Battle of Yarmouk, 636 AD (Part 1/2) ⚔️ Storm gathers in the Middle East

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Khalid Ibn Walid was the greatest tactical mind of his era and that’s not even an exaggeration, probably among the top 5 known military generals in history

👍︎︎ 15 👤︎︎ u/NeoChrome75 📅︎︎ Nov 13 2019 🗫︎ replies

Here are some decent history channels in arabic Art Of War Al Waleed

👍︎︎ 7 👤︎︎ u/FauntleDuck 📅︎︎ Nov 13 2019 🗫︎ replies

Thank you for sharing this!

👍︎︎ 2 👤︎︎ u/_blacksmith38 📅︎︎ Nov 14 2019 🗫︎ replies

Loved it until the arabic broken text appeared. rip ratings

👍︎︎ 1 👤︎︎ u/m2social 📅︎︎ Nov 15 2019 🗫︎ replies
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On a warm August day in 636 CE, the Arab army under Khalid ibn al-Walid challenged the supremacy of the mighty Byzantine Empire. The two armies stared each other down across the grassy field of the Yarmouk plateau, while the vultures circled above. One Arab warrior stepped forward, crying out: “I am the killer of Romans, I am the scourge sent upon you!” The battle that would change the course of history is about the take place… After Prophet Muhammad’s death in 632, the First Caliph Abu Bakr coordinated military campaigns, over vast territories of Arabia, turning the peninsula into a stronghold of Islam. This expansion was spearheaded by battle-hardened and experienced commanders, most notably Khalid ibn al-Walid. the most dependable commander for the Prophet and his successors. The Caliph’s goal to bring all Arab tribal groups under Rashidun rule, including those in the steppes and cities of Iraq and Syria, led to the first direct clashes with the Byzantines and Sassanians. The two empires had been at war with each other for decades and the prolonged conflict exhausted the two super-powers. The Byzantines formally restored control over their territories, but decades of war brought political and economic strife across their territory in the Levant, and the Imperial authority wasn’t yet fully re-established beyond the Dead Sea in the south-east. Foreign policy changed as well. The Empire stopped subsidizing many tribal groups that fought on their side, deeming this financial expenditure was no longer needed now that the war against the Sassanians was won. Instead, they began building defensive coalitions with nomadic groups of northern Hejaz to guard Syria from the southeast, extending their political control into Arabia, thereby directly threatening the Muslims who sought to unite Arab tribes under the banner of Islam. Hence it was imperative for Abu Bakr to assert Rashidun influence in the direction of Syria before the Byzantines could make headway in pulling this area into their sphere of influence. In early 633, four Arab armies entered Byzantine territory, commanded by Amr ibn al-As, Shurahbil ibn Hasana, Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan, and Abu Ubayda. They were ordered not to attack, besiege or raze any major cities. The objective of this initial phase of the campaign was to occupy the countryside inhabited predominantly by the Arabic-speaking population, many of whom would join the Islamic cause, thus swelling Rashidun ranks and providing valuable logistical support. These early operations laid the groundwork for the upcoming invasion and, ironically, Abu Bakr’s focus on the countryside would fool the Byzantines into perceiving the Muslims as mere raiders, and therefore no significant Imperial forces were assembled to combat the threat in early 633. Meanwhile in the east, Caliph’s orders were the same – bring the Arab tribes of Iraq into the fold. From the south Abu Bakr dispatched Khalid, his most trusted commander, in early spring. As the army assembled, the core of Khalid’s force of loyal volunteers was augmented by troops from several tribes across Arabia. Some of these tribes fought against Medina in the Ridda Wars, but some sections remained loyal, and it was these troops that now reinforced the campaign against the Sassanians. What followed was one of Khalid’s greatest strategic achievement. The swift conquest of Sassanian lands west of the Euphrates in a series of battles would be a display of true tactical genius. With his versatile implementation of the Indirect Approach, Khalid would attack opposing armies from unexpected directions with multiple rapid flanking maneuvers. Furthermore, he was one of only a few commanders in history who used Double Envelopment to encircle and destroy armies larger than his own, launching perfectly timed cavalry attacks on the opponents flanks. This daring war of movement reflected his lightning-fast conquest of the territory west of the Euphrates. Then, as he laid the groundwork for Rashidun administration and planned the offensive into central Iraq and the Sassanian capital, a message arrived from the Caliph – Khalid was to urgently march to Syria to take command of the invasion of the Byzantine Empire. In April 634 he departed Iraq with a small force of veterans who’s loyalty to Islam was absolute, striking out across the desert towards Syria – a most perilous of journeys. The troops couldn’t carry enough water to last until they reached Syria, so Khalid forced twenty of the camels to drink large quantities of water, then tied their mouths so they wouldn’t spoil it by eating or chewing their cud. Camels would then be slaughtered daily and the preserved water in their stomachs would quench the thirst of the troops. The march through largely waterless country lasted for SIX days, becoming one of Khalid’s most famous military feats. Upon entering Syria he moved south-west to meet with the three Muslim armies near Damascus, capturing forts and towns along the way. Byzantine garrisons were caught completely by surprise, not expecting that Muslim troops could enter their territory from an inhospitable desert. So far the Empire relied on a system of forts