1.04 Steppe by Steppe

History of the Outremer

At the beginning of the 11th century, the Abbasid Caliphate was shattered and rival forces like the Roman Empire and the Shia Islam Fatimid Caliphate were carving up the region that would one day house the Outremer States between themselves. Yet, within the century, a new group would arrive to unite nearly all of the Caliphate's possessions under the rule and deal such crippling blows to the Romans that they would be forced to call in Frankish allies to recover their lost territory.

In this episode, learn all about the origins of the Seljuk Turks in the Eurasian Steppe and their grand arrival into the Middle East.

As always, maps and sources available at historyoftheoutremer.wordpress.com and new episodes every other week.