El Salloum. al-Hakam had his archers hide up and behind the pass. The Castillan host marched to El Salloum and as soon as they were drawn away by Aamir's small force, al-Hakam II cut the Castillan army to pieces. The success was astounding, the captured lands directly north of them and Castille soon sued for peace. However peace was broken in 1222 when a Castillan host began to march straight to Corduba. The force was cut to pieces and Castillans surrendered to the Umayyad. This victory prevented Castille from ever threatening the Umayyad Caliphate until 1453, after the fall of Tunis.

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