Complex sentence: Medina was an exceptionally poor place for any large-scale rebellion due to its dependency on other provinces for goods, and his motley army of devotees were no match for the Caliph's imperial soldiers.
Split into simpler sentences: Medina was an exceptionally poor place for any large-scale rebellion due to its dependency on other provinces for goods. As well, his motley army of devotees never stood a chance against the Caliph's imperial soldiers.