Abbasid+Decline+and+Spread+of+Islam

__Notes on Pages 143-160 (Note: Sorry Mr. Green, I misread and did actual notes instead of an ESPIRIT chart, but I can assure you these notes are very comprehensive)__



****From Arab to Islamic Empire: The Early Abbasid Era:****
 * Abbasid Empire chose **Baghdad** as their new capital (mainly due to their closer ties with the previous Persian Empire
 * The bureaucratization of the Islamic Empire continues, as the power the **wazir**, or chief administrator under the caliph, greatly increases.
 * Wazirs saw the creation of administrative infrastructure in order to spread orders from capital.
 * Abbasid regime successful (for nearly a century) in collecting tax revenues and preserving law over its large empire.
 * 
 *  Islamic Conversion and Mawali Acceptance
 * Abbasid dynasty sees the full integration of the **malawi** (nonbelievers) and Muslims into the Islamic community. Both groups were accepted as equals, and over time converts were on equal footing with first generation Muslims.
 * Most converts were won over by large appeal of Islam, and greater opportunities arose for them. Persians took most advantage of these opportunities.


 *  Town and Country: Commercial Boom and Agrarian Expansion
 * Abbasid age held great urban expansion and revived Afro-Eurasian trade networks to expand the merchant class.
 * Muslims merchants trade heavily in the Mediterranean and Indian seas. Revenue from trade was reinvested in new commercial and charitable enterprises.
 * Abbasid cities see a great increase in handicraft production.
 * Unskilled work was usually left for slaves or tenent farmers with no land.


 *  The first flowering of Islamic Learning
 * Islamic contributions to learning were primarily focused of __math and science__. Greek scientific and philosophical writing was preserved by the Arabs. The works of writers such as Aristotle, Galen, Hippocrates, Ptolemy, and Euclid were all saved and recopied throughout the empire.
 * Merchants were seen with the role of carrying goods and inventions from one land to another. Ex. The Muslim invaders in India redistributed the Indian numeric system throughout Asia and Europe through the activity of Muslim merchants.

=**Abbasid Decline and the Spread of Islamic Civilization to South and Southeast Asia** =
 * Muslims ships called **//dhows//** were fundamental in successful trade for Arabs and for the speed at which Islam spread. This was mainly because the ship's small frame and triangular sails enabled it to move much faster than any other ships.

**The Islamic Heartlands in the Middle and Late Abbasid Eras**
**Main Idea**: Nearly 300 years after Islam was first preached, the Abbasid dynasty begins to lose control over the vast Muslim empire that it had won form the Ummayads almost a century before. Political decline and social turmoil were offset for many, however, by the urban influence, inventiveness, and artistic creativity of the late Abbasid age.
 * **Al Mahdi** attempts to bring together the Shi'a moderates with the rest of the people, but his diplomacy failed.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">He is much less modest than other caliphs and spends alot of $$$
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">After his eldest son was poisoned, the power goes to **Harun al-Rashid**, one of the greatest Abbasid caliphs of the time.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Imperial Extravagance and Succession Disputes
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Harun al-Rashid had a great taste in luxurious items; he great displays of wealth bedazzled all travelers.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">al-Rashid became heavily dependent on a family of Persian advisors, and even through he began to resist their influence, Persians still maintains much power in the court of the caliph.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Civil War began after the death of al-Rashid, and the successors of **al-Ma'mun**, the victor, established an armed force of nomads that served as the personal army of the caliph. Later played a major role in the struggle for succession.


 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Imperial Breakdown and Agrarian Disorder
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Extensive and unnecessary spending placed much pressure on the tax-paying lower-class, as new high- maintenance buildings were being built in new imperial centers.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Heavy taxation of the peasantry led to the sparking of violence and chaos in some Abbasid cities; with dissident religious groups often instigating these rebellions.


 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> The Declining Position of Women in Family and Society
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The harem and veil are symbols of the "inferiority" of women at the time. My caliphs also had slave concubines that were restricted to a certain section of the palace.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Slaves and concubines were bought from markets outside of Arabia. Intelligent slaves were given more attention and a higher value than other slaves.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">High-class women were mostly confined to the household, devoted to raising their children and advancing the status of their husbands and sons.


 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Nomadic Incursions and the Eclipse of Caliphal Power
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Chaos and struggle in the capital prevent caliphs for stopping the rise of other dissident groups or kingdoms within empire.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">**Buyids**, a new Persian family that took over the control of Baghdad, failed in prevent dissolution of Abbasid regime and dissolved in 1055. A new group, the **Seljuk Turks**, gained control of the Calph and the Empire, and they successfully expanded and strengthen the Islamic empire through military re-expansion and the crushing of rebellion by Shi'a


 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Impact of Christian Crusades
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">During a time of great internal division, Christians from Western Europe were able to conquer a portion of the empire (Palestine).
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Christian crusaders able to maintain control over **Holy Land** for two centuries, and finally Saladin, a young leader, is able to united Muslims and recapture all of lost land.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Muslim and Christian interaction results in great exchange of ideas, mainly from Muslims to Christian Europeans. Many Arab weapons and technologies were taken by the crusaders back to Europe. Also, mathematical (number system) and scientific knowledge is also borrowed.

<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**An Age of Learning and Artistic Refinement**

 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">**Main Idea**: "Paradoxically, even as the political power of the Abbasids declined, Islamic civilization reached new heights of creativity and entered into a new age of expansion.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Even as political power of Abbasid empire declined, Islamic civilization reached new creative and artistic heights.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> The full flowering of Persian Literature
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Persian gradually replaced Arabic in the Abbasid Court, Arabic remained for religion and law.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Persian literature proliferated in the 11th century with the writings of **Omar Khayyam** (Rubaiyat) ; also, the epic poem Shah-Nama, written by **Firdawsi**, relates in great detail the complete history of Persia.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Persian writers from Abaasid Empire write about a wide range of topics; from spirituality to materialism


 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Achievements in the Sciences
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">For a large portion of the Abbasid regime, Islamic civilization outstripped all others in the innovation of new technologies.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Major __discoveries in chemistry and astronomy__ were advanced under the Abbasids; The objective experiment and the classification of all matter; astronomical instruments for navigation.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Muslim scientific investigations have very practical applications to use in everyday life (one of the best hospitals; medical courses for doctors; paper-making; ...etc)


 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Religious Trends and the New Push for expansion
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Social strife and political divisions vs. the expanded trading and intellectual creativity - visible in religious development
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Religious scholars **(Ulama)** block new ideas from Crusader and Greek societies, attempt to keep Islamic society pure from outside influences, prevent/lessen **syncretism**.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Al-Ghazali, one of the greatest Muslim theologians, attempts to fuse Greek and Quranic traditions.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">**Sufi** movements arises in empire, a mystical ideology that sought to seek union with Allah; however, still maintained unity of God.


 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> New Waves of Nomadic Invasions and the End of the Calpihate
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">In early 13th century, the Mongols, united under **Chinggis Khan,** begin to invade Islamic empire from the east. The caliphate crumbles as Hugelu, Khan's grandson, continues the conquest against the Muslims.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Baghdad is sacked and never returns to its old glory, and the Mongols are defeated by the **Mamluks,** Turkic slaves that ruled Egypt.