The matric of the muslim world:
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• 6^th century cities losing autonomy – less building, less greatness.
• 541 plague and other disasters – Sasanid attacks, loss of European lands from Visgoths, Avars and Salvas attacking
• Problems – army loss of population loss of recruitment, made up increasingly Armenians and Arabs – trade declined to end 6^th century – Syria and Palestine lost vitality – few traces self-government, reliant on imperial armies and officials – end 6^th century lost classical aspect – series profound economic and social changes
• Cultural splits – vernacular culture Egypt and Syria – v. ascendant and divide between Monophysitism and Diophysitism
• Reflect broader cultural differences – Monophysiote used vernacular and essentially rural – powerful lay supporters in Syria – Ghassnids – significant proportion population alienated from ruling class culturally and religion seen as heretical – whilst did not cooperate with Islamic conquests – little enthusiasm for Byzantine cause - parts of Syria actually welcomed – no where near as significant resistance as in Anatolia, Armenia or Fars in southern Iran.
• Long term weakness revealed by catastrophes following death Maurice 602 – aided by Khursau II Perez peace helped form border harmony Avars and Slavs – Phocas incompetent usurper – pretext Khursau to invade and avenge benefactor’s death – catastrophic effects – Antioch (613) and Jerusalem (614) – all Syria and Palestine, plus Egypt, much Anatolian highlands – destruction Anatolian highlands. Phocas replaced by Heraclius who led brilliant campaigns against Persians – 628 enters Ctesiphon – Persian conquests Syrian and Egypt restored to Byzantine control
• Long war accelerated and confirmed tendencies of previous centuries – demographic and urban decline. Syrian borderlands deserted to less chaotic areas, generations inhabitants grown up without any sense of Empire – little residual loyalty.  Little time to repair defences or self-government.  Syria attempts to solve religious issue Monophytism and Diophytism – Monotheletism – Egypt militant dio bishop appointed – systematic alienation of population, little Christian unity.  If Heraclius enjoyed fruits of victory for a few decades new structure in near East perhaps – Islamic armies arrived when Byzantine rule was recent, shaky and widely resented.  Islamic conquest product of decline Byzantine civilisation as well as blow itself.
• Dynastic rule of Sasanians – whilst stopping early usurpers who could not gain respect – Bahram Chobin (590-1) in years of Kurso II Pavez death difficult for sovereign to emerge to 628-32 ten different Kings – by time Yazdgard III found hiding and made King – Muslim armies attacking the Empire.
• Appeals to great imperial pat – Sasanian empire, like B., by no means static – history monarchy tension between dynasty attempts at centralised monarchy and determination higher aristocracy and kinglets to maintain rights and independence.
• Mazdakite uprising of late 5^th and early 6^th century – religious movement with strong social overtones – abolition property and class distinction. – Kavad I 488 – 531 backed it!  Symbolises rare insight into social discontents in Iran – left an ideological legacy for 9^th century uprising in Azerbaijan.
• Khursau came to throne 531 0 determined to crush Mazdakites and not let aristocracy take over – series administrative reforms based on Diocletian reforms – systemization of land.  System of taxation paying for regular army central feature Sasanian administration ad profound effect early Islamic practice.
• Sasanian cities large country towns – and Khursau II didn’t live in the capita but at a rural palace at Dastagrid – not happen in B
• Two levels of Persian aristocracy upper aristocracy consisted of a few great families – suspicion of great magnates, see Bahram Chbin – Khursau’s ill-advised decision to abolish Lakhmid buffer kingdom of al-Hira which guarded desert frontier of Iraq.
• Zoroastrianism deeply attacked by other faiths – practicing Magi in minority by 6^th century.
• Nestorian Christianity getting followers in Sasanian empire esp. Iraq intermittent bouts of persecution in this period.
• Mixture religious beliefs reflects ethnic and linguistic diversity – Kurds Dalymites n Iraq, Lurs, Baluchis – Iraq mostly Aramiac, arabs in al-Jazira and al-Hira – Persians confine to cities.
• Most people in Iraq and many in Iran Sasanian religion different, different language and religion, different custom.  Unsurprising that few of them, except in Fars where Persian element dominant, prepared to struggle old order once imperial armies defeated.
• Long term weaknesses exacerbated by short-term problems – violent and unpredictable policies of Khursau II Parvez and struggle for succession - Khursau II no great administrator – centralisation alienated monarchy, ten yr rebellion Khuran executed southern governor.  Determination for authority led to arrest and execution of al-Nu’man last of Lakhmid kings of Hira – replaced by Persian governor.  These problems les to attack 602 – disastrous to both empire –initially successful but comeback takes Ctesiphon – extensive floods and resistance weakened by plague – Kursau’s failings as a military commander led to murderous feud amongst sons – ruined and bitterly divided – not surprising that Persian defeated, but they fought so well.
• Byzantine and Sassanain undergone far-reaching and fundamental changes in century before Islam – social, economic and structural changes like increased importance pastoral people and absence civic autonomy associated with development of Islamic society – under way before 6^th century.  Muslim conquest breaking up conservative world order far from truth – entered an already changing world and shaped and accelerated existing trends.  Dynamic development of Islamic world understood against this background.

Other Notes in this Category

1. army – its size and effectiveness for the defense of the eastern borders
2. Birth of the Islamic State
3. Byzantine authority and the nomads – divergent views
4. Byzantine reliance on arab military resistance
5. Byzantium and the early islamic conquests
6. Caliphate of ali – 656 – 661
7. Conquest and division in the time of the rashidun caliphs
8. Difficulty in devising defence for Syria
9. Elements of Failure and Endurance
10. End of the Ancient Economy
11. Foundation of the marwand caliphate and the achievemnet of ‘abd al-malik
12. Islamic conquests
13. Limitations defense-in-depth strategy
14. Military leadership of heraclius
15. relevance of recent war with persia
16. Richard n. frye – arab conquests in iran
17. State of strategy and warfare
18. The matric of the muslim world:
19. The umayyad caliphate
20. Umar and the early islamic conquests – 634 – 644
21. Whittow – making of byzantium

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