The choice that best describes how European powers responded to the Islamic expansion is:
(C) Europeans viewed the spread of Islam as a threat and actively worked to stop it.
The reaction of Europeans to the expansion of Islam began only very late, in 1096, more than 400 years after the creation of this empire. In the early centuries, European resistance was only defensive, trying to stop the Arab invasions in the south of the continent, mainly in Spain and in Italy.
In the East, Christians were accepted by Muslims as long as they paid the tax imposed on them by these conquerors and could continue to practice their religion. However, in 1071, Turkish Muslims invaded Jerusalem. They forbade the pilgrimage of Christians and mistreated them. To liberate these populations from the east, Pope Urban II called the Westerners to go fight. These attacks of Christians against Muslims in the East are called Crusades.
There were six great crusades between the eleventh and the thirteenth century:
Other smaller expeditions took place throughout the 13th century but were not very successful. Overall, the Crusades did not allow Christians to regain control of the East except in a few small territories.
Subject: History
Chapter: The Crusades
Keywords: the history of Islam, Muslim invasions, Muslim conquests, Christians of the orient, the conquest of Jerusalem
