Genghis Khan conquered the Seljuks, a Turkish tribe predominant in Anatolia from the 11th to the 13th centuries, and the Persians in the 13th century.

The Greco-Persian wars were fought between the Greek city states and the The Achaemenid Empire of Persia in the 400s BCE. The wars began after Cyrus the Great conquered Ionia. Eventually, the Greeks overcame the Persians, with the result of renewed independence of the previously conquered areas.

Slavery in Africa was very common even before the arrival of Europeans. Rival communities would often go to war and the survivors of the losing party would often be enslaved by the victors; however, the arrival of the Europeans significantly increased the demand for slaves and accelerated the rate of enslavement. It also meant more and more coastal kingdoms were dedicating themselves to capturing slaves from the interior of the continent to sell to European traders.

The Battle of Tours occurred on 10 October 732 CE near Poitiers, France cementing Christianity's influence on Europe by stopping the Moorish Muslim invaders. With great military might the Umayyed caliph quickly conquered North Africa and crossed the Strait of Gibraltar conquering the Iberian Peninsula from the Christian Visigoths. Expanding eastward, they were stopped by a Frankish army led by Charles Martel at the Battle of Tours, stopping the advancement of Islam into mainland Europe.

The Battle of Talas was fought between the Islamic forces of the Abbasid Caliphate and the forces of Tang China in 751. It halted the eastward expansion of the Abbasid Caliphate and the westward expansion of Tang China.

The Battle of Manzikert took place in 1071 and was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the invading Seljuk Turks. It ended in an overwhelming victory for the Turks and the loss of Byzantine territory. Most historians agree that it began the steady decline of the Byzantine Empire which would eventually, and finally, be conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1453.

Saladin was a Kurdish general and founder of the Ayyubid dynasty who ruled in the twelfth century. He is most famous for the reconquest of Jerusalem, which sparked the Third Crusade, and the subsequent defense of the city against the forces of Christendom.

The Reconquista began in the eleventh century and raged all the way until the late-fifteenth century. It was a prolonged conflict between the Christian forces of Spain and Portugal and the Islamic Moors who lived in the Iberian peninsula. The goal of the Reconquista was to remove the Moors from the Iberian peninsula and install the rule of Christianity throughout the territory.

After the Battle of Talas in 751, the Abbasid Caliphate and Tang China established a mutually beneficial trading relationship that greatly enriched both empires.

The Siege of Jerusalem, during the First Crusade, ended in victory for Crusaders and the forces of Christendom. It also ended in a violent massacre, as the entire Muslim and Jewish population of the city was mercilessly slaughtered.