calamity which involved the massacre of thousands upon thousands of Christians, while, of those who survived, no less than 100,000 were sold into slavery. The intelligence of this appalling catastrophe aroused the indignation of Christendom; but it was reserved to England to take the lead in the Eighth Crusade. A small but determined band of warriors set out in A.D. 1270 for Acre, under the command of Prince Edward, the future monarch of England: this gallant prince was accompanied by the no less enthusiastic Consort Eleanor, and his kinsman Edmund Crouchback, Earl of Lancaster. At the outset, success attended the efforts of the gallant Plantagenet; and the capture of Nazareth, with the indiscriminate slaughter of its inhabitants, betokened that the fanatical cruelty of the Crescent found a reflex in the no less savage ferocity of the Cross. At this juncture, however, the English troops began to fall victims to the deadly attacks of the Syrian climate, and Prince Edward was himself prostrated on a bed of sickness. While thus helpless and incapacitated for active warfare, an assassin found an opportunity to gain admission to the royal tent, and, seizing a favourable chance, sprang forward and aimed a blow at the unsuspecting prince. The latter after a brief struggle felled the would-be murderer to the ground, but not before he had himself received a scratch with the dagger; the weapon being poisoned, the legend arose that Queen Eleanor herself saved the life of her royal husband by the simple but dangerous expedient of sucking the wound. In the end a truce was concluded for ten years, and Edward, after a stay in the Holy Land of about fourteen months, bade adieu to the Syrian shores (A.D. 1272). Pope Gregory X. endeavoured, but in vain, to arouse the interest of Europe in the continuation of the struggle; and the Eighth Crusade was destined to be the last of the heroic efforts made by Christendom to wrest the Holy Land from the grasp of the Muslims. It only remains to add, that the Latin Kingdom, thus left to its own resources, was utterly unable to cope with the swarms of Musulman fanatics, who, taking advantage of some indiscretions on the part of the Christians, attacked them with a severity which knew no bounds, although the ten years' truce was still running its course. Tripoli fell in A.D. 1289-a disaster which, however, paled into insignificance before the overwhelming calamity of the capture of Acre (A.D. 1291). The defence was heroic, and the efforts of the Hospitallers and Templars, who were annihilated almost to a man, was worthy of their great name and magnificent courage; but the result, though delayed, could not be averted, and the catastrophe which left the Holy Land in the undisputed possession of the Muslims cost the Christians the lives of no less than 60,000 heroes. So the Crusades, in spite of failure and defeat, closed in the sunset of splendour and renown. Nor can it be denied that, even after a lapse of seven centuries, the very name conjures up visions of superb heroism and unmatched zeal for the faith of Christendom; while the crimes and offences of these Knights of the Cross are blotted from the memories of mankind, who dwell rather upon deeds of prowess and efforts of gallantry, which have never been surpassed in the annals of fame. CHAPTER VII MUSLIM DYNASTIES AT CORDOVA AND GRANADA IN SPAIN A.D. 756-1610 In the middle of the eighth century, when the dynasty of the Omaiyad Khalif came to an end, the race were, as already narrated, almost exterminated by the conquering Abbasides. However, one member of the deposed family, by name Abdur Rahman, escaped massacre, and fleeing for his life in company with his infant son, reached Africa, where he was joined by the few of his kin who survived the perils of the time. After wandering for five years, passed in planning and scheming how best to achieve position and reputation, he at length found an opportunity of gaining influence amidst the peoples in Spain, who were to some degree prepared to espouse the Omaiyad cause. Sailing for that country in September, A.D. 755, he at once secured a large following, ready to obey his orders and support his designs. Time, however, was needed to consolidate his power and recruit his forces. In the following year (A.D. 756) he found himself able to start on his enterprise. On landing he received the homage of Seville and other towns, and prepared to march on Cordova, where he encountered but feeble resistance, and entered the city in triumph as a victor. Such was his energy, that ere the lapse of a few months the Muhammadans of Spain generally submitted to his rule, and the Omaiyad dynasty became established in that country. A man of boundless energy, prompt in action, and swift in punishment, Abdur Rahman was able to retain the power he had secured. The Abbaside Khalif, however, was not disposed to let the Muslim domains in Spain slip from his grasp without a struggle, and in due course an army was sent to reduce the rebels to obedience. The campaign was fierce, and victory alternated; but in the end the Abbasides were completely routed, and the heads of their leaders sent in sacks as a present to the Commander of the Faithful at Mecca. "Thank God! there is a sea between that man and me," was the involuntary exclamation of the Khalif as he saw the contents of the bags. Then followed a series of successes. Toledo consented to a peace, and delivered up her chieftains -as it transpired to humiliation and death. The assassination of a leading hostile chief secured quiet for a while; but the rebellion of the Berbers gave more serious cause for alarm, as not only were they powerful adversaries in themselves, but they entered into alliance with others, little less powerful than themselves, and the combination was dangerous. Intrigue came to Abdur Rahman's aid, and dissaffection led to desertion in the ranks of his enemies: so it was that, in the fulness of time, the Muslim troops fell upon the multitude as they fled before them, and upwards of 36,000 corpses testified to the grim fury of the relentless Omaiyad. No less than ten years was consumed in these struggles for power; but in the end Abdur Rahman was completely victorious, and thenceforward no one dared cross swords with the all-potent Sovereign of Cordova. The sunset of life, however, was not destined to be bright and unclouded. Deserted by his friends, hated, though dreaded by his enemies, he sat on the throne of alarm and unrest. Fearful of the populace, he did not dare trust himself unguarded in the capital of the empire which he had founded: so 40,000 African soldiers formed a body-guard of a tyrant "suspicious of every one, wrapped in gloomy thoughts, and distracted by bloody memories." Thus it happened that after a reign of thirtytwo years he passed away," a detested tyrant, upheld in his blood-stained throne only by the swords of mercenaries, whose loyalty was purchased by gold." On the father's death, in A.D. 788, his son Hisham I. succeeded to this heritage of blood. The new ruler was a man of a quite contrary disposition, being peaceable, quiet, and humane. On his accession an astrologer predicted that he had but eight years to live. A fatalist, Hisham became imbued with this idea, and determined that the short period assigned him in this world, should be devoted to a preparation for the next. Numerous were his charities and deeds of pious benevolence: he visited the sick, he relieved the destitute, and many were his acts of kindness and pity. An ardent enthusiast in matters of religion, he by no means neglected affairs of State, and did not shrink from leading his armies against the enemies i |