God's Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215

God's Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215 by Lewis, David Levering. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780393064728.

"A furiously complex age; a powerful narrative."―New York Times Book Review, Editors Choice Hailed by critics as an essential book, Gods Crucible is a bold, new interpretation of Islamic Spain and the birth of Europe from one of our greatest historians. David Levering Lewiss narrative, filled with accounts of some of the greatest battles in world history, reveals how cosmopolitan, Muslim al-Andalus flourished―a beacon of cooperation and tolerance―while proto-Europe floundered in opposition.At the beginning of the eighth century, the Arabs brought a momentous revolution in power, religion, and culture to Dark Ages Europe. David Levering Lewiss masterful history begins with the fall of the Persian and Roman empires, followed by the rise of the prophet Muhammad and the creation of Muslim Spain. Five centuries of engagement between the Muslim imperium and an emerging Europe followed, from the Muslim conquest of Visigoth Hispania in 711 to Latin Christendoms declaration of unconditional warfare on the Caliphate in 1215. Lewiss narrative, filled with accounts of some of the greatest battles in world history, reveals how cosmopolitan, Muslim al-Andalus flourished―a beacon of cooperation and tolerance between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity―while proto-Europe, defining itself in opposition to Islam, made virtues out of hereditary aristocracy, religious intolerance, perpetual war, and slavery. A cautionary tale, Gods Crucible provides a new interpretation of world-altering events whose influence remains as current as todays headlines. 8 pages of color illustrations; 4 maps