Leo Africanus Accomplishments

When analyzing the events of the first crusade it is essential to first uncover the flame that ignited the spiritual motivation. Although there ought to be numerous events that contributed to the fire, a general church council at Clermont in France is credited for starting the crusading movement. In response to Alexiu 's plea, Urban delivered a sermon intended to call upon European Christians to rescue the Holy Land from Muslim occupation. As the crowd likely wrestled with the idea to start, he continued to provide justifications for the conquest. To accomplish this, he

Muhammad a prophet for our time is written by Karen Armstrong. This book is like a diary that tells the life of Muhammad and how he played a big role in the Islamic religion. Muhammad was born in the year 570 ce and died in 623 ce. Muhammad was a man who did not have much going for him, he couldn’t read and lived in a cave with his wife at the time. When Muhammad was reached down upon by Allah he did not know what was happening and why it was happening. “ he knew that some people expected the imminent arrival of an Arab prophet, but it never occurred to him that he would be the one entrusted with the mission.” (p.10). Muhammad was 40 years old when this happened and he lived in Mecca. Mecca at the time had many different civilizations and was a big trading center. Arabs at the time did not like this and kept moving from places to place to get something stable. Some of the Arabs even had settled in urban areas around Mecca. Society in Mecca was based on laws and traditions that even though Allah is the main god

In 799, Pope Leo III was physically attacked by a faction of Romans. He flew to Charlemagne and asked for

On November 27, 1095, Pope Urban II gave a supposedly important speech at the end of a church meeting in Clermont, France. In it he had called upon the nobleness of the Franks, to go to the East and assist their Christian “brothers”, the Byzantines, against the attacks of the Muslim Turks. He also apparently encouraged them to liberate Jerusalem, the most sacred and holy city in Christendom, for the Muslims had ruled it since taking it from the Christian Byzantines in A.D. 638. The Crusades were a series of wars between Christians and others to take back Jerusalem.

Martin arrested and sent back to Constantinople as a prisoner. Because of is faith he was later honored

He then brought Pope Leo III back into power after he had been driven by invaders. Lastly,

Europeans, after the rise of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, vindicated the enslaving of Africans by depending on religious authority because they supposedly followed God’s will (notes). According to Pope Nicholas V, the African enslavement has helped the Catholic Church (source A). In a 1455 letter, he wrote, “... A large number of these have been converted to the Catholic faith…” (source A). The quote suggests the pontiff held a positive outlook on slavery, but he only supported it for the conversion of the slaves (notes). Over 100 years later, a letter surfaced from Jesuit Brother Luis Bandaon to Father Sandoval that read he and other educated Fathers from Brazil support slavery for the purpose of more conversions and labor (source B and

Pope Urban II preached a sermon at the Council of Clermont in which he proposed that Western European noblemen and their armies join ranks with the Eastern Christian Byzantine Emperor and his forces in order to mount an attack against the Muslim Turks (“Crusades”). Before hand Alexius I, emperor of the Byzantine Empire, called for the Pope’s aid. Byzantium, as the empire was also called, was under attack from all sides, especially from the Seljuk Turks, who had recently converted to Islam (“Crusades”). Alexius feared that they would take over Constantinople. He pleaded for the Pope to send a few Knights to protect the weak fortifications of the city (“Crusades”). However, the Pope had his own political interest in mind. Instead he sent an army of thousand of not only Knights, but also peasants, women,

Teachings of Christianity entered Africa long before the full swing of the slave trade. Christianity first entered the African continent in the early AD, around the first to third century from Israel through Egypt. This “first wave” had minimal effects on the region, and hardly spread into the southern regions. It wasn’t until the “Age of Discovery” (15th to 18th Century) when the Europeans made contact with Africans that Christianity took a hold in Africa. African nations took on Christian Monarchy as leadership, and began converting their populaces. The spread of Christianity in Africa, however, was not a full coverage of the continent. Not only did Christianity experience barriers in conversion due to an already present

If Pope Urban had chosen to speak of the strategic or military advantage, the rulers he addressed still would have undertaken the Crusades. Instead, he speaks about religion, which he would have no reason to do so if it were not his true motivation. To symbolize this religious journey, the crusaders wore a cross on their armor, as recorded by the German monk Ekkehard (Doc 7). The religious journey of knights was lauded by other religious figures as well. St. Bernard, an abbot in Clairvaux, expressed respect and envy for them, stating “[Bernard] wishes that he might fight the good fight.” (Doc 5). St. Bernard, being a religious figure and biased towards Christianity, supports the cause, showing that it was seen as a religious war as well. Jewish historian Solomon bar Samson also denotes the crusades as a raid with theological roots, stating that the Europeans “seek[ing] their house of idolatry” also attacked the Jews due to religious faith, and wished to either convert or kill them (Doc

Barbarians were invading Western Europe. Gaul, Italy and the Byzantine Empire were being raided while the church remained independent. The empire was divided but the church remained undivided and stable. With no true leader in Rome, Pope Leo II was the only defense against the Huns. As the barbarians invaded, the Church converted. Their motto was “to convert the monarch and the people

This part of the story began, not in the Americas, nor in Europe, but in the Middle East. Carrying the message of the new prophet Mohammed out of the Arabian Peninsula, Muslims began making major inroads into western Asia and northern Africa in the seventh century, eventually encroaching on Europe’s southern and eastern frontiers. In 1095, Pope Urban II responded to a request for aid from the Byzantine emperor, whose dominions were under attack by Muslim invaders, launching the era of the Crusades. For two centuries, European-based Christians battled with Muslims in the Holy Lands and elsewhere. For the elite classes who engaged in crusading, provincialism died away, replaced by new information and contacts in the wider world. Soon Europeans would begin turning this new knowledge and these new tools against the people from whom they were appropriated.

King Affonso I, the venerated king of Congo, is one of the most influential and groundbreaking characters in the history of Africa. Once he converted to Christianity and became king, Affonso realized the abhorrence of slavery withing his state, for it was completely destroying his country through depopulation. Consequently, he sent a letter to King John of Portugal in 1526, outlining his hopes to eradicate Portugese influence upon his country. Ultimately, King Affonso I of Congo proves to be one of the most innovative modern-day thinkers of his time, for during his captivating life, he was the forerunner in the abolition of slavery, all of which was outlined in his letter to King John of Portugal.

An individual known as Muhammad contemplated by himself in a cavern nearby Mecca and had acquired a godly insight. This insight established the beginning for a new creed. The ideology that emerged Muhammad’s vision turned out to be the foundation of one of the world’s most widely carry out creed, Islam. Muhammad was born in the city of Mecca, situated on the Arabian headland. Muhammad was raised by his uncle and grandfather due to his parents passing before he was six years old. His family were from a sept that was effective in Mecca politics.

Consider how Africa’s geography has changed over time. What positive and negative effects would these changes have had on human populations on the continent? As their new homes changed they were able to adapt due to their innovative mindset. This can be attributed to the new found organization thanks to language. Allowing Africans to grow and expand throughout the entire continent. Other factors that can be attributed are the change in geography for some parts such as the Sahara drying out and swamps and lakes disappeared.