The whole of history turns on this battle
by Effie Deans, Lily of St Leonard’s:
Since the death of the Prophet Muhammad much of history can be divided into a struggle between Islam and Christendom. The two great world religions have hugely influenced those countries where they are dominant, and both have at times sought to dominate the other and spread as far as possible.
European civilization is primarily due to Christianity. We would not have democracy, nor free markets, nor human rights nor any of the things that distinguish the West from almost everywhere else if it had not been for certain historical events that kept us Christian.
Islam spread first throughout the Arabian Peninsula then north towards the Levant and westward along north Africa. It captured Spain and pushed on into France where it was stopped at the Battle of Tours in 732.
If Islam had not been defeated by Charles Mantel, there is every chance it would have pushed on and conquered all of Europe including Britain. Sometimes the whole of history turns on one battle.
Islam pushed into Sicily in 827 and pushed further into Italy but was pushed out by 902. It took Spain until 1492 to expel the Moors.
Islam was initially checked by the Byzantine Empire but finally captured Constantinople in 1453 and then pushed on into the Balkans, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria reaching Vienna in 1683. The Ottoman Empire besieged Vienna but was defeated by the Holy Roman Empire and the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Again, the whole of history turned on a battle. If Vienna had fallen, the Ottomans may have pushed on further into central and western Europe, instead the Ottoman Empire was gradually pushed back particularly in the 19th century and by the start of the First World War was left with only Eastern Thrace.
But while Islam was stopped in 732 and 1683 in Europe it was able to spread into much of Asia reaching as far as Indonesia.
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