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Arab Empire: The Umayyad Caliphate. 600-1450 Lesson 1. Main Ideas:. Disputes over the succession of Muhammad threatened to rip apart the faith The Umayyad caliphs used the newly-found Arab unity created by Islam to expand and overcome weaker neighboring empires
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Arab Empire: The Umayyad Caliphate 600-1450 Lesson 1
Main Ideas: • Disputes over the succession of Muhammad threatened to rip apart the faith • The Umayyad caliphs used the newly-found Arab unity created by Islam to expand and overcome weaker neighboring empires • Treatment of non-Arab Muslims led to the downfall of the Umayyad Caliphate
Rise of the Caliphate • Succession crisis • likely candidates • Reign of Abu Bakr • Caliph: political & religious successor to Muhammad • implications
Forging an Empire • Early raids • Motivations to conquer • vengeance for manipulation of neighbors • redirect aggression • treasure & Muslim law • What about conversion…?
Forging an Empire • Reasons for success • underestimated by Persians & Byzantines • help from frontier Arab tribes & Christian sects • empires already in decline by 650
The Sunni-Shi’Ite Split • Divisions in Arab ranks • Murder of Uthman & rise of Ali • Assassination of Ali & the split • Sunni: supporters of Umayyads • Shi’ites: supporters of Ali • Battle of Karbala & death of Husayn • Umayyads control caliphate
The Umayyad Caliphate • Capital shifts to Damascus • Expansion in the Mediterranean • Social Distinctions • Arabs & the share of conquest • Mawali & exclusion • Dhimmi & the jizya • Rigid restriction of intermarriage
Decline & Fall of the Umayyads • Decadence & regionalism in the military • The Abbasids & alliance with the mawali & Shi’ites • Fate of the Umayyads • Córdoba & Al-Andalus