Born near Mecca ca. 570 Orphaned early, raised by uncle, camel driver. Married a wealthy older widow. Had six children but all but one (Fatima, daughter) died. Secluded himself for a life of prayer, but was unimpressed with the Pagan worship of the area. The cave was Hira near Mecca Announced around 612 that he was visited by Archangel Gabriel in his cave and recited the exact words he was given into the Quran. The speed with which Islam spread was historic. While Moslems were very skilled militarily, their success was not always accomplished at the point of the sword. What happens when competing faiths sincerely believe they owe it to society to spread their good news? Much of the eastern Christian world became predominately Moslem within 100 years. Both military prowess and authentic conversions played roles. Charles Martels defense of France and Byzantines of her empire were the checks on expansion. There were actually hundreds of years of tolerance in the newly claimed Islamic lands. A breakaway group moving into present day Persia/Iran took control of much of the east. Seljuk Turks The Seljuk Turks continued assuming power from other Moslems and consolidating power. They showed much less toleration for non-moslems They had designs on the Byzantine Empire and in 1071, dealt them a devastating defeat at the battle of Manzikert. Byzantine Army is divided by Emperor and ordered to frontier (Manzikert) One half never makes it, the other which includes the emperor is defeated and the emperor captured. Emperor agrees to annex much of his empire Byzantine was an important buffer for Europe. What do you do when your flank suddenly starts to disappear? Seljuks were also taking territory from other Moslems and proving to be much less tolerant of Christians. How do you respond to an apparently aggressive threat? Compare 1930s Europe and United States. From a purely practical point-of-view, many military leaders of today would agree with the response of the West. An ally was threatened and seemed incapable of defending itself. Fellow Christians in the east were being persecuted under the new regimes of the Seljuks. Europe was very disjointed in leadership and fighting defensive battles would be difficult. As we will see, however, the goals which were often noble, were subject to the flaws, pride, ego, and greed of many individuals.