Precursors
Islamic World
|
622 |
Prophet Muhammad's emigration (hijra) from Mecca to Medina |
|
632 |
Prophet Muhammad dies |
|
638 |
Caliph 'Umar takes Jerusalem |
|
661-750 |
Dynasty of Omayyads (Ummayads) |
|
700 |
Islam controls whole of coast of Northern Africa (Byzantine loses control of Egypt and Syria) |
|
711 |
Islamic forces invade Spain |
|
by 731 |
Islamic forces conquered most of Spain |
|
mid-8th century |
earlier unity begins to fail |
|
750 |
'Abbasids replace Omayyad caliphs |
|
750-1258 |
Caliphate of the 'Abbasids |
|
755 |
Emirate of Omayyads of Cordova founded |
|
868-905 |
Tulunids rule in Egypt (still nominally under 'Abbasids) |
|
869 |
Caliphate of Cordova founded |
|
in ninth century |
Islam conquers Sicily |
|
969 |
Emperor Nikephoros Phokas of Byzantine seizes Antioch in Syria from 'Abbasids |
|
969 |
Fatimids, a Shi'ite dynasty, seize Egypt. |
|
969-1071 |
Fatimid dynasty rule in Egypt; Fatimids try to take Syria and Palestine from 'Abbasids until 1060s & 1070s when driven out of Syria by Turks |
|
1002 |
al-Mansur, grand vizier of Cordoba dies |
|
1009 |
Al-Hakim, caliph of Egypt, Syria, and Palestine, begins persecuting Jews and Christians, destroys church of the Holy Sepulchre. This ends the previous peace in Palestine |
|
1021 |
al-Hakim disappears |
|
1031 |
Disintegration of Omayyad Cordova Caliphate into small kingdoms, making it easier for Christians to continue to retake Spain |
|
mid-11th century |
Turks migrate from central Asia to Middle East, "reunification of eastern Muslim domains shifted the ...balance...in favour of the east" (20) |
|
1040s |
Turks under Tughrul conquer Persia and invade Armenia and Iraq |
|
1055 |
Seldjuk Turks capture Baghdad |
|
1059 |
Seldjuk Turks under Toghrul Beg (Sunnite, of Persia) savages "Armenian town of Sebastea, in Byzantine territory" (37) |
|
1063 |
Toghrul Beg dies, "nephew, Alp-Arslan, intensified the raids on Armenia" (40) |
|
1067 |
Turks secure Armenia, further raids into Byzantine territory |
|
1070 |
Seldjuk Turks take Jerusalem from the Fatimid dynasty |
|
1071 |
Emperor Romanus IV tries to recapture Armenia. Defeated by Alp-Arslan at Battle of Manzikert (Malazgerd) on August 19. Seldjuks found Sultanate of Rum in Asia Minor |
|
1085 |
Antioch (northern Syria) conquered by Turks |
|
1085 |
Toledo captured by Castile under Alfonso VI |
|
1096 |
start of the First Crusade |
Christian World
|
by early 8th century |
Christians lost Palestine, North Africa, Syria, and much of Spain to Muslims |
|
700 |
Islam controls whole of coast of Northern Africa (Byzantine loses control of Egypt and Syria) |
|
969 |
Emperor Nikephoros Phokas of Byzantine seizes Tarsus and Antioch (Antakya) in Syria from 'Abbasids |
|
1016 |
Normans begin conquest of Southern Italy (Erbstösser 206) |
|
1016 |
Pisa conquers Sardinia |
|
1031 |
Pisa establishes trading colony in Bono in North Africa |
|
by 11th century |
"theological differences had emerged between the western Christians...and those of the Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire" (20) |
|
11th century |
Gregorian Reform makes claims for increased papal authority |
|
late 1040s on |
"reforming clerics...dominated the papacy" (20) |
|
1040-71 |
Robert Guiscard conquers southern Italy from Byzantine |
|
1054 |
Pope Leo IX excommunicates Byzantine patriarch Michael Cerularius; schism of Christian Church into Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches |
|
1061-91 |
Christians retake parts of Sicily |
|
by 1063 |
Roger of Calabria has captured Troina & defeated Muslims at Cerami |
|
1072 |
Robert Guiscard & brother Roger captured Palermo (capital of Sicily) |
|
1091 |
Noto, last Muslim stronghold, conquered by Roger |
|
1065-99 |
Christians retake parts of Spain |
|
1085 |
Alfonso VI (Castile and Leon) captures Toledo |
|
1094 |
El Cid (Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar) captures Valencia |
|
1073-85 |
Pope Gregory VII's reign. Promotes Gregorian Reform; has holy war with Henry IV, the Holy Roman Emperor |
|
1074 |
due to Turkish advances, Pope Gregory VII offers to lead up to 50,000 to help Byzantine, hints may continue to Jerusalem |
|
end of 11th century |
monks in southern France claim to find a call for an army to fight al-Hakim (caliph of Egypt) by Pope Sergius IV (1004-12) |
|
1078 |
Emperor Michael VII Ducas of Byzantine forced to abdicate, anarchy in the Byzantine empire |
|
1081 |
Robert Guiscard mounts a campaign against Byzantine empire (May), defeats army (October 18) at Durazzo commanded by Byzantine emperor Alexius Comnenus |
|
1081-1118 |
Alexius I emperor of Byzantium |
|
1082 |
Robert returns to Italy due to rebellion of Apulian barons (encouraged by Alexius) |
|
1084 |
Robert launches second campaign against Byzantium |
|
1085 |
Robert dies at Cephalonia |
|
1085 |
Christians retake Toledo in Spain |
|
March 12, 1088-1099 | |
|
March 1095 |
Alexius Comnenus asks Pope Urban II for help against the Turks |
|
November 26, 1095 |
Pope Urban calls for the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont |
|
1096 |
start of the First Crusade |
Mainly from Chronicles of the Crusades: Eye-Witness Accounts of
the Wars Between Christianity and Islam, editor Elizabeth Hallam.
Published by Weiderfeld and Nicolson in London 1989.
Other sources:
The Crusades: A Short History by Jonathan Riley-Smith.
Published by Yale University Press in New Haven 1987.
The Crusades by Martin Erbstösser. Published by David
and Charles, Brunel House, UK, 1978. (especially, the Appendix p. 206-7)
The Crusades Through Arab Eyes by Amin Maalouf, translated by Jon Rothschild. Published by Al Saqi Books, distributed by Zed Books, 1984.