Comments 1 - 8 of 8 Search these comments
Man's duty to bring about conditions for the return of the Messiah
Cromwell wasn't medieval, was a complete break with medievalism, and his whole schtick was the opposition to a state controlled Church and unlimited Monarchical powers.
Cromwell loved music (not appropriate in Church), wanted local control of Churches, property rights, real courts and not Monarchical Star Chambers, and tolerated just about everybody, inc. Jews and Catholics (just not in the military). He gave shelter to Hugenot refugees from Europe who created the base of the UK Textile Industry.
, he basically banned theatre and the whole Shakespearean culture, which was perhaps one of England's greatest pre-modern literary contributions to the world.
And sure, he tolerated practicing Catholics, however, he had no problems in slaughtering them in Ireland w/o reproach during his military campaigns over there including non-military civilians.
So yes, as for a Junta, he wasn't the worst of the worst (I mean clearly, Abu Bakr is LeBron James-MVP in that category), however, he wasn't a nice guy either and his legacy will always be controversial.
Sounds like we could use another Charles I in the Democratic Congress and California.
This empire was attacked by the armies of a general Khalid ibn Walid who reported to the first Caliphate Abu Bakr (a namesake also used by the former ISIS leader). Regardless, this group of marauders completely overran the Empire, killing the Emperor, and forcing the surviving family members to flee to China, via the Silk Road, for their lives. At least 3/4 of the population were forced to convert under the sword.
Centuries later, a group of Persians fought back with this notion that the first line of Caliphates were a bunch of lying scumbags who were not the right messengers of Islam. Instead, that role should have been given to a 'nicer' person named Ali bin Abu Talib.
So now, we have the dilemma. If this 'nice guy' were to have ascended the role of Caliphate, he perhaps would not of had the psychotic impulse to hire a thug like Khalid, and thus, wouldn't have the "Sword of Islam", to do his dirty work against civilized nations, ala Byzantine & Persia.
And there's the issue ... in this alternate reality, perhaps Islam ends at the boundaries of Saudi Arabia with perhaps a sliver of the near east and today, Iran is a diverse country of Nestorian-like Christians, Zoroastrians, and Buddhists. And then, aside from anthropologists, no one else in the world today cares about Mohamed and his best friend Ali.