The Crusades: Really a Holy War?

The Ghazi thesis was used by the Ottomans as well and it is based on the idea of a “holy war” against the infidels. The Ottomans were religion based and they went along with “Jihad in the path of God” which meant that they were fighting for God. Their goal in the beginning was to strive to be a more pious Muslim community. Like mentioned before, some Mughal rulers did not put religion as their top reason to conquer. Babur was more of a one of a kind ruler, “No Ottomans, sultans or conquerors, are known to have been as openly frank as the Mughal found Babur, who in his Turki-language autobiography explains that he left Kabul for India to satisfy his mulkgirliq, his "kingdom-seizing" or imperial ambitions” (Dale 56).

One of the most important events to take place during the high Middle Ages was the issuing of the Crusades by Pope Urban II. This momentum event which would last from 1095 to 1291 (unofficial ending) one could say had a particular effect on the middle east, as the western world tried to gain control over the area. The meaning of the word crusade comes from the word cross. The crusades themselves inspired a tremendous amount of writing in the subject area that it is impossible to read everything on it. There were many reasons people went on the crusades, and therefore a simple cut and dry answer will not do.

This was important because it showed the great contrast of the success of states that had control over religion against those who did not. While the Safavids struggled to expand and win over their subjects, and Europe as a whole was struggling for unity and peace within their many empires, the Ottomans and Mughals were striving culturally and politically with peace within their empires and great expansion throughout their years. In addition, the tactics of Europeans and members of the Gunpowder States to get rid of heretics differed drastically between the two empires. While the Spanish were solely focused on either converting or exiling the conversos, the Safavids showed no mercy and acceptance of conversion, killing the heretics or forcing them to renounce their beliefs. This is significant because it shows how much the two empires differed in their doctrine and ultimate goals.

This was shocking because Christianity has spread throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East in Late Antiquity. After Muslims captured Jerusalem in 1076, any Christian who wanted to pay a visit to the city of Jerusalem faced many obstacles because Muslim soldiers made it very dangerous for them to do so. Jerusalem is very important to Christians because it has lots of biblical references. In Europe the Pope along with the Papacy has assumed the power of utili... ... middle of paper ... ...rs rightfully thought belonged to them. For this reason the fighting of the First Crusade can be viewed as the war that started all Christian Religious wars or Crusaders that followed.

The Crusades were a bloody time period. They were a military campaign by the pope and the Roman Catholic Church to take back Jerusalem from the Muslims. They lasted from the 11th- 13th century. They were catastrophic and left Europe in ruins. Although the Crusades were such a violent period of time, they had a positive impact in history because of their role in the renaissance and exposing the Western world to the Eastern.

The state used valid evidence to support their side of the argument as well as strategizing well enough to figure out exactly what would be most beneficial. Although the state wanted to be completely separate from the church, the state realized the most expedient plan would be to be almost completely separate from the church. On the other hand, the church was too reclusive and greedy to give the state any power, let alone share power with the church. The church finally overcame its greediness and agreed to share some power concerning investiture. Additionally proving the states argument to be more compelling, the state got their way in the end by being able to submit the names out of which the pope would choose the bishops.

During the Crusades, the Pope’s aspiration for power originated from political reasons. In 1095, there were many problems in the Christian land the Pope couldn’t do much about. For example, there was a great deal of fighting between knights and nobles, and the Pope had very little power (Visual, NA). When the Church tried to reform it by ordering a truce, it did not work. So when the Pope saw the holy land was controlled by Muslims that did not allow them to go there, he decided to use that as a way to restore order in the Church (Crusades, NA).

The age leading up to the first crusade is detailed by many current historians, as well as Pope Urban II, as a time period where inhabitants "rage[d] against [their own] brothers and cut each other [to] pieces" (Peters, Baldric of Dol, 31) for economic and social advancement. In spite of these references, many people today believe that the Pope instigated the crusades for the sole reason of reclaiming Jerusalem. However, other motivations such as supplementary religious factors and the chance for economic, social, and political gain also played major roles. These motivations were not experienced supremely by the Pope; in fact he needed to instill these inspirations in all Christians to evoke their will to fight. The holy land had long been in the hands of a foreign power, and every knight willing to fight for it would need the proper motivation.

Taking Back the Holy Land, Religiously or for the Sword The Crusades have been a heated and debated topic for centuries. The main reason the crusades started was because of religious factors and the promise of indulgences by going to the Holy Land and defending all of Christendom from the infidels (p. 102). This brings us to a second point which is, the personal gain for Christians in the East and an expansion of economic and territory to the East (p. 111). Christians wanted to take back the Holy Land from the Moslems and reclaim it for Christendom. The crusades affected Christian Medieval Europe on every fiber, but were the Christians crusades motivated by religious factors or by bloodlust and plunder?

The Knights of Templar have a complicated reputation, with their involvement in protecting the holy land, and their alleged treachery. Along with Knights hospitalers and the Teutonic Knights, the Knights of Templar were forged during the time of the crusades. They were originally formed for strictly military use. They were founded when Hugh de Payens formed himself and eight other knights in 1818 for protecting pilgrims, but surpassingly the order grew very rapidly. Its rules were founded by St. Bernard of clairvaux, and it got recognized by the Council of Troyes (1128) and confirmed by Pope Honorius III.