Louis IX (Saint Louis) The Seventh Crusade was not started by any Pope, but by King Louis IX of France, who became known later as Saint Louis because of his great devotion to the Christian God. The year after the Mamluks captured Jerusalem from the Europeans in 1244 AD, Louis announced his Crusade (in 1245). His mother, Blanche of Castile, thought [...]
Castle at Dourdan, built by Philip Augustus Louis VII's son, Philip Auguste, was much more ambitious and smarter than his father. Philip came to the throne in 1180 AD, when he was only fourteen years old. He began well by marrying a woman who brought a rich part of France called Artois as her dowry, [...]
Mamluks: A Mamluk inn for merchants in Cairo Mamluks were enslaved soldiers The Mamluks were originally enslaved bodyguards of the Abbasid caliphs of the Islamic Empire (the word "mamluk" just means "slave" in Arabic). Starting around 850 AD, the Abbasid caliphs captured or bought young boys who were not Muslims as slaves. The caliphs brought the boys up to be Sunni Muslim soldiers [...]
Coin of Toregene Toregene ruled the Mongol Empire for five years. By then she was not in good health - she was about 55 years old. She passed on her power to her son Guyuk in 1246 AD and went into retirement, where she died less than two years later. Mongke Khan [...]
