ISLAMIC HISTORYMuhammad to Modernity

Chronology of Early Caliphs

• Muhammad: 570 to 632• Abu Bakr – 632 to 634

• 1st caliph & Muhammad’s father-in-law

• Elected caliph

• Umar – 634 to 644• Assassinated

• Uthman – 644 to 656• Published the Qur’an• Assassinated

• Ali – 656 to 661• Married to Fatimah• Assassinated

• Mu’awiya – 661 to 680• Part of Umaayad family• Accused Ali of Uthman’s

assassination • War Ali assassinated• Capitol goes to Damascus• “Umaayad Caliphate”

(661-750CE)• Causes Sunni/Shiite split

• Abu’ al-Abbas 750-754• Starts Abbasid caliphate

• Al-Mansur 754-775• Moves capitol to Baghdad

Sunni/Shiite Split• Uthman is assassinated (656), Ali becomes caliph, Ali is

assassinated 5 years later.

• Debate is Over Authority to Interpret Qur’an and Sunna• Sunni Believe in the “Ulama” (religious scholars) and Caliphate• Shiite Believe in Ali and Ali’s Successors and Imamate

• Civil war (Mu’awiya vs. Ali) results in Ali’s assassination & establishment of the Umaayad Dynasty (the 1st “state”)

• At Ali’s Funeral

Turks & Mongols• In 900’s, Turks appeared and started converting to Islam

• Turks overran Persia 1020-30 – Baghdad Fell in 1055(Abbasids become puppet regime)

• Turks Defended Islam During Crusades (1099-1187)

• Mongols Invade (1219-1295)• Chinggis Khan• Hulegu Khan Defeated the Abbasids in 1258• Ghazan Khan Converts (1295) and Establishes the Khanate• Rules mostly through Persian viziers

Ottoman Empire (1299-1923)• Osman Rises to Power in 1299

• Expands & Defeats Constantinople in 1453. Istanbul Becomes the Ottoman Capitol

• Mehmet Works Out Compromise w/Orthodox Church(Christian religious autonomy for Ottoman political rule)

• Expansion and Dominance in 16th Century

• Stagnation and Political Westernization 17th-19th Century

Western Imperialism and WW I• Britain Starts Colonizing North African and Middle East

in Late 19th Century

• WW I Destroys the Ottoman Empire(Ottoman secret treaty w/Germany against Russia)

• Launches a Period of Arab Nationalism (Islamic Brotherhood/backlash to secularism/British rule)

WW II and Cold War Aftermath• Middle East / N. Africa fought over in WWII for oil

• Aftermath of WW II leads to

• U.N. and Establishment of Israel• End of European Imperialism and establishment of Arab national

states• Increase in Cold War tensions

(Eastern block, western block, and non-aligned nations)• Increasing economic power of Arab states due to OIL

Israel• In aftermath of the holocaust, U.N. and England decide to

establish the state of Israel in British controlled Palestine.

• Intent is to

Iran, the CIA, and the Hostage Crisis• Operation Ajax (1953)

• Shah of Iran (1954-1979)

• Hostage Crisis, Ayatollah Khoemeni, and the Islamic State

• Iraq and Saddam Hussein

• Iran Iraq War

• Current Tensions (Hezbollah, and Nuclear Weapons)

Afghanistan and al-Qaeda• Nomadic/Tribal Muslims

• Soviet Invasion in 1980

• U.S. Trained and Supported Opposition

• Opposition Won and then Turned on U.S./West