Fall of Constantinople, 1453
Fall of Constantinople, painted 1499. Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople in 1453, bringing an end to the medieval Byzantine Empire.
Archive for September, 2008
Black Plague, 1347-1351
Victims of the Black Plague Remains of black plague victims in East Smithfield cemetery. The Black Death, or the Black Plague, was one of the deadliest pandemics in human history, widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia pestis (Bubonic plague), but recently attributed by some to other diseases. Bubonic plague is […]
Firman on the Western Wall
Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman the Magnificent gave the Jews a firman (decree) recognizing right of Jews to the Western Wall and designates it as the Jews’ place of worship. Ben-Dov, Meir, et al. The Western Wall. Jerusalem- Ministry of Defence Publishing House, 1983.
Damascus Gate, 1538
Damascus Gate from Photographs of the Ordnance Survey of Jerusalem, Charles W. Wilson, 1865. The Damascus Gate was constructed by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1538 on top of the ancient Aelia Capotilna Gate (built c. 135 CE, as part of Hadrian’s transformation of Jerusalem into a Roman city). The Crusaders built a gate above the […]
The Mamlukes Conquer Egypt, 1250
The almost three-century Mameluke rule in Egypt began in 1250 and ended with the Ottoman conquest in 1517. It started with the first ever setback to the triumphant Mongols who had captured and sacked Baghdad, Aleppo and Damascus. This victory by Baybars, the founder of the Mameluke rule, saved Egypt and allowed him later to […]
Siege of Jerusalem, 1099
Siege of Jerusalem, medieval manuscript. The Crusaders of the First Crusade reached the walls of Jerusalem in June 1099. The Crusaders were unable to conduct a proper siege of Jerusalem due to their depleted numbers. Additionally, the Crusader army was short on food and water. Instead of waiting for the surrender of the residents of […]
Seal of Nahmanides, c. 1267
In 1267 Nahmanides (Ramban) emigrated from Spain and resettles in Palestine. This small bronze seal was discovered near Akko in 1972. The text reads- Moshe b’Rabbi Nahman. Nuah Nefesh, Gerondi Hazak—“Moses the son of Rabbi Nahman of restful soul, the Gerundian Be Strong!” Shachar, Yeshaya, Chosmo shel HaRamban, p. 137-142
Genghis Khan, 1206–1227
In 1220 Genghis Khan seized Persia; in 1234 his successors routed the entire Seljuk army and went on to occupy the sultanate of Rum. In 1258 Gengis Khan’s grandson Hulagu captured Baghdad and eliminated the last ghostly relic of the Abbasid caliphate, as his armies complete the destruction of the great irrigation works of Mesopotamia. […]
Maimonides Lands in Acre, 1165
“…On the first night of the week, the third day of the month of Sivan, I came ashore in peace. I landed at Akko, saved from the Inquisition. We had arrived in the Land of Israel. On that day, I vowed that I and my family would live lives of joy, happiness, feasting and giving […]
Richard the Lionhearted, 1157–1199
Richard I, the Lionhearted (1157–1199), King of England, led the Third Crusade and became one of the most widely romanticized figures of medieval times. He was a popular and gifted leader who captured Cyprus and won a victory against Saladin at Arsuf. Although his main goal—the capture of Jerusalem—eluded him, Richard nevertheless negotiated a peace […]