Before the Battle
It is intriguing to question what caused certain events in history and The Battle of Qadisiyyah is no exception. The true beginning starts with the birth of Muhummad in 570 AD and his success in uniting the Arab Peninsula under Islam and into an organized state in 630 AD. This Islamic expansion didn't end in the conquest of of all Arabia but continued to challenge huge empire's territory.
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Meanwhile in the Mesopotamian area wars between two empires with Christian influence had been waged for over two decades. This started with the Sassanian Empire attacking the weakened Byzantine Empire, their war mongering over the True Cross ended in 628 AD leaving both parties extremely weak and vulnerable, perfect targets for an new expanding Muslim power. Following the end of this war the Sassanian Empire experienced years of civil unrest, economic depression, and political strife all leading up to the ascension of Yazdegerd III the new eight year old emperor. One can almost sense the weakness unsurprisingly within a year the Muslim expansion had reached Iran.
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In the year 634 AD a new Caliphate by the name of Umar was recognized, he expanded the Islamic state at an unprecedented rate. In 636 AD, after three months of failed negotiations between the Christian Sassanian empire and Islamic messengers the stage was set for battle. This showdown between power's would happen just northeast of small town called Quadisiyyah. This massive battle would decide the fate of an empire and ultimately alter the course of history.
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Tolan, John. Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe. Vol. 1. Boston: Brill, 2012. 191-202. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. <http://www.academia.edu/1845202/Christian_reactions_to_Muslim_conquests_1st-3rd_centuries_AH_7th-9th_centuries_AD_>.
Cervantes, Alonso C. Sasanian Empire. TSOHOST, 17 May 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. <http://www.ancient.eu/Sasanian_Empire/>.
Halewood, Phil Halewood, and Carl Luxford. The beginning of the End for the House of Sassan. The Society of Ancients, 2009. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. <http://www.soa.org.uk/slingshot/sample_articles/sample_alqadisiyyah/>.
Gabriel, Richard A. Muhammad: The Warrior Prophet. MHQ Magazine, 17 May 2007. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. <http://www.historynet.com/muhammad-the-warrior-prophet.htm>.
Cervantes, Alonso C. Sasanian Empire. TSOHOST, 17 May 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. <http://www.ancient.eu/Sasanian_Empire/>.
Halewood, Phil Halewood, and Carl Luxford. The beginning of the End for the House of Sassan. The Society of Ancients, 2009. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. <http://www.soa.org.uk/slingshot/sample_articles/sample_alqadisiyyah/>.
Gabriel, Richard A. Muhammad: The Warrior Prophet. MHQ Magazine, 17 May 2007. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. <http://www.historynet.com/muhammad-the-warrior-prophet.htm>.