Dr. John Hosler: “Bidding Syria Adieu: The Arab Invasions of 634-638”

“Bidding Syria Adieu: The Arab Invasions of 634-638”
Dr. John Hosler
Thursday, October 5, 2023 | 3:00 p.m.

Though little known to western audiences, the Arab invasions of 634-638 into Syria and the Levant were some of the most consequential in history. What began as small-scale raiding of frontier Byzantine garrisons soon transitioned to full-scale war, featuring a decisive victory of the Byzantine army at the Battle of Yarmuk in 636 and the capture of Jerusalem in 638. The surrender of the Holy City enabled Muslim control of the Temple Mount within it and the construction of two of the most famous sites for all of Islam: the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Following the conquest of Syria, their armies would go on to conquer Egypt, Persia, Mesopotamia, North Africa, and Iberia—by 711, over half of the old Roman Empire lived in the Abode of Islam.

John D. Hosler (PhD University of Delaware) is a Professor of Military History at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. An expert on medieval warfare in Europe and the Near East, he is the author or editor of seven books, including Jerusalem Falls: Seven Centuries of War and Peace (Yale UP, 2022), The Siege of Acre, 1189-1191 (Yale UP, 2018), and John of Salisbury: Military Authority of the Twelfth-Century Renaissance (Brill, 2012), as well as over 60 shorter publications. He is the past President of De Re Militari: the Society for Medieval Military History, a current Trustee of the United States Commission for Military History, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society

The Ft. Leavenworth Series

The Ft. Leavenworth Series is an annual roster of lectures focusing on significant historical events, usually with an emphasis on military history. Each lecture is presented by faculty from the United States Army Command and General Staff College in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. Established by General William Tecumseh Sherman in 1881, the CGSC is the graduate college for U.S. Army and sister service officers. The esteemed faculty and guests of the CGSC provide unique and captivating insights into the history of military conflict from the ancient to the modern ages at the Dole Institute of Politics.

The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics is dedicated to promoting political and civic participation as well as civil discourse in a bipartisan, philosophically balanced manner. It is located on KU’s West Campus and houses the Dole Archive and Special Collections. Through its robust public programming, congressional archive, and museum, the Dole Institute strives to celebrate public service and the legacies of US Senators Bob Dole and Elizabeth Dole.