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Tamerlane, the Turco-Mongol Leader Who Formed an Alliance with the Kingdom of Castile in the 15th Century

The National Library of Spain preserves one of the most fascinating travel books from the Late Middle Ages, following the tradition of other illustrious literary travelers such as Marco Polo, John Mandeville, Ibn Battuta, and others. It is impossible to determine who authored it, with speculation suggesting that it might have been King Henry III […]

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The Victorious Battle of the Masts Against the Byzantines Was The First Major Naval Combat of Islam

When we think about the early conquests of Islam, we imagine vast numbers of warriors riding camels across deserts, waving banners adorned with the crescent moon and Quranic verses. However, this expansion also took place by sea. In the year 655, after the conquest of the Sasanian Empire, the Rashidun Caliphate turned against the Byzantine […]

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The Mystery of the Mardaites: The Christian Highlanders Who Maintained Their Autonomy Between Byzantium and the Caliphate

In the province of Hatay, in southern Turkey, there is a mountain range locally known as Nur Dağları. Arabs call it Jabal al-Lukkam, and in Spanish, its Greek name, Amanus, has been adopted. It spans approximately 200 kilometers in length, with its highest peak being Mıgır Tepe or Bozdağ, standing at 2,240 meters. It was […]

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Why Inuit Culture Survived in Greenland While the Norse Disappeared: Children’s Toys Made the Difference

During the Little Ice Age, a period marked by freezing temperatures and extreme climatic conditions, two cultures coexisted in Greenland: the Inuit and the Norse. Although both groups faced the same environmental challenges, their fates could not have been more different. The Inuit thrived and adapted, while the Norse disappeared from the island. A recent […]

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French Women Had More Power in the Middle Ages Than After the Revolution

In the 14th century, power in Europe was largely in the hands of the aristocracy. Surprisingly, one-fifth of the rulers were women. Historian Erika Graham-Goering, a specialist in medieval power in France during this period, explains that women’s influence was significant and, in many cases, on par with men. According to Graham-Goering, power in the […]

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Bohemond of Taranto, the Sinister Norman Who Conquered Antioch and Hated the Byzantine Empire

There are quite a few literary and cinematic works about the First Crusade, and in most of them, beginning with the anonymous Gesta Francorum or Torquato Tasso’s famous epic poem The liberated Jerusalem (La Gerusalemme liberata), we find a curious figure who was one of its main leaders, the Norman Bohemond of Taranto. He was […]

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Mujahid al-Amiri, the Slavic ruler of the taifa of Denia who gathered the best Andalusian intellectuals of the 11th century

In the Christian part of the Iberian Peninsula, the 11th century saw the rise of the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon, the birth of Portugal, the dominance of the county of Barcelona over the other Catalan counties, the adventures of El Cid, and the opening of the Way of St. James. In the Muslim zone, […]