The crusades was the churches response to the Muslim expansion, which
had spread along North Africa and up to the eastern and western fringes of the
Mediterranean world. The Crusades began in 1096 and ended in 1291 (some 200
years) with 8 major crusades and some minor ones.
Pop Urban II initiated them with the main intention of protecting Christianity and
recapturing Religious Holy Sites in Jerusalem from the control of the Muslim “infidels”.
However, there were mixed motives behind the crusades. The kings and feudal lords
saw crusading as a means for obtaining new lands and riches and the clergy found a
new dumping ground for troublemakers. Lastly, the Church would give remission of
penance for past sins and postponements of debts.
Before the crusades, the political structure was feudalistic and ruled by lords. The
average peasant had a small parcel of land, a small home with a thatched roof and dirt
floor, with major obligations to serve his lord in work and produce. Only about 10
percent of the people lived in towns.
The economy was mainly dependant on the agriculture which was in a very poor
state at best. Most of the European Continent was wilderness and what little farmland
existed was uncultivated and overcrowded. Entire royal courts moved from one manor
to another in their realm as the provisions ran out.
The manor on which peasants lived was designed to be self sufficient with no strong
central government; it provided a measure of security and justice and there was little
contact with the outside world. There was no currency and goods were exchanged
mainly by barter.
In contrast to feudal Europe; stood the eastern portion of the Roman Empire with...
... middle of paper ...
.... The first
crusade was successful by recapturing Jerusalem but short lived. At that time the
Muslims were preoccupied with an internal war among themselves and did not expect
an attack. The Muslims had better advantages on their side with wealth and larger
armies and better skilled warriors and were able to recapture Jerusalem and hold
back the Europeans through all the crusades. However; all was not a lost the overall
gains by the exposure to the Muslim and Hellenic cultures did make a significant impact
to Europe which has and is still in effect today.
Works Cited
Anne, Fremantle. Age of Faith. Ed. Norman P. Ross. Vol. I. New York: Time - Life Books, 1965. I vols.
Wallbank, Walter T. Civilization Past and Present. New YoRK: Scott, Forman and Company, 1949.
"CRUSADES" (Accessed 02/25/11) http://www.luc.edu/faculty/ldossey/crusadesoct21.htm
Thomas F. Madden’s The New Concise History of the Crusades is an invaluable account of the crusades that bases its arguments off of factual evidence and draws from historical accounts. Although his arguments may be flawed because of preconceived biases, Madden is still able to present the history of the crusades in an interesting and professional manner. The themes he addresses accurately portray the crusades as both a religious and territorial endeavor. Overall, Madden successfully summarizes and analyzes the crusades in his historical review, infusing his own ideologies in the text while still maintaining a professional voice.
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.
After the disappointments of the Third Crusade the Christian forces would never again threaten the real bases of Muslim power. From the end of the Third Crusade and on they were only able to gain access to Jerusalem through diplomacy, not arms. In 1199 Innocent III called for another Crusade to recapture Jerusalem. To prepare for this crusade, the ruler of Venice had agreed to transport the French and Flemish Crusaders to the Holy Land. However the crusaders never fought the Muslims because more than half of their men did not show up and they were unable to pay the Venetians. This turned into a bargain with the Venetians and once Innocent III learned of their barging he excommunicated the participants. Then there was the Fourth Crusade which
The first crusade was held only in order to fulfill desire of the Christians of the recapturing the center of the Christian faith-Jerusalem, which has been controlled by the Muslim nation for more than 400 years. This military campaign was followed with severe cruelty and harsh actions against Muslims which cannot be justified with anything but religious and material interest.
In 1095 Pope urban II call all Christians to take part in what would become the world’s greatest Holy War in all of history. Urban’s called Christians to take up arms and help fight to take the Holy Land of Jerusalem back from the accursed Muslims. During this time of war the whole world changed. Land boundaries shifted, men gained and lost and gained power again, and bonds were forged and broken. The Crusades had a great impact on the world that will last forever. There were many major social, political, religious and economic changes that occurred during the crusades. But first, a brief history to give backbone to these reasons.
