Arabs leaving a mosque in Tunis (image credit to the Detroit Publishing Company) The 7th century is a time of great turmoil. The rise of Islamic power drastically changes much of the Western Hemisphere, with the Byzantine Empire unable to prevent the new enemy from taking much of their land.The spread of Islam and the Muslim conquests begin with the unification of Arabia by Muhammad starting in 622. In the Iberian Peninsula, the 7th century was known as the Siglo de Concilios (century of councils), and in England, Northumbria established dominance in the British Isles from Mercia. Continue reading