Umayyad Caliphate
Overview
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second Caliphate of Islam, a Caliphate being an Islamic state governed by a supreme religious and political leader, the Caliph.[1] It began in Syria in 661 AD and lasted for 89 years before ending in 750 AD, as it was overrun by the Abbasid family, which would lead to the next major Caliphate, the Abbasid Caliphate. The 89 years that the Umayyad Caliphate lasted were characterised by expansion of astonishing speeds which led to the Islamic state covering a vast area from central Asia in the east to northern Africa and Spain in the west. A defeat at the Battle of Tours in 732 effectively ended any further advance into France and northern Europe. Another failure at the Siege of Constantinople, 717- 718, against the Byzantines effectively ended any actions aimed at conquest with the majority further actions merely consisting of low scaling raiding. [2] Despite these defeats and the subsequent overrunning of the Caliphate, the Umayyad’s 89 years involved great success’s and can be considered to have put the grounding in for the future Islamic Kingdoms, and the threats to Europe they would pose.
Economy of the Umayyad’s
The Umayyad’s economy flourished, for a while, as strongly as any other in the region had done before. They expanded the economy establishing a grand network of land and seaborne trade and with this came a spread of ideas and technologies furthering their advancement.[3] They also took advantage of there being high populations of people who were non-Islamic, implementing a higher tax on these people, whilst not aggressively pursuing a scheme of converting them, as not to lose these extra taxes.[4] A lot of revenue gained from taxes however may have been lost through the fact the Umayyad’s failed to establish effective control over local governors who collected taxes, meaning a lot of these governors failed to send all the taxes collected back to the state.[5] Any wealth established also appears to have been spread amongst the Arab elite, meaning high populations benefitted little from the economy. Ultimately the economy can be seen as frail, with the tax system weakened considerably with increasing levels of Islamic conversion. Plus any ambitions of expansion were ultimately ended by lack of funds to pay the army, showing the economy cannot be considered to have been of great strength.[6]
The Military of the Umayyad’s
Considering the speed within which the Umayyad’s took land in North Africa and Spain, as well as in central Asia, there is no questioning that they possessed strong military prowess. A sign of this is in the vast military technological advancements they achieved, with their work covering ‘such diverse topics as fortification, siege machines, weapons, sword making, gun powder recipes, firepots and grenade, fuses for rockets and torpedoes, canons and more’. Such a vast range of knowledge represents how the Umayyad’s were constantly looking for an advantage over their enemies. On top of this the armies of the Umayyad’s are described as possessing great courage, something key to their impressive conquests. [7] Despite these impressive aspects the Umayyad’s did capitalise on a favourable situation for them, with many of the Empires around them weak. Byzantium and Persia for example were weak, and the Umayyad’s can be considered to have capitalised on this. A sign that the Umayyad’s may not have fared as well against stronger opposition lies in their defeat at the Battle of Tours, as furthering their Kingdom into Northern Europe became an impossible task.
Technological Advancements
Beyond the military aspect, the Umayyad’s achieved further technological advancements which allowed them to rule such a broad and diverse Kingdom. One major development here was the need for a common coinage between all the lands they had united, for this they developed coins called the Dinar and Diraham.[8] With a common currency also comes a spread of the Arabic language which was implemented as the language of the kingdom. Another development in uniting the lands gained was a postal service, with communication vital within such a vast and diverse kingdom. The Umayyad’s most impressive advancements or work however can be seen in their architecture. There was enormous effort put into the building of new religious sites as they used the influences of other cultures to establish their own unique architectural style.[9] A prime example of this is The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem which is still a key building in Islam to the modern day. Umayyad architecture still remains today, with impressive structures being La Mezquita in Spain and The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.[10]
[1] http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/89739/Caliphate
[2] Paul M., Cobb, ‘The Empire in Syria, 705- 763’, in Chase F. Robinson (ed.), The New Cambridge History of Islam Volume 1: The Formation of the Islamic World Sixth to Eleventh Centuries (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2010), p. 235.
[3] Chase F., Robinson, ‘Conclusion: From Formative Islam to Classical Islam’, in Chase F. Robinson (ed.), The New Cambridge History of Islam Volume 1: The Formation of the Islamic World Sixth to Eleventh Centuries (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2010), p. 684.
