Khosrau Anushirawan: On Top of the World - Extra History - #5

Aw, yay! I'm really glad you enjoy our stories. I love what Crash Course does as well, but we definitely have different approaches! Which is better for everyone really, since that way lots of different folks get to find a show that suits their preferences. :)

Extra History

We'd definitely have to narrow it down further than that; Rise of Islam is a super-broad topic that I don't think we could adequately cover in a single series. Where we'd start though, I couldn't say for sure! It'd be up to whoever's writing that series to pick a subject that they want to get all up close about.

Extra History

The storytelling feel is great I'm trying to say, like I'm sitting around a fire at night.

I like how these videos don't have a humans face on them talking, crash course could learn a thing or two from you.

Agreed; while the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea are vital sea routes, it's narrow-minded to simplify conflicts to only one cause.

Thomas Alfred Weaver

Okay, points for this. ;)

Extra History

I'm guessing Noah is talking about Justin II, who was Justinian's nephew since (as Irakli pointed out) Justinian had no son. Unfortunately, Justin II didn't ever recover: he faded into the background after appointing Tiberius, and died four years later.

Extra History

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

Extra History

Ba-dum-chuh!

Extra History

Welllll we don't really rely on the Silk Road anymore. Modern Yemen and Somalia have other resources that have, unfortunately, made them targets.

Extra History

Now that's a surprise! You'll find out. :D

Extra History

It was indeed the Göktürks, as near as I could tell - none of my sources directly confirmed this (they all just said "Turks," which was frustrating).

Extra History

Yeah, the Khosrau series is over! Rest in peace, sweet troll of the middle ages.

Extra History

That was one heck of a summary, Christina. Thank you for taking the time!

Extra History

And they were so close to being (adoptive) brothers, too! What an interesting world it would be if those two got along instead of fighting each other.

Extra History

Just in: Justinian I has just died and entrusts Justin II. He distrust the disgusting Persians and just as Justinian did; thrust his justice. Justin was just not the same savvy investment trust his uncle has been.

Thomas Alfred Weaver

He didn't have an heir with Theodora and refused to marry anyone else.

Irakli Tchigladze

Even before that, Arabs were persianized in a number of ways. As an example, the focus on gardens in Islamic art, architecture and literature is of Persian origin. Even relatively early Islamic architecture shows heavy Persian influences in how it was constructed. But there definitely was a great switch towards being more open to the learning of especially Persians, but also other conquered people during the somewhat more secular Abbassid Caliphate compared to the early conquerors.

Christina Maria Jessen

No it wasn't. There were several different strong Caliphates and around seven hundred years between this point and the sack of Baghdad, including the entire Islamic golden age. Not just that, after the sack of Baghdad and the chaos of the Ilkhanate successor hordes like the Aq Quyunlu and the Qara Quyunlu, there were centuries of peace and stability in the Middle East under Ottoman rule. For that matter, there were several mighty Iranian empires between this point and the modern day. The roots of the modern chaos in the Middle East lie in the late Ottoman Empire and the rise of nationalism among both Middle Eastern Arabs and Ottoman Turks. As well as simply the unrest that comes when a state can't maintain its ability to protect people from bandits and maintain any kind of pride in being a subject or citizen of it. The whole Young Turk brutality in Turkifying the remnants of the Ottoman Empire didn't help. Nor did British imperial interests that had first supported Egyptian independence, then subverted it to add Egypt to the empire. Even that could probably have been survivable if not for the French and British meddling in the aftermath, to grab choice bits. In the aftermath of the First World War, not only were French and British mandates established in the middle east, France and the UK supported various local strongmen in declaring themselves king of random parts of the area. In doing so, and firebombing several Iraqi cities to enforce the claim of their puppet king, they broke the institutions and fledgling attempts at establishing Arab states that had public support. This messing with the region would continue for decades as goals such as controlling oil (ending Iranian democracy in the process), protecting Israel and maintaining anti-communism in the region led to endless interference by the UK, France and the US that continues to this day. But this entire history doesn't start in the 6th century, but in the late 19th. Also, the Middle East isn't a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Iran has a vibrant civil society, especially known for its film making. The Gulf states are filthy rich and largely peaceful, if not necessarily politically stable and even places like Syria and Egypt were perhaps not rich, free or politically stable, but were largely at peace until just a few years ago. And even in the midst of war, people find a way. They might not exist anymore, but around six years ago, I read an interview with the lead singer in Iraq's first all-female black metal band. The whole idea of a hellhole of eternal war is nothing but a nasty, racist stereotype created and perpetuated to justify American military adventurism in the region.

Christina Maria Jessen

I think at this point it was the Göktürks, although that might not have been a unified country by then

Jessica Cheeri

What happened to Justinian's son? Did he end up recovering or did he die or something?

Noah Simons

Amazing work! :D

Martin Ockovsky

Himyar Ended in the 5th Century when the Christian Ethiopian Kingdom of Axum Invaded in Retaliation to the Persecution of Christians by Himyar's Jewish Monarchy, so yep, it is a reference.

Martin Verran

I accidentally posted that. I was also going to add. Would also the Islamic conquest of Central Asia and Today's Pakistan be included as well the conquest of Visigothic Spain? So all of Dar al-Islam would accounted for?

Steve Jackson

Just out of curiosity how would you structure a rise of Islam series? Would you folks start with a primer of the prophet life and teachings? Or quickly move into the Arabian conquests of Egypt, Syria, the levant, and all hallowed Iran? And end with the fall of the Sasanian Empire and the start perpetual decline of the Romans? I might change my Constant Nader Shah suggestion to the rise of Islam

Steve Jackson

Your description of how the Muslims adopted Persian learning is a little off. It wasn't until the Abbassid Caliphate that Persian learning started to be adopted on such a large scale, with Baghdad being built specifically to take advantage of both the Silk Road and transfer power from the Arab aristocracy to more educated Persian bureaucrats.

If this is the correct era, they’d be the Seljuq Turks.

Sean Sarff

Sadly, in the end, no one was left to kneel before Zad.

MrBreaksIt

if anyone is wondering why everyone wants to invade/influence/bomb Yemen and Somalia: that's why.

Thomas Alfred Weaver

Ethiopians in Yemen... A reference to the Jewish kingdom of Himyar?

so what will the one off be?

schuyler

The Sheep were very displeased by Khosrau's trolling last Week...and we all Know what a Terrifying Military Force Sheep are.

Martin Verran

What is the name of the country the northern turks formed out of Hephthalite territory?

4trevor4

Considering Khosrau straight up died this ep, yes. Next week is most likely a filler oneshot episode.

SpoonofEvil

Is this the last Khosrau Episode or are there any more to come? I'm not surprised that Justinian's Nephew wanted Revenge after Khosrau Trolled his Uncle a Week ago.

Martin Verran

So ends one of the mighty middle eastern empires, and sets the stage for the current situation of the Middle East in the process. While the fall of the Ottoman Empire can be blamed for the current political landscape of the Middle East, it is really here that the foundation was laid. It was here that an empire managed by very intelligent and mostly-adaptable and acceptable fellows (for the time) fell apart, and sets up the situation where one of the Khanates would turn the entire region into a post-apocalyptic land after Baghdad forgotten an old tradition made by Rome: never kill the diplomat.

Aaron Neumann

It's so interesting that despite being bitter rivals, Khosrau and Justinian were mirror images of each other. They were both emperors whose ambitions brought about golden ages for their respective empires, but their hubris doomed them in the long run.

SpoonofEvil