• The emergence of the Shiite Muslims
• The Umayyad dynasty
• Shiite Muslims and Karbala
• The Abbasid dynasty
• The Assassins
• For More Information

From a European perspective, the First Crusade ended successfully with the capture of Jerusalem in 1099 by forces from western Europe (see "The First Crusade" in Chapter 6). In the decades that followed, the Crusaders, as these fighters were known, remained in control initially of three major Crusader "states" in the region. These states included not only the Kingdom of Jerusalem but also the County of Edessa and the Principality of Antioch.

After the First Crusade most of the Crusaders returned home. Only a few thousand Europeans...