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Ali ibn Abi-Talib,first Shi'a Imam and the fourth caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate,is assassinated while praying at a shrine at Kufa. In Shia Islam, his son Hasan ibn Ali succeeds him as the second Imam. In Sunni Islam,he is succeeded by Muawiyah I, who moves his seat of government to Damascus and founds the Umayyad Caliphate.
Muawiyah I imprisons patriarch Giwargis I after his refusal to pay tribute. The Christians are persecuted and their churches are destroyed. -
The Battle of Tours was fought between Poitiers and Tours, cities in north-central France. It was near the village of Moussais-la-Bataille.
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The Battle of the Zab occurred on the banks of the Great Zab river, which is now Iraq, on January 25, 750. It defines the end of the Umayyad Caliphate and the rise of the Abbasids, which become a major dynasty and go on to last until the 13th century.
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Independent dynasties ruled separate Muslim states in Spain, Egypt, and other regions. Civil wars started appearing and Shiite rulers starting taking over parts of the empire.
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The Seljuk Turks migrate from Central Asia to the Middle East and adopt Islam. They built a large empire across the The Fertile Crescent, a region in the Middle East which curves, hence "crescent."
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Abbasid Caliphate is losing power but retains spiritual control. The Seljuk Turks capture Baghdad and take rule from them.
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Starting as Christian pilgrimage and ending in military expedition by the Roman Catholic Europe to recapture the Holy Land back from the Muslims.
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Alongside other sieges and captures, the Crusaders marched upon Jerusalem. The Crusaders suffered from a lack of food and water but they kept at the siege until finally taking control.
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A siege on the city of Jerusalam that lasted from September 20 to October 2, 1187. If people wanted to leave, they had to pay ransom. Europe responded in 1189 by launching the Third Crusade led by Richard the Lionheart, Philip Augustus, and Frederick Barbarossa separately.
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The Marinidis take over north eastern Morocco
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Mongols capture Baghdad and take rule in Iran and Iraq. Supposed end of Islamic Golden Age.
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Timur the Lame, or Tamerlane, a mongol leader, led armies into the Middle East. Tamerlane was a Muslim but strived to take Muslim and non-Muslims regions. They succeeded through Persia and Mesopotamia before invading India and Russia.
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Castile and Aragon capture Granada in Spain. This end the 800 year Muslim rule in Spain.
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The Ottoman empire is reaching its peak. Selim I dies and is followed by " Suleiman the Magnificent." The Ottomans have control in Southeast Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa.