The Crusades were great military missions embarked on by the Christian nations of Europe for the purpose of rescuing the Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the hands of the Moslems. The Crusades were considered Holy Wars (1). Their main target was the Moslems not the Jews, although campaigns were also waged against pagan Slavs, Jews, Russian and Greek orthodox Christians, Mongols, Cathars, Hussites, Waldensians Old Prussians, and political enemies of the popes (2). There were many Crusades some more significant than others, but in general the Crusades was an important event in the history of Medieval Europe.
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.
The crusades in the middle ages were a long-lasting series of vigorous wars between Christians and Muslims over the Holy Land, Jerusalem. The crusades lasted for almost two hundred years. They began in 1099 and approximately ended in 1291. (What were the motives, and causes of these gruesome wars?) is the first question one might ask. To properly answer this question, I am about to analyze the first four crusades that had began in 1099 and ended in 1212.
When Europe fell into its depression, many European peasants were struggling to live. It was not a struggle of providing good lives for their families, it was a strug...
The Crusades were a call to action from the Roman Catholic Church to go and free the Holy Land, Jerusalem, from other religious groups living there, such as the Muslim and Jewish people. At the time, The Church played an influential role in every aspect of a person’s life, and people looked to The Church to see how they should act. The Crusades were motivated by ideas of wealth, Heaven, and power. People were promised all of those things by The Church and Pope Urban II. According to Document B, the Crusaders treated the Jewish people and other groups harshly. These cruel actions led to bad relationships between The Church and other groups. The Crusades introduced a new way of living for the Europeans. After the Crusades, Europeans began to trade with the areas of the Holy Land. The Europeans wanted the new goods they had been introduced to, such as spices, sugar, and silk. The Crusades were caused by power and religious reasons, and they changed the European trade system and their interactions with other groups.
The growing increase in the rights of individual and the spreading influence of Islam posed a major threat to the finances and existence of the Church and monarch. Hence, the Church and State conspired to use the Crusades as a way to appeal to the religious conscience of the individual to keep control over them. That objective was far from noble, but the result was a growing economy that brought all (Church, state and the individual) greater prosperity. The Crusades brought a demand for additional goods and services beyond just farm products- equipping, feeding, housing and moving the soldiers called to the crusades created economic opportunities for others.
The Crusades and the Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire controlled most of the land on the Mediterranean Sea in the AD 500's. In the 600's, Arab Muslims conquered Palestine, which included Jerusalem and other sacred Christian areas. However, the Arab Rulers allowed Christians to visit the shrines.
In order to discuss and understand peasant revolts, the peasant’s lives and their dwellings must first be understood to show how life was from their perspective. As mentioned earlier, the daily lives of these peasants were filled with physical labour on the farm. Life on the farm meant that life revolved around the seasons. A bad summer crop meant that there would be food shortages in the winter. Houses were very simple, with minimal amounts of furniture. The houses themselves were usually made out of stone, and had straw roofs. Mattresses for beds was made from straw, if at all, as some houses were recorded having beds with no mattresses. It has also been noted that out of all furniture found in a sixteenth and seventeenth century French farmer dwelling, chairs were seldom found .
... of religion, thereby exploiting innocent souls that seeked God through promises of remission and forgiveness of sin. Acts of war led to destruction of property, lose of lives, rape and slavery all in the name of saving the souls of those who believed. Crusades ended up being exploitation of man's desire to be at peace with his God, rather than actual salvation of souls.
Were the Crusades Motivated Primarily by Religious Factors? The Crusades were a series of military campaigns and wars between the Christians and the Muslims that lasted almost 200 years. The main motivations of these Crusades was to control the Holy Land in Jerusalem, also by the belief that all of their sins would be forgiven, and others to help the struggling Church in the East. Although there were other driving factors of the Crusades such as political and economic interests, the most important factor was their religious interests and the defense of their Holy Land.