University of Basrah Holds a Seminar on the Council of Clermont
The Center for Basra and Arabian Gulf Studies at the University of Basrah organized a seminar titled “The Impact of the Council of Clermont on Arab Civilization and the Islamic Presence.”
The seminar, presented by researcher Sarah Ramzi, aimed to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the Council of Clermont, held in France in 478 AH / 1095 AD under the leadership of Pope Urban II, one of the most influential popes of the Middle Ages. The council marked a turning point in both European and Islamic history.
The seminar explained that the Pope used the council as a platform to call for what became known as the “Reconquest campaigns,” which targeted the Islamic world and paved the way for major military, political, and religious shifts that directly affected the Islamic presence in Al-Andalus.
The discussion further clarified that the conflicts that followed this call—and the accompanying religious and military mobilization of European leaders and princes from France, Italy, Portugal, and other regions—contributed, through a long sequence of events, to the weakening of Andalusian cities. This ultimately led to the fall of the last Andalusian stronghold in 897 AH / 1492 AD, followed by forced displacement, compulsory conversion, and the rise of the Spanish Inquisition, all of which left profound impacts on Arab-Islamic civilization in Al-Andalus.
Department of Media and Governmental Communication
