Europe

= //Islam in Europe// = ====Islam came to Eastern Europe in lots of ways, including through conquest. Muslims fought the Byzantine Empire, trying to expand their territory but the Byzantines defended Constantinople and were able to gain control over much of Anatolia, which blocked the expansion of the Arab beliefs in Eastern Europe;==== ==== But the Arab armies kept on trying to take control of other countries around Europe. They conquered much of the Caucasus from the Turkic Khazar during Khazar-Arab war, but the Umayyad Caliphate made a permanent occupation impossible and again this prevented expansion in Eastern Europe and the Arab army failed. ==== ==== In the early 10th century The Volga Bulgarian (in what is now part of European Russia) accepted Islam as their religion, and people from Islam were sent to Russia to teach and spread the new culture throughout the nation, also they started to build mosque around the country. People believe in trade connections between the Muslims and Russians, and that’s how Islam came through Russia, not just because of conquest but also because of trade. ====

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==== When the Ottoman Empire started its expansion throughout Europe, they first took portions of the Byzantine Empire in the 14th-15th centuries they decided to establish Islam as the state religion in the region. Between 1304 and 1526 the Empire had conquered the territory of present day Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, the former Yugoslavia - except for Slovenia, and Hungary, and all this nation had establish Islam as their new religion. The Ottoman expansion in Europe ended with their defeat in the great Turkish war. ==== ==== Muslims forays into Western Europe began right after the spread of the religion in Byzantine Sicily, they gained power over Portugal and Spain expanding their faith, believes and territory. In 722 King of Austrias began the Christian counter-offensive known as the Reconquista, after the battle of Covadonga Spanish Christian forces regained control of the peninsula. ==== ==== The Arab armies moved to Southern France, in 725 Muslim forces captured Autun in France. The town would be the easternmost point of expansion of Umayyad forces into Europe. The last Muslim forces were driven from France in 759, but maintained a presence all the way into Switzerland until the 10th at the same time; Muslim forces managed to capture Sicily and portions of southern Italy, and even sacked Rome in 846 and later sacked Pisa in 1004. Sicily was gradually conquered by the Arabs and Berbers from 827 onward, and the Emirate of Sicily was established in 965. They held onto the region until their expulsion by the Normans in 1072. ====