How threatening were Muslims to Christians 1071-95? Flashcards
why were Muslims arguably not threatening to Christians 1071-95, despite holding Nicaea and Antioch?
Nicaea given to Turks to garrison peacefully (c.1080) as was Antioch (1085)
what is a major limitation to the threat that Muslims posed to Christians 1071-95?
Turks and Fatimids more interested with fighting each other than Christians.
why were Muslims arguably a large threat to Christians 1071-95, despite gaining many lands peacefully?
Turkish conquest and control of Anatolia undoubtedly had a real impact on the lives of the previously overwhelmingly Christian population.
how were the seljuks threatening to christians in the 1070s?
battle of manzikert
how was the battle of manzikert threatening to Christians?
- large Turkish warbands now had access to Anatolia.
- Byzantium was cut off from sources of Armenian manpower for armies.
- change in fundamentals: use of land, religion, law & order
- led to Byzantine civil war and unrest
how were Muslims threatening to Christians in Anatolia in the 1070s?
- Areas in Anatolia taken over by bands of Turks outside authority of Seljuk Sultan
- Area around Sebasteia fell to Danishmends
- Another group pushed westwards under Suleiman ibn Qutulmish, a cousin of Alp Arslan; he lent his assistance in the civil wars 1070s so in 1078 came into possession of Nicaea, 1084 came into possession of Antioch
- mercenary Turkish forces had a destabilising effect
- Smyrna captured by semi-indepedent emir Caka
- by 1090 virtually the whole of Anatolia was in the hands of Turkish or Armenian warlords - Byzantines controlled only area around Chalcedon and Trebizond
who conquered the area around Sebasteia in the 1070s?
Danishmends
what area did the Danishmends conquer in the 1070s?
around Sebasteia
who came into possession of Antioch and Nicaea in 1078 and 1084?
Suleiman ibn Qutulmish
how were Muslims threatening towards Christians in Anatolia in the 1080s?
- In the early 1080s Alexius had an alliance with Suleiman of Rum, but he died in 1086.
- 1090: Imperial preoccupation with Pecheneg threat led Abu’l-Kasim (Turkish ruler of Nicaea) to prepare to attack Nicomedia and in 1091: Diversion of some Flemish knights to deal with Pechenegs meant Nicomedia was lost
- Danishmends launched attacks from eastern Anatolia into Cappadocia (major towns like Sebasteia and Kaisereia)
- Caka built a fleet to raid Byzantine islands in Aegean and disrupted shipments from towns and islands to Constantinople; attempts to defeat Caka using Byzantine fleet failed and he soon posed a threat to Constantinople itself
By 1095, due to Byzantine losses, the city of Constantinople itself was the only effective barrier to the Turks sweeping into Christian Europe.
how were the SEljuk and Fatimids together threatening to Christians 1071-95?
- Seljuk-Fatimid war over Syria and Palestine (Threat to Christian Pilgrims – e.g. Seljuk attacks on Great German Pilgrimage of 1064-65)
- Seljuk control of Jerusalem (1071-1098) – more intolerant than Fatimids
what evidence is there that Christians felt threatened by Muslims 1095?
Alexius I’s letter to Urban II in 1095 detailed alleged atrocities against Eastern Christians in Anatolia.
how were Almoravids threatening to Christians 1071-95?
- 1086: Under the leadership of Yusuf, the Almoravids defeated the army of Alfonso VI at Zallaqa (Sagrajas), just north east of Badajoz,; the Christian threat seemed to have been answered, and Yusuf returned to Morocco
- The Almoravids disapproved strongly the subservience of their co-religionists to Christians, and particularly opposed the payment of tributes (parias) to non-Muslims, which was prohibited by Islamic law (the Shari’ah), and were appalled at the positions of authority enjoyed by Christians and Jews in Andalusi society. Attitudes hardened, hostility increased and persecution became widespread, obliging many Christian and Jews to emigrate to the Christian north.
why did the Almoravids target Christians?
Inspired by the religious teachings of Muslim revivalists, the Almoravids were fundamentalists who took the words of the Qur’an literally, preaching uncompromising jihad, both in the sense of self-reform and imposing religious reform through war, as they spread northwards. Within 25 years they had conquered all of Morocco and reached the shores of the Mediterranean.
what evidence is there that Muslims were not threatening to Christians 1071-95?
- Fatimids enjoyed good long-term relations with the Byzantines and were largely tolerant of Christians (could even be in government).
- The collapse of the al-Andalus in Spain meant that Muslim princes there were divided and not expansionistic (until arrival of Almoravids).
- Norman Sicily demonstrated that Latin Christians and Muslims could live together.
- Both Seljuks and Fatimids in the East largely left Eastern Christian communities to manage themselves provided they paid taxes as ‘dhimmis’.
why were the Seljuks arguably not threatening towards Christians 1071-95?
- Stories of Seljuk atrocities against Eastern Christians in Anatolia were greatly exaggerated.
- Byzantine generals forged close relations with Seljuk warlords and used them in civil war in 1070s; Nikephoros III used them in his seizure of the throne in 1078.
- The alliance between Alexius I and Suleiman ibn Kutulmush (1081-86) was very important to the stability of the Byzantine Empire and helped him fight his enemies e.g. Normans.
- Death of Malik Shah and collapse of Seljuk Empire in 1092 reduced the potential threat.
- Emergence of multiple Turkish factions in Anatolia led to in-fighting between them.
why could Manzikert not be considered as part of the Muslim threat to Christians?
Turkish conflict with Byzantines at Manzikert was ‘accidental’ as the Turks were more interested in fighting Fatimids.
