Comparison of Byzantium, Islam and Western Civilization & Causes, Characteristics and Effects of Medieval Crusades

History essay
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1. Discuss the important similarities and differences, strengths and weaknesses, and
unity diversity between the three “heirs” of the Roman Empire (Islam, Byzantium
and the West)
The fall of Rome saw the introduction of three new civilizations. This includes the
western, Islam and Byzantium civilizations. The civilizations were characterized by
different interactions and rivalries of which differentiated them in regards to the aspects
of their legacy.1 The three "heirs" defined according to their strengths, weaknesses,
similarities, differences, and diversity.
The Byzantium civilization
The Byzantines emulated the imperial tradition that belonged to the Romans.
Therefore, they considered themselves to be descendants of the Roman Empire. They
spoke Greek and practiced intense Christianity. The Byzantine Empire practiced a
theocratic political system, and their standard of rule was considered to be the will of
God. The history of the Byzantines was primarily involved with violence and revolts due
to pressures from the Persians and Arabs.2 The following three aspects distinguished the
Byzantium Empire.
• Power control
The Emperor controlled and represented the highest power of the state and the
church. However, this led to the religious controversies being introduced into politics.
Besides, the imperial courts also had control of power due to its capable leaders.
Upheaval was withstood through a resilient bureaucracy.
• Educated officials
The officials gave insights on matters relating to the religious, social, politics and
economic aspects.
• Well managed economy
The Byzantine civilization balanced and protected the home industry that allowed
imports and exports in significant trade cities.3
Islam civilization
The Islam civilization was entirely different from the other civilizations. To begin
with, the people spoke Arabic, and it was considered to be more cosmopolitan of the
1 Hollister CW, Bennett JM. Medieval Europe: a short history. McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social
Sciences/Languages; 2001 Oct 4. 24
2 Mango CA. Byzantium: the empire of New Rome. Weidenfeld & Nicolson; 1980. 65
3 Ibid 54
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three civilizations. The religion was mainly Islamic and was founded by Muhammad
while in his spiritual reflection at the Arabian desert. Muhammed lived in the community
of Mecca, but the people had nothing to do with him. Therefore, he had to migrate to
Medina where his following grew. Then Muhammed returned to Mecca where the city
grew and became the holiest Islamic cities. After he died, the religion split due to
political reasons. This because politics and religion were closely interwoven as of the
Byzantine Empire.4 Besides, Islam helped to transmit the heritage of learning same as the
Byzantine. The religion was competitive and had a considerable influence on the
Byzantine Empire. Violence was also present between them and the Western Empire
mainly because of religion. That is between Muslims and Christians. The scholars
preserved the translated texts and commentary was made on the texts.
Western Civilization
This civilization was notably different from the Islam and Byzantium Empire.
This is because the Islam and Byzantium began building civilizations to amass
extraordinary material wealth while the western culture was rebuilding after Rome’s fall.
The westerners were committed Christians but consisted of an authoritarian political
system. The empire was ruled by monarchs who had interest in matters of politics,
religion and the military. They considered themselves a descendant of the Roman empire
and considered themselves a unified Christian society.5 A monarch by the name
Charlemagne was considered a key pillar in the birth of Europe. This is because he
conquered new lands and managed to institute a Carolingian Renaissance whereby
classical learning was conducted in both the cathedral schools and palace.
The western empire that is western Europe, considered trade and seeking of new
opportunities to be of great value. In matters of religion, the Western and Byzantine
Empire has a common ground of Christianity. However, a divide was present between
them. The Westerners considered Roman Catholicism as the right way of worship while
the Byzantine considered Orthodox Christianity as the right way of worship. For
example, the Byzantine Emperor known as Alexios the first received military support
from the westerners against the Muslim Seljuqs due to their shared religion.6
2. Discuss the causes, characteristics of the effect of the medieval crusades
The medieval crusades refer to the holy wars between the Muslims in the missile
east and the Christians in Europe. The primary goal of the crusades was to recapture the
sacred city of Jerusalem from the Muslims. Due to this reason, the Europeans that is the
4 Cantor NF. Medieval history: the life and death of a civilization. Macmillan; 1969. 104
5 Tierney B. Western Europe in the Middle Ages, 300-1475. new york: Knopf; 1970. 22
6 Ibid 23
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