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Abu Bakr was determined to continue the work of Muhammad. This is important because the word of God will continue to be spread
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Arab armies marched from victory to victory. This is important because they conquered new land and demolished the Persian empire. Ali was assassinated in a struggle for leadership.
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Muslims crossed the Strait of Gibraltar into Spain and pushed north into France. This is important because the Muslims were conquering more land
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The Muslims were defeated at the battle of Tours. This is important because, the Muslim could not advance into Western Europe.
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The end of the rule of the Umayyad dynasty. Muslims found a leader in Abu al- Abbas who defeated Damascus. The Abbassid dynasty helped make Islam a universal religion because it ended the Arav dominance. This helped islam spread.
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the Seljuk authority controlled Baghdad, but he left the Abbassid caliph as a figurehead. This is important because, the Seljuks threatened the Byzantine empire as they pushed into Asia Minor.
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Christian pilgrims traveled to Jerusalem. This is important because, it led Pope Urban II to call for the First Crusade
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Christian crusaders captured Jerusalem. This is important because, they fought through a long and bloody seige, or attack.
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The Muslim general Salah al-Din, or Saladin, ousted Christians from Jerusalem. This is important because they regained it in 1244. They also ruled a few tiny states in Palestine
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Genghiz Khan led the Mongols out of Central Asia. This is important because, they were led across Persia and Mesopotamia
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Hulagu, grandson of Genghiz, burned and looted Baghdad. This is important because it killed the last Abbassid caliph. Later, the Mongols adopted Islam
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Timur the Lame, or Tamerlane, led his armies into the Middle East. This is important because Tamerlane planned to conquer Muslim as well as non-Muslim lands. The armies overran Persia and Mesopotamia before invading Russia and India
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Christians seized the last Muslim stronghold after centuries of fighting to reconquer Spain. This is important because Spaniards originally adopted Islam because Muslim rules were more forgiving than Christian rulers.
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Suleiman becomes ruler of the Ottoman empire. This is important because, during his reign, the empire grew.
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Abbassid control over the Arab empire fragmented. This is important because as the caliph's power faded, civil wars erupted, and Shiite rulers took over parts of the empire.
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The Seljuk Turks migrated into the Middle East from Central Asia. This is important because, they adopted Islam and built an empire across the Fertile Crescent.
