1.08 Pens and Swords

The Fatimid Caliphate goes the way of the Byzantine Roman Empire and as political legitimacy is lost, civil war and famine grip the land. The Armenian-led military dictatorship that arises out of this stew will not only be what the Crusaders encounter when they arrive at Jerusalem, but the fount from which foes like Saladin and the Mamluk Sultanate spring. The crumbling Fatimid Caliphate will also make room for two Frankish forces- the Normans in Sicily and the Italian merchants of the Mediterranean. As always, maps and sources available at https://historyoftheoutremer.wordpress.com/ (historyoftheoutremer.wordpress.com )and new episodes every other week.