along the border that would relay information about enemy troop movements to the interior, giving the Imperial army time to mobilize and respond to the threat. The prevailing mindset was that any attack that penetrated into the interior would eventually be repulsed, thus any loss of territory would only be temporary. But by now the Muslims gained full control over rural areas in the south east and with Khalid’s arrival the Caliph turned his full attention to the conquest of important Syrian towns. Bostra fell first, and the four Muslim armies marched towards Palestine to join Amr ibn al-As, who was facing a large concentration of Byzantine troops commanded by Emperor Heraclius’ brother Theodore. The Byzantines reportedly recruited Bedouin-Christian spies and were able to anticipate the movement of the Muslim army, managing to position themselves for the upcoming attack. The Battle of Ajnadayn, the first major engagement, was bitterly fought. Many prominent Muslims fell as martyrs on the field of battle, but under Khalid’s leadership the Arabs managed to wipe out the presence of the Byzantine field army in Syria and were now advancing north. Theodore retreated to join the emperor at Emesa, while remnants of the Imperial army fled in disorder to nearby walled cities and forts, with many of the survivors converging on Pella, joining the garrison that was stationed there. Alarmed by Khalid’s rapid advance, Heraclius dispatched two contingents to fortify key roads south of Damascus, to give the city time to prepare for a siege that was soon coming, and then subsequently headed for Antioch to begin preparations to deal with the Arab threat. But the Byzantines were not able to hold Khalid’s advance for long, as the Muslim army outmaneuvered their entrenched positions and proceeded to surround Damascus two days later. The siege lasted for 20 days and, after a Byzantine relief force was defeated, the city capitulated. But then came news from Medina that Caliph Abu Bakr died about a month earlier, making Umar ibn al-Khattab, Khalid’s cousin, his successor. Aware of Khalid’s popularity, the deeply religious Umar demoted him and placed Abu Ubayda in charge of the Muslim army, aiming to show that no matter who commands the troops, it is Allah alone who gives victory on the battlefield. Under the command of the more cautious Abu Ubayda, the Muslim advance continued at a slower pace over the coming months. He divided the army in two, advancing north with the majority of the troops, while sending two armies to capture Palestine, where several strong Byzantine garrisons remained in the rear during the initial rapid Muslim advance. Meanwhile in Antioch, Heraclius wasn’t sitting idle. He displayed the military might of the Byzantine Empire as five armies assembled and began their march back into Syria from multiple directions, under the overall command of Vahan, an Armenian general. Furthermore, Heraclius sent word to all major cities, reminding the people of the Byzantine superiority after recent victories against the Sassanians. The message was clear - that Syria belonged to the Empire was a fact of life after centuries of Byzantine rule and the current situation, while alarming, was a setback that will be dealt with. Heraclius’ army was prepared to defeat the Arabs in a decisive battle or destroy their separate armies piece meal. Upon learning of the initial movement of enemy troops Khalid immediately recognized that the Muslim position in the north will be surrounded by the numerically superior Byzantine army. He urged Abu Ubayda to abandon northern Syria and retreat south to a stronger position where the rest of their forces could join them. After some consideration, Abu Ubayda ordered the army to march south. Messengers were sent to the two commanders in Palestine to meet with the main army on the vast plains north-east of Lake Tiberias, which offered plenty of fodder for the horses and were conducive to cavalry maneuvers. And, just as Khalid had suspected, four Imperial armies marched on Emesa, which would’ve pinned the Arabs in the north, while another Byzantine army was to re-capture Damascus and cut off their line of retreat – the Muslim army withdrew just in time. Meanwhile, Yazdegerd negotiated with Heraclius to mount an offensive from the east. However, the Sassanian army would not be ready in time for a simultaneous attack. Back west, faced against a massive Byzantine army, Abu Ubayda sent word to Caliph Umar to send all available reinforcements to Syria. And, as the Muslim armies met, scouts reported that a strong Byzantine garrison gathered at Caesarea. This made encamping on the plains near Lake Tiberias a dangerous proposition, as the Arab army could now potentially be attacked on two sides. Abu Ubayda again heeded Khalid’s advice to move the army to a stronger position on the eastern end of the Yarmouk plateau. With the battle looming, Khalid was recognized as the ablest field commander and was given temporary control of the troops, while Abu Ubayda remained in overall strategic command. And the Byzantine army followed close behind…
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Channel: HistoryMarche
Views: 1,070,429
Rating: 4.9006267 out of 5
Keywords: medieval warfare, history documentary, history, history tutorial, documentary history, animated documentary, historymarche, educational, history lesson, siege warfare, medieval history, middle east, nomads, nomadic tribes, empires, khanate, ancient world, caliphate, islamic world, rashidun, khalid, khalid ibn al walid, yarmouk, yarmuk, battle of yarmuk, byzantine empire, early muslim conquest, arab byzantine wars, heraclius, syria, prophet muhammad, abu bakr, umar, battle of yarmouk
Id: vL33R5F2Pkg
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Length: 14min 59sec (899 seconds)
Published: Thu Oct 31 2019
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