>Omdurman

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In the mid 1880’s a Sudanese Muslim believed that Allah had chosen him to be the Mahdi, next or sent one. Upon this belief, many of the Sudanese Muslims tired of Christian British rule decided to join the Mahdi’s army. The situation became serious quickly as the Mahdi’s insurgents began attacking British outposts on their way to Khartoum, capital of Sudan and a major British stronghold. As the forces advanced, Sudan entered open rebellion, and the British Colonialists began to fear the worst. Many British detachments were defeated by the Mahdist forces due almost solely to the fact that the British were unprepared for Sudan’s climate and geography. The Mahdi led most forces on a labyrinthine goose chase that tired the Brits, and made crushing colonial defenses easy. Islam was spread to many non-Islamic areas throughout the countryside, most notably, Darfur. Once regions were Islamized, the Mahdi began to “cleanse” the regions with Sharia law, killing many more defenseless “infidels” according to the Koran and Allah’s direction.

Britain decided that this was not a fight they wanted to continue, and sent General Charles Gordon with evacuation orders in 1884. Upon his arrival, and wonderful standing amongst the Sudanese, Gordon began evacuating many. As evacuations were being carried out, Gordon decided that it was too late for him to leave. In the best interest of the remaining British and Sudanese in Khartoum, he would defend against the Mahdi. Gordon created an extensive landmine network as well as rerouted the Nile around Khartoum as an extra defensive barrier. This plan worked for many months until the Nile’s flood waters assuaged, and the Mahdi’s forces finally found enough courage to traverse the mine fields. Khartoum was by this point starving, having been surrounded and cut off by the Mahdi. The British disinterest in the area also left Gordon and Khartoum on their own island in the Muslim ocean to die. January 28-30, 1885 Khartoum was laid siege, and fell. Gordon was beheaded according to Muslim Law dealing with infidels. His head was wrapped and brought to the Mahdi, who hung it in a tree for all to look at in shame. A few months after this battle; however, the Mahdi himself suddenly died.

It would be many years later when the British finally decided that Sudan was too strategic to not have as part of the growing British Empire. Plans were drawn to recapture what the Mahdi and his successors had taken. Britain sent General Kitchener with his orders to retake Khartoum and the rest of Sudan. He arrived from Egypt in 1886 with some success, but it was not until September 1898 that Kitchener scored a major victory in Sudan.

At 6 AM, Kitchener’s mixed British, Egyptian, and Sudanese force totaling 25,000 men met the successor Mahdi’s 52,000 troops. From the outset, it was apparent that British technology was superior. The Mahdists attempted an ill-fated charge into British Maxim guns, and lost 4,000 immediately. Another Mahdist charge was repulsed before Kitchener began his offensive. He separated his army into columns with the 21^st Lancers in front to clear the plains of Omdurman outside of Khartoum. 400 Lancers soon found themselves fighting 2,500 Mahdists, but the British were valiantly victorious (three Victoria’s Crosses were awarded from this skirmish).

Kitchener had to continuously re-establish his army’s form, as the Madhists made many frontal charges against his lines. Each line was reinforced. Maxim guns and artillery proved too much for the enemy forces, and they broke by 1130 AM. Kitchener moved forward and took both Omdurman and Khartoum.

The defeated Mahdidsts lost app. 9,700 dead, 13,000 wounded, and 5,000 prisoners of war. Kitchener’s army lost 47 dead and 340 wounded. The war for Sudan was finally ended in 1899 after the Battle of Umm Diwaykarat, with Britain’s overlordship restored.

Kitchener became a hero and went on to many political and military victories after Omdurman, yet there was someone who made a larger name for himself from this battle, Sir Winston Churchill. His book, The River War: An Account of the Reconquest of the Soudan, not only detailed what took place in Sudan, but also launched a political career that touched the world during the next half-century.

 

>Song of Roland – Roncevaux Pass

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Islam had been sweeping across Northern Africa and dominating the Middle East for more than a hundred years, when its forces decided to turn northward into Christian Europe. The Visigothic Kingdom established in Spain as a result of Roman collapse was now in danger. It soon fell, and the Muslims continued northward across the Pyrenees mountains into France. No one seemed capable to meet this immense threat, that is until Mayor of the Palace, Charles Martel and the witty invention, the stirrup arrived to halt Islam’s incursion. (More on that some other time.) Islam was turned back across the Pyrenees, but established a power base in Spain that lasted until 1492. (Also more on that later). Christian Europe was afraid, who would champion the Christian cause? Who would slay the pagans?

After Charles Martel passed, the Merovingian dynasty that he was a part of also died. A new dynasty, a new King, a new Caesar arrived, and began (in his mind, not in actuality) reviving the Roman Empire. Carolus Magnus, Charles the Great, Charlemagne organized the Franks into a powerful machine. Charlemagne used this machine to expand an empire that includes much of modern day Germany and France as well as land in Spain, Italy and Northern European regions. He was invited to invade Northern Spain by Barcelona’s Wali, governor, Sulayman al-Arabi, who had been surrounded by Abd ar-Rahman, the Cordoban Emir. Other forces from Baghdad were also due to arrive in Spain, thus making Northern Spain a pivotal region.

Charlemagne was promised that Caesaraugusta, Zaragoza, the northern mark’s capital would submit to him. He felt the time was right to cross into Spain in 778, and was received into Barcelona. From there, the Franks moved onto Zaragoza, while Barcelona was captured by Husayn of Zaragoza. Abd ar-Rahman sent his army under Ibn Obeid to stop the Franks and punish Barcelona. Husayn gained the upper hand, eventually capturing Ibn Obeid. Husayn’s power corrupted him, and he turned against Charlemagne. Charlemagne was told that allegiance was never promised, and to appease Frankish anger, gold along with Ibn Obeid was given to Charlemagne. He was not appeased, and took Sulayman al-Arabi as his prisoner. Charlemagne then continued besieging Zaragoza another month with no outcome, and began his retreat across the Pyrenees.

Charlemagne’s retreat was ill fated from the outset. He was attacked at Pamplona by Sulayman al-Arabi’s forces, which freed al-Arabi. The Franks then continued northward into Basque country, as Charlemagne stretched his army to begin the pass through Roncevaux, Roncesvalles in Spanish. The Basques somehow knew that much gold was being carried by the Frank army, and attacked at night August 15. Many Franks were killed due to the fighting conditions and lack of terrain knowledge. The Basques ambushed, slaughtered, and fled too rapidly for any Frank reaction. The leader of the rearguard, which was assaulted, Roland was killed.

In later centuries Roland became the subject of a poem to commemorate the battle. The poem, however, does take much liberty regarding the true historical event. For instance, Roland does not fight against the Basques who were Christian, he fights 400,000 Saracen Muslims. Roland was made Charlemagne’s nephew, though close with the King, Roland was not related to him. He also, famously blew on his Oliphant, trumpet, signifying he needed help from Charlemagne. Charlemagne returns and destroyed the ambush in the poem, but this did not happen in history. Charlemagne did return and conquer northern Spain ten years after this tragedy, yet he could never push further south of Zaragoza. The Song of Roland, however, lives on as one of the most beautifully written poems and romanticized tales ever written.