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750
Establishment of the Abbasid caliphate (Baghdad)
The Abbasid Empire was established in 750 and founded Baghdad as their capital. This is important because this age would bring about advancements in technology, literature, and science, as well as many other areas of learning. -
Period: 786 to 809
Reign of al-Rashid
Harun al-Rashid was one of the most well known Islamic rulers and endured a lot during his reign. During his reign, Harun lived a very comfortable and wealthy life and worked closely with a family of Persian advisors. He ascended at the age of 23, and his death would begin the first of many civil wars which would be very significant. -
809
First war of succession between Abbasid princes
After the death of al-Rashid, a civil war over who would rule next broke out. The winner was al-Mamun and his sons built armies in anticipation of the next war that would come once al-Mamun was dead. This was important because it marked the first of many conflicts over who the next leader would be after the previous one dies. -
Period: 813 to 833
Reign of al-Ma'mun; first mercenary forces recruited
The reign of al-Mamun brought about the creation of a large army force. This would be the first mercenary force recruited, which was significant as these forces would continue to grow throughout the decades, and the rulers would often recruit slaves. -
945
Persian Buyids capture Baghdad; caliphs become puppet rulers
The Buyid armies from Persia invaded the Abbasid Empire and took over Baghdad. The caliphs had close to no power and were control by the Buyids, whose leaders claimed the title of sultan. -
1020
Seljuk Turks overthrow Buyids, control caliphate
The Seljuk Turks from Central Asia overtook the Buyids and ruled in their place. This group was Sunni, and the ruled in the name of the Abbasid caliphs. This was significant because once again, the caliphs there had no actual power. -
Period: 1058 to 1111
Life of al-Ghazali, philosopher and scientist
Al-Ghazali was one of the greatest Islamic theologians but had a hard time bringing together Greek and Islamic traditions. Even though he was a great thinker, his ideas weren't always accepted by the ulama- a group of Orthodox religious scholars within Islam. What he did was significant because most people at the time felt that the Greek tradition would bring down the Qur'an's authority. -
Period: 1096 to 1099
First Christian Crusade in Palestine
This crusade was the most successful because they had caught the Seljuks by surprise, and there were Muslim political divisions at the time. They were able to reclaim much of the Holy Land, including the city of Jerusalem which was significant because that city was important to Christians, as well as Muslims and Jews. -
1290
Beginnings of the spread of Islam in southeast Asia
Islam began to spread to southeast Asia, particularly India in the 1290s. Hinduism was the predominant religion in India and was vastly different from Islam. Obviously this would lead to a lot of conflict between India and the Muslim invaders, but eventually, the two groups came to a tense peace, and some would convert to Islam, which was important because Isalm would further spread. -
1291
Fall of Acre; last crusader stronghold in Middle East
After two centuries of crusades, the last of the crusader stronghold fell, ending the crusader kingdoms. The crusades left an impact on both the Christians and Muslims, and despite losing some of their lands to the crusaders, the Christain was impacted more due to the new technology they would introduce to Europe from the Muslims which was significant