The Crusades: Deus Vult

1066 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The negative impact of crusades

“Deus vult!” These two words would spark one of the most controversial events in history, the Crusades. Spoken by Pope Urban II, “Deus vult” means “God wills it” in Latin. These two simple words were said to inspire the masses of Europe. They would also cause the bloody conflict that would ravage the Holy Land and drag generations of warriors into the chaos. Today many believe the crusades were a war between Islam and Christianity. That religion was the main cause and only cause of this event. They are right in thinking this, for religion was a cause, but it was not the only cause but one of many factors. Three causes that lead up to the Crusades were Europe’s changing medieval society, the desire to protect Christendom and greed.

The first cause of the crusades was the shift in Medieval European society. Up until the eleventh century Europe was in what many historians call the “Dark Ages”. It was during this time that Europe was under constant Viking raids from the North, Saracens from the South and Magyar’s from the East. Europe survived these and came out stronger than ever. With these threats gone, Europe’s society recovered quickly. The Italian City States built large trade fleets and took to the sea trading in ports all over the Mediterranean(Nelson 1). In the mainland, farmers began producing more food and raw materials that before now had been looted or burned by Vikings and other raiders. Religion also became more important as pilgrimages to holy places became more common. Europeans were no longer accepting their faith passively but had an urge to act on their beliefs and do something positive for their God(Nelson 2). Well Europe was having a comeback from centuries of raids and violence there was one problem. Europe wa...

... middle of paper ...

...tal struggle between two powerful faiths. Several generations of warriors would fight and die during the Crusades. These facts are obvious but there was more to them than just religious fanatics going at each over a city. The Crusades were born of Europe’s changing culture, determination to defend itself and the greed of man. All these fell into place leading Europe and the Middle East on a collision course. Maybe “Deus vult” was true, maybe God did will it.

Works Cited

"Battle of Lechfeld." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2012.

Maalouf, Amin. “The Crusades Through Arab Eyes”. New York: Schocken Books, 1989. 5-6. Print.

Nelson, Lynn H.. "Lectures for Medieval Survey." The ORB: on-line Reference Book for Medieval Studies. College of State Island, CUNY, 10 November 2002. Web. 27 Feb 2012.

Show More
Related

  • Violence in The Crusades

    614 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Crusades were an outlet for the intense religious tension between the Muslims and the church which rose up in the late 11th century. This all started because the church and the Catholics wanted the Holy Lands back from the Muslims. Around this time the church was the biggest institute and people were god-fearing. Pope Gregory VII wanted to control more lands and wanted to get back the lands that they had lost to the Muslims (Medieval Europe). So in order to get back these lands he launched The Crusades which he insisted to the peasants was a holy war instead.

    Read More

  • The Crusades: Religious Devotion or Economy Desire?

    629 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Crusades took place in the Middle East between 1095 and 1291. They were used to gain a leg up on trading, have more land to show hegemony, and to please the gods. Based upon the documents, the Crusades between 1095 and 1291 were caused primarily by religious devotion rather than by the desire for economic and political gain.

    Read More

  • The Crusades Argumentative Essay

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    Among some of the largest conflicts in the world stand the Crusades; a brutal conflict that lasted over 200 years and was debatably one of the largest armed religious conflicts in the history of humankind. Since this is so clearly an event of importance, historians have searched vigorously for the true answer as to why the crusades began. Ultimately, because of accusatory views on both the sides of the Christians and of the Muslims, the two groups grew in such hatred of each other that they began to act in deep discrimination of each other. Moreover, Christian motives seemed to be driven mostly by the capture of Jerusalem, the dark ages of Europe and the common-folks desperation for land, wealth, and a spot in heaven. What seems to be continually

    Read More

  • Pope Urban II and The Crusade

    1358 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Crusades were the first tactical mission by Western Christianity in order to recapture the Muslim conquered Holy Lands. Several people have been accredited with the launch of the crusades including Peter the Hermit however it is now understood that this responsibility rested primarily with Pope Urban II . The main goal of the Crusades was the results of an appeal from Alexius II, who had pleaded for Western Volunteers help with the prevention of any further invasions. The Pope’s actions are viewed as him answering the pleas of help of another in need, fulfilling his Christian right. However, from reading the documents it is apparent that Pope Urban had ulterior motives for encouraging engagement in the war against the Turks. The documents and supporting arguments now highlight that the Pope not only sought to recruit soldiers to help but also to challenge those who had harmed the Christians community and annihilate the Muslims. He put forth the idea that failure to recapture this lands would anger God and that by participating, God would redeem them of their previous sins.in a time of deep devoutness, it is clear this would have been a huge enticement for men to engage in the battle. Whether his motives were clear or not to his people, Pope Urban’s speeches claiming that “Deus vult!” (God wills it) encouraged many Christians to participate and take the cross.

    Read More

  • The Crusades: Really a Holy War?

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Crusades were one of the most prominent events in Western European history; they were not discrete and unimportant pilgrimages, but a continuous stream of marching Western armies (Crusaders) into the Muslim world, terminating in the creation and eventually the fall of the Islamic Kingdoms. The Crusades were a Holy War of Roman Christianity against Islam, but was it really a “holy war” or was it Western Europe fighting for more land and power? Through Pope Urban II and the Roman Catholic Church’s actions, their proposed motivations seem unclear, and even unchristian. Prior to the Crusades, Urban encouraged that Western Europe fight for their religion but throughout the crusades the real motivations shone though; the Crusaders were power hungry, land coveting people who fought with non Christian ideals and Morales.