[4] http://epicworldhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/umayyad-dynasty.html
[5] http://epicworldhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/umayyad-dynasty.html
[6] http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/613719/Umayyad-dynasty
[7] http://history-world.org/islam11.htm
[8] http://www.slideshare.net/mrsfitzss/umayyad-caliphate
[9] http://starsinsymmetry.com/2010/02/15/history-islamic-art-during-the-ummayad-caliphate/
[10] http://starsinsymmetry.com/2010/02/15/history-islamic-art-during-the-ummayad-caliphate/
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second Caliphate of Islam, a Caliphate being an Islamic state governed by a supreme religious and political leader, the Caliph.[1] It began in Syria in 661 AD and lasted for 89 years before ending in 750 AD, as it was overrun by the Abbasid family, which would lead to the next major Caliphate, the Abbasid Caliphate. The 89 years that the Umayyad Caliphate lasted were characterised by expansion of astonishing speeds which led to the Islamic state covering a vast area from central Asia in the east to northern Africa and Spain in the west. A defeat at the Battle of Tours in 732 effectively ended any further advance into France and northern Europe. Another failure at the Siege of Constantinople, 717- 718, against the Byzantines effectively ended any actions aimed at conquest with the majority further actions merely consisting of low scaling raiding. [2] Despite these defeats and the subsequent overrunning of the Caliphate, the Umayyad’s 89 years involved great success’s and can be considered to have put the grounding in for the future Islamic Kingdoms, and the threats to Europe they would pose.
Economy of the Umayyad’s
The Umayyad’s economy flourished, for a while, as strongly as any other in the region had done before. They expanded the economy establishing a grand network of land and seaborne trade and with this came a spread of ideas and technologies furthering their advancement.[3] They also took advantage of there being high populations of people who were non-Islamic, implementing a higher tax on these people, whilst not aggressively pursuing a scheme of converting them, as not to lose these extra taxes.[4] A lot of revenue gained from taxes however may have been lost through the fact the Umayyad’s failed to establish effective control over local governors who collected taxes, meaning a lot of these governors failed to send all the taxes collected back to the state.[5] Any wealth established also appears to have been spread amongst the Arab elite, meaning high populations benefitted little from the economy. Ultimately the economy can be seen as frail, with the tax system weakened considerably with increasing levels of Islamic conversion. Plus any ambitions of expansion were ultimately ended by lack of funds to pay the army, showing the economy cannot be considered to have been of great strength.[6]
The Military of the Umayyad’s
Considering the speed within which the Umayyad’s took land in North Africa and Spain, as well as in central Asia, there is no questioning that they possessed strong military prowess. A sign of this is in the vast military technological advancements they achieved, with their work covering ‘such diverse topics as fortification, siege machines, weapons, sword making, gun powder recipes, firepots and grenade, fuses for rockets and torpedoes, canons and more’. Such a vast range of knowledge represents how the Umayyad’s were constantly looking for an advantage over their enemies. On top of this the armies of the Umayyad’s are described as possessing great courage, something key to their impressive conquests. [7] Despite these impressive aspects the Umayyad’s did capitalise on a favourable situation for them, with many of the Empires around them weak. Byzantium and Persia for example were weak, and the Umayyad’s can be considered to have capitalised on this. A sign that the Umayyad’s may not have fared as well against stronger opposition lies in their defeat at the Battle of Tours, as furthering their Kingdom into Northern Europe became an impossible task.
Technological Advancements
Beyond the military aspect, the Umayyad’s achieved further technological advancements which allowed them to rule such a broad and diverse Kingdom. One major development here was the need for a common coinage between all the lands they had united, for this they developed coins called the Dinar and Diraham.[8] With a common currency also comes a spread of the Arabic language which was implemented as the language of the kingdom. Another development in uniting the lands gained was a postal service, with communication vital within such a vast and diverse kingdom. The Umayyad’s most impressive advancements or work however can be seen in their architecture. There was enormous effort put into the building of new religious sites as they used the influences of other cultures to establish their own unique architectural style.[9] A prime example of this is The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem which is still a key building in Islam to the modern day. Umayyad architecture still remains today, with impressive structures being La Mezquita in Spain and The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.[10]
[1] http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/89739/Caliphate
[2] Paul M., Cobb, ‘The Empire in Syria, 705- 763’, in Chase F. Robinson (ed.), The New Cambridge History of Islam Volume 1: The Formation of the Islamic World Sixth to Eleventh Centuries (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2010), p. 235.
[3] Chase F., Robinson, ‘Conclusion: From Formative Islam to Classical Islam’, in Chase F. Robinson (ed.), The New Cambridge History of Islam Volume 1: The Formation of the Islamic World Sixth to Eleventh Centuries (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2010), p. 684.
[4] http://epicworldhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/umayyad-dynasty.html
[5] http://epicworldhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/umayyad-dynasty.html
[6] http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/613719/Umayyad-dynasty
[7] http://history-world.org/islam11.htm
[8] http://www.slideshare.net/mrsfitzss/umayyad-caliphate
[9] http://starsinsymmetry.com/2010/02/15/history-islamic-art-during-the-ummayad-caliphate/
[10] http://starsinsymmetry.com/2010/02/15/history-islamic-art-during-the-ummayad-caliphate/