3 ms·

"invading muslim hordes" sounds weirdly demeaning. Why not just say "invaiding muslim armies"? Just curious. Asian armies = hordes European armies = armies?

• mwpmaybe 10y ago
  Horde has a specific meaning in the context of armed forces, and it is accurate to describe Eurasian armies as "hordes", but the definition rarely (if ever) includes Muslims. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orda_(organization) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orda_(organization)
  • johnnyhillbilly 10y ago
    Your reference includes an example of a horde travelling with mosques...
    • nl 10y ago
      The Mongols took a lot of Muslims (and some Christians) with them as they went. They were quite happy for the people they conquered to keep their religion, provided they surrender. They certainly weren't a Muslim army, though.
• orbifold 10y ago
  The core of the invading muslim forces were nomads for a long time.
  • nl 10y ago
    Not really. Some of the Arabian tribes (and later in central Asia) were nomadic, but few of the Muslim groups attacking Europe were. The core of the Ottoman army that conquered Constantinople was made up of their Janissaries[1], a large majority of whom were European. The Muslim Seljuk empire grew from Nomadic tribes, but didn't really threaten Europe.[2] The Umayyad Caliphate was a well organised, centralised empire by the time they invaded Spain. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janissaries https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janissaries [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seljuk_Empire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seljuk_Empire
• internaut 10y ago
  I associate 'hordes' with the Mongol Empire's invasions, and I know that by the end of their campaigning in Europe the majority of their army was made up out of (what would now be) Turks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_military_tactics_and_organization#Inclusion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_military_tactics_and_or...