    Read More

  • God's Battalions

    1656 Words  | 4 Pages

    God’s Battalions: The Case for the Crusades by Rodney Stark, will cause readers to question much of what they know about the Crusades, the Crusaders themselves, and the formidable Muslim forces they encountered along the way in liberation of the Holy Land. Stark gives compelling reasons for the Crusades, and argues that readers should not be too quick in following the lead of historians who cast the Crusaders in less than positive light. Stark makes his case supported by evidence that vindicates the valiant struggles of the Crusaders who accomplished the task of keeping Christianity alive through troubled times.

    Read More

  • Crusades Dbq

    1250 Words  | 3 Pages

    The First Crusade (1095-1099) had a successful outcome in which the crusaders gained entry to Jerusalem unlike the Second Crusade (1145-1149), where the crusaders didn’t get anywhere near the Holy Land. To an extent, I do believe the difference in the leadership of the two crusades did contribute to their different outcomes. However, I also believe that there were other factors which were more responsible for the outcome, such as the difference in motivation of both the leaders and the main crusading army. Both the crusades, had strong leaders and weak leaders, but it was their motivations that varied, and it was possibly this reason why their outcomes varied.

    Read More

  • Crusades Dbq

    1263 Words  | 3 Pages

    The First Crusade (1095-1099) had a successful outcome in which the crusaders gained entry to Jerusalem unlike the Second Crusade (1145-1149), where the crusaders didn’t get anywhere near the Holy Land. To an extent, I do believe the difference in the leadership of the two crusades did contribute to their different outcomes. However, I also believe that there were other factors which were more responsible for the outcome, such as the difference in motivation of both the leaders and the main crusading army. Both the crusades, had strong leaders and weak leaders, but it was their motivations that varied, and it was possibly this reason why their outcomes varied.

    Read More

  • First Crusades Dbq Essay

    624 Words  | 2 Pages

    The First Crusade was a result of several reasons-politics, territory, knowledge, etc. It was even said to have begun simply to distract western Europe from fighting amongst themselves. However, the First Crusades was a totally unexpected campaign stirred mostly by religious fervor. People of multiple ethnicities randomly banded together and decided to quit their lives to fight a war from which many were fully aware they might not have returned from, because of their religious devotion.

    Read More

  • First Crusade: The First Crusade

    1510 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1095, Pope Urban II called the first crusade. Happening between 1096 and 1099, the first crusade was both a military expedition and a mass movement of people with the simple goal of reclaiming the Holy Lands taken by the Muslims in their conquests of the Levant. The crusade ended with the capture of Jerusalem in July 1099. However, there has been much debate about whether the First Crusade can be considered an ‘armed pilgrimage’ or whether it has to be considered as a holy war. This view is complicated due to the ways in which the Crusade was presented and how the penitential nature of it changed throughout the course of the Crusade.

    Read More

  • Crusades Dbq

    1441 Words  | 3 Pages

    The events that led up to, and including the First Crusade, were a set of religious and political wars fought between Muslims and Christians in a means to exert influence and obtain control over the Holy Land. The movement held vast consequences that ultimately yielded enough power that caused a ripple effect through multiple facets of society. The First Crusade saw a mass following with aims to seize Jerusalem from Islamic control, all in the name of God. The wars were not entirely positive, those who took on the journey faced exhaustion, starvation, and devastation, yet their dedication demonstrates the immense religious devotion that allowed the crusaders to prevail and that dominated. The piety displayed by the western Christians and Muslims

    Read More

  • The Crusades Dbq

    1603 Words  | 4 Pages

    Consequently people of all social classes and ages were volunteering, fighting, and waging war out of a sense of duty to the church, without regard for the toll these battles would have on lives lost and damage to land. Even though the subsequent Crusades were encouraged by the Roman Catholic leaders, the battles were failures because the Christians ended up quarreling among themselves and the Muslims were able to take back land that had previously been fought over. Sadly, the Crusaders took advantage of the opportunity to rob and pillage in faraway lands, all under the self-serving sentiments of piety, self-sacrifice, and their love for God. The irony of the Crusades is that the Roman Catholic Church’s original focus was to rescue the disciples and reunite the Roman Catholic kingdom, when instead it divided the religion and allowed for weaknesses that the Muslims were able to use in their

    Read More

  • First Crusades: The First Crusades

    1245 Words  | 3 Pages

    The First Crusade from 1095 to 1099 has been seen as a successful crusade. The First Crusaders carefully planned out their attacks to help promote religion throughout the lands. As the First Crusade set the example of what a successful crusade should do, the following crusades failed to maintain control of the Holy Land. Crusades following after the First Crusade weren’t as fortunate with maintaining the Holy Land due united forces of Muslims, lack of organization, and lack of religious focus.

    Read More

  • The Crusades: Short Term and Long Term Effects

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shawna Herzog, History 101-1, Class Lecture: 11.2 Society in the Middle Ages, 27 March 2014.

    Read More

  • The First Crusade and the Ideas of Crusading

    2006 Words  | 5 Pages

    Contrary to many commonly held notions about the first crusade, in his book, The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading, Jonathan Riley-Smith sets out to explain how the idea of crusading thought evolved in the first crusade. In his book, Riley-Smith sets out five main arguments to show how these ideas of crusading evolved. Firstly, he argues that Pope Urban’s original message was conventional, secondly that a more positive reaction was drawn from the laity (due to the ideas surrounding Jerusalem), thirdly, that the original message of crusading had changed because of the horrible experiences of the first crusaders, fourth, that due to these experiences the crusaders developed their own concept of what a crusade was, and lastly, that these ideas were refined by (religious) writers and turned into an acceptable form of theology. Riley-Smith makes excellent points about the crusade; however, before one can delve directly into his argument, one must first understand the background surrounding the rise of the first crusade.

    Read More

More about The Crusades: Deus Vult

Open Document