A History of Protestant missions in the near East

The Muhammadan World and the Eastern Churches 21
2. Two Aspects of Islam
Muhammadanism shows evident signs of decay on the other
;
hand, there are less evident signs of progress. Islam, which
was founded by the sword, and the early adherents of which
were desirous of proving its truth by the sword, has through
many a long year experienced a succession of reverses. These
began in Western Europe. Since the victory of Charles
Martel at Poictiers the flood of Muhammadanism has receded ;
one part of Spain after the other, Lower Italy, Sicily, Sardinia,
Corsica, and the Balearic Isles, were freed from the yoke of
Islam. It was a hard struggle, lasting several centuries.
At the beginning of the fourteenth century the greater part
of Eastern Europe was under Muhammadan sway. But then,
came a reaction. The Russians fought against the Moslems,
and in the course of the struggle, which lasted some hundreds
of years, they became experts in the art of war and in the
subtleties of diplomacy. The absorption by Eussia of territories
that were formerly Muhammadan continued throughout
the nineteenth century. Thus in 1800 Georgia, and in 1828,
1829, and 1878, parts of Armenia were annexed, while from
1844 to 1887 the Trans-Caspian territory and Turkestan, the
ancestral homes of the Turks in Asia, were subjugated. A
third series of Muhammadan reverses dates from 1683, when
John Sobieski raised the siege of Vienna. The Austrians
gradually gaining courage, after struggles that lasted several
decades, succeeded in driving the Turks back from the Leitha
across the Danube, and regained possession of Hungary.
Throughout the nineteenth century a fourth movement has
taken place, whereby the power of Islam has been still further
curtailed. The " Sick Man on the Bosphorus " has had to suffer
the amputation of one limb of his unwieldy body after the
other. Provinces have either been made into independent
kingdoms, or have been placed under the protection of
European Powers. Thus in 1829 the Turkish Empire lost
Greece and Servia, in 1830 Algeria, in 1858 Roumania, in
1878 Cyprus, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro and Bulgaria,
in 1882 Egypt and Tunis, and in 1898 the island of Crete.