The Start of the First Crusade – Umayyad and Abbasid Dynasty

Part A1

The start of the first Crusade was that the followers of popular preachers believed they were witnessing mankind’s last days and that a messianic figure would destroy the Muslims who were “infidel” and free the Holy Land. This inspired thousands of people to leave and march toward Jerusalem. The followers believed their faith would get them through this movement and this lead to many of them starving and some dying from lack of food and water, and also being enslaved by the Turks.

(Acrobatiq, 2017)

Part A2 

Alexius called Pope Urban II hoping that he would form an army for him. The pope then called a council to help resolve several issues of religion which included freeing the Holy Land from Muslim Turks. There ended up being 300 people who rallied together including bishops, lords and kings. The Pope’s plea was a success and this lead him to form an army and head to Jerusalem. Their goal was for there to be a Holy War or a crusade. The pope had promised that the ones who die during the quest would go directly to heaven. (Acrobatiq, 2017) 

Part B1 

The Umayyad Dynasty and the Abbasid Dynasty had different ways of how they decided to expand their territory and power. The Umayyad Dynasty went the route of conquering. They would capture major cities for their economic benefit and with this they slowly started expanding out to north of Arabia. The Abbasid Dynasty went the route of trade to expand their territory. They controlled most of the international trade routes that were in the Eastern Hemisphere. (Acrobatiq, 2017) 

Part B2 

The Umayyad Dynasty was very divided when it came to class. The people of the dynasty were very upset over the fact that Arab Muslim rulers were living a life of luxury and other Muslim citizens were living very poor. This was something that made the people question the dynasty. The Umayyad Dynasty preached about equality and promoted everyone being equal, yet a large majority of the non-Arab Muslims were being discriminated against. This issue could fall under religious policies and political policies because of the issue of class and how this affected the thoughts on religion. (Acrobatiq, 2017) 

The Abbasid Dynasty rulers and their government said that anyone who was a ruler and had power, their power came from God and not from the people. This is an example of how religious and political policies can go hand in hand. This lead to the dynasty saying that their government would base itself on the principle of piety, and not on things such as race, ethnic background and tolerance. The Abbasid Dynasty had a prime minister called a vizier. This person was the most trusted servant and was put in charge of civil and military affairs. This lead to some cities and different areas being able to have more control and run their own affairs. (Acrobatiq, 2017) 

Part C 

The Silk Roads were built on both sides of the Grand Canal and were guarded by soldiers to ensure safe and secure travel for travelers and for trade in the empire. The Silk Roads also joined roads from India and southern Russia. The Silk Roads helped transport many different items such as silk, spices, porcelain, gold, silver, perfume and many other products. This also allowed Muslim merchants and other missionaries in helping to spread religion. (Acrobatiq, 2017)

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