The Espoman Empire: The Fall Of The Roman Empire
How would the world react when one of the greatest empires in history fell? At the Roman Empire's height of power, the empire was bigger than modern day India, and its influence was felt throughout the world. By 180 CE, the empire surrounded the Mediterranean Sea and controlled most of Europe, as well as parts of North Africa and the Middle East. However, as numerous empires before them, the Romans also collapsed and left the world in a problematic state. The greatest evidence of the lasting impacts of the fall of the Roman empire are the worldwide religious transformations and economic regression that it caused. The Roman empire was a very significant piece in the global economy and when it fell, it sent shockwaves throughout the world.
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Islam was not a religion until around a century and a half after Rome fell, but it spread rapidly into post Rome territories. Jim Jones discusses how“muslim forces had quick and extensive military success... in 638, Jerusalem fell. In 639, the Byzantine fortress of Babylon (Cairo) fell, and in 640, Alexandria fell under Muslim control. By 720, the Umayyads controlled everything south of Pyrenees”(Jones). These events were only two decades after Muhammad started getting messages from deities showing how fast Islam expanded. As Islam expanded, so did its influence. Tom Holland writes “...in the Fertile Crescent as in Britain, what emerged from the empire's collapse, forged over many centuries, were new identities, new values, new presumptions”(Holland). Islam brought all of these to the Middle East and its surrounding areas. It quickly became one of the largest religions in this time period and was a challenge to Christianity. This lead to the crusades, a series of attempts by Christians to reclaim the city of Jerusalem, which is sacred to them as well as Muslims and Jews. The Crusades drove a wedge between Christianity and Islam that can still be seen today. Susanna Throop argues “it goes without saying that the crusades also had a highly negative effect on interfaith relations”(Throop). Although the crusades hurt relations between these two religions, there was a silver lining. Karen Armstrong also says “...they taught them to take baths and to accord greater rights to women. The Arabs also taught the Crusaders how to process sugar from the cane, and provided European merchants with a vast array of luxury goods to ship home: silk, linen, flax, samite (a heavy silk fabric), balm and the dye Tyrian purple”(Armstrong). Islam grew rapidly and expanded into old Roman territory with little opposition in most areas,
Islam was not a religion until around a century and a half after Rome fell, but it spread rapidly into post Rome territories. Jim Jones discusses how“muslim forces had quick and extensive military success... in 638, Jerusalem fell. In 639, the Byzantine fortress of Babylon (Cairo) fell, and in 640, Alexandria fell under Muslim control. By 720, the Umayyads controlled everything south of Pyrenees”(Jones). These events were only two decades after Muhammad started getting messages from deities showing how fast Islam expanded. As Islam expanded, so did its influence. Tom Holland writes “...in the Fertile Crescent as in Britain, what emerged from the empire's collapse, forged over many centuries, were new identities, new values, new presumptions”(Holland). Islam brought all of these to the Middle East and its surrounding areas. It quickly became one of the largest religions in this time period and was a challenge to Christianity. This lead to the crusades, a series of attempts by Christians to reclaim the city of Jerusalem, which is sacred to them as well as Muslims and Jews. The Crusades drove a wedge between Christianity and Islam that can still be seen today. Susanna Throop argues “it goes without saying that the crusades also had a highly negative effect on interfaith relations”(Throop). Although the crusades hurt relations between these two religions, there was a silver lining. Karen Armstrong also says “...they taught them to take baths and to accord greater rights to women. The Arabs also taught the Crusaders how to process sugar from the cane, and provided European merchants with a vast array of luxury goods to ship home: silk, linen, flax, samite (a heavy silk fabric), balm and the dye Tyrian purple”(Armstrong). Islam grew rapidly and expanded into old Roman territory with little opposition in most areas,