Islamic Almohad - The Byzantine Empire
Islamic Almohad
The Almohad Caliphate now stretches along the North Africa and into Spain. The Caliph's rule is harsh, uncompromising and very successful. The Almohads have some remarkable strengths as rulers: their military prowess is superb, their religiously inspired troops have few equals, and they feel little fear of the resurgent Christian Spanish in Castile. They hold down an unenthusiastic population and still manage to mount major military expeditions. But this unpopularity could also be a weakness - constant vigilance in the face of disaffected people can be wearing for any regime.
The Caliphate's rulers are, however, better placed to carry their conquests further into Christian Europe than any other Islamic power. They stand ready to wear down Spain, if not crush it outright. A weakened France could then be their next target, then swinging south into Italy or north towards the rich pickings of England's continental holdings. Holding off Spanish aggression, should it come, would also give them the chance to attack in the Mediterranean, towards Egypt and then the Holy Land.
This information was compiled on the 6th of February 2002 by Terazawa - source: official site
Coming from a nomadic desert people, the Berber tribesmen of the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties conquered North Africa and then, at the request of the Iberian Muslim princes, came to Spain to protect Islam. In the process, they took Spain for themselves. When the Almoravids abandoned their simple lifestyle in favour of the comfort and luxury of sophisticated city life, the Almohads turned their backs on such lax morality and easy living, and in doing so sealed the fate of the Almoravids who were overthrown.