Sunday, December 31, 2017

What happened in the First Fitna?

Rashidun Caliphate
In 656, the young religion of Islam faced a crisis, its Caliph murdered and pass issues regarding succession of the Prophet Mohammed reemerged fueling the civil war called the First Fitna

Saturday, December 23, 2017

DocuNotes: Barbarians - The Goths

Originally aired on 2004, History Channel’s miniseries Barbarians tells the story of the people who made their names in the Medieval Age, from Rome to Asia. And in their first episode, narrator Clancy Brown tells the story of a people who brought the demise of the imperial city of Rome – the Goths.

Saturday, December 16, 2017

What is a Caliphate?

Abdulmecid II, the Last Sultan and Ottoman Caliph
In 2014, a term returned from the past and used to inspire fear and hatred. The Islamic State of Syria and Levant declared itself a Caliphate making many ask the question – What is a caliphate?

Sunday, December 10, 2017

Founders: Who was Muawiya I?

Umayyad Caliphate during Muawiya
In the 7th century, a new religion emerged in the inhospitable deserts of Arabia – Islam. Alongside with Islam, a new empire also emerged. Born from internal struggle, the Umayyad Caliphate became stronger and more organized than before. Credit to this reemergence mostly went to its founder – Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan.

Saturday, December 2, 2017

Brief History of Visigoth Spain

Regions of the Iberian Peninsula during the Visigoth Kingdom
Before the time of Isabella and Ferdinand and before Islamic Spain, Visigoths ruled the Iberian Peninsula.