A Short History Of The Saracens

'Saracen' was a name employed by medieval writers to describe the Muslims of Syria and Palestine, and the Arab rulers of North Africa generally - especially those conquerors of Spain and Sicily, and the invaders of France. Later the name was applied to all those peoples against whom the crusades were preached, and it is with these events that the term 'Saracen is most popularly connected. Saladin, proclaimed sultan in 1174, was the most prominent leader of this period and in many ways he can be said to typify the Saracenic qualities: courage, wisdom, magnanimity. However, the crusader period covered but a small part of Saracen history which, indeed, can be said to extend from pre-Islamic Arabia; Spain itself saw eight centuries of Saracen rule. In 'A Short History of the Saracens', Ameer Ali examines every aspect of these extraordinary people. Few writers, in the decades since this work was first published, in 1899, have presented a more complete account. For this reason, both historians and students of the period will welcome its republication.

This edition has a prefixed section on the life of Mohammad by Roger Long.

Excerpt from A Short History of the Saracens: Being a Concise Account of the Rise and Decline of the Saracenic Power and of the Economic, Social and Intellectual Development of the Arab Nation From the Earliest Times to the Destruction of Bagdad, and the Expulsion of the Moors From Spain The racial pride which caused the Saracen to look down on conquered nations, his failure to recognise that mere justice never won the affection of subject peoples, that to achieve this something more was needed the sympathy of a Mamun, the large-heartedness of a Nasir - that neither nations nor individuals lose by generous, courteous, and liberal dealing - the encouragement in later times of intrigue, sycophancy, and unworthiness with such disastrous results to the Arab's power and greatness - may all be ascribed to one cause. History, which comes down to us rich with the spoils of time, had no lesson for him. The Saracen's genius for government was intuitive, inborn, self-taught - not acquired. With an overweening sense of pride in his race and creed, for which allowance can easily be made, he stalked through the world feeling, although not pro claiming, that he was an Arab citizen, a member of a great and powerful commonwealth. There was no critical Schopenhauer to laugh him to scorn. Even the tactless treatment of the barbarian tribesmen of Northern Spain must be ascribed to the same cause. The great Hajib could weep that the lesson of conciliation came too late. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This is the first and only book to examine the Crusades from the added viewpoint of psychoanalysis, studying the hidden emotions and fantasies that drove the Crusaders and the Muslims to undertake their terrible wars. The reader will learn that the deepest and most powerful motives for the Crusades were not only religious or territorial - or the quest for lands, wealth or titles - but also unconscious emotions and fantasies about one's country, one's religion, one's enemies, God and the Devil, Us and Them. The book also demonstrates the collective inability to mourn large-group losses and the collective needs of large groups such as nations and religions to develop a clear identity, to have boundaries, and to have enemies and allies. Motives which the Crusaders and the Muslims were not aware of were among the most powerful in driving several centuries of terrible and seemingly endless warfare.