Ironically, religion which is generally associated with peace, has dominated the world in terms of wars. Each religion is constantly battling all of the others for control of certain lands, to gain more available followers and/or dominate what the youth of the world is exposed to. In addition, various religious groups want to do become involved because they believe they are doing it in the name of their god. In the case of the crusades, the majority of available people were joining the existing armies because their religious figureheads, whom wisdom and judgment they thoroughly trusted, told them to do so even if these leaders had only their own interests at heart. Regardless, the people of the Holy Catholic church rallied together in an attempt to secure the Holy Land of Jerusalem from the Muslims. The Crusades were a time of both expansion and destruction for all of Europe.
The crusades were a, “series of military campaigns launched by Christian countries of Western Europe. The chief focus of the crusades was the Holy city of Jerusalem.” (Article 1) As stated, the crusades were a very dark, but religious time. The first of nine total crusades was launched in the year 1095. Due to Pope Urban II’s brilliant use of speaking and Emperor Alexius of the Byzantine empire’s military forces, the young and able volunteered to go on what they understood to be a march of divine justification. Though the Pope and Emperor Alexius probably had other plans for expanding their lands and resources, the reasons people joined were nearly irrelevant. They clearly demonstrated their loyalty through by slaughtering tens of thousands of Muslims and Jews during their occupation of Jerusalem. The campaign was an overall victory by way of stor...
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...en and even children were slaughtered all in the name of Three different gods. Therefore, it can be argued that the crusades had mostly negative impacts on humanity. The trust that was initially established in each religious body of government was destroyed. History would frown upon the crusades.
Works Cited
Boucquey, Thierry. “Crusades.” Encyclopedia of World Writers: Beginnings Through the 13th Century. Ed.: New York. Facts on File Inc., 2008. 3/16/14
Dickson, Gary. “Crusades.” The First Crusade and the Establishment of the Latin States. Ed.: Marshall W. Baldwin, Thomas F. Madden. Date accessed: 3/17/14.
The Crusades Reference Library. “The History of the Crusades.” Ed.: Neil Schlager, Ralph
Zerbonia, J. Sydney Jones, Michael T. O’Neil, and Marcia Merryman Means. Volume
1, Detroit, 2005. P.81-114, copyright Gale Cengage Learning.
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 Crusades were a series attacks against the Muslim people in Jerusalem in an effort to take back the Holy Land. The causes of the Crusades are highly debated, but religious devotion is the obvious cause for Pope Urban the Second to call upon the Crusades. The religious reasons that lead to the creation of the Crusades is that the Christians wanted to take back Jerusalem, add another reason. The economical and political reasons that could oppose the religious reasons are that the Crusades were caused because people wanted to gain more riches and possessions and that Pope Urban wanted to protect the Byzantine empire from the Seljuk Turks. Although the economical and political reasons were the causes of the Crusades, the religious reasons
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
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.
First of all, we can underline how Madden emphasizes the fact that the Crusades were driven by religious reasons: “A crusade army was a curious mix of rich and poor, saints and sinners, motivated by every kind of pious and selfish desire, yet it could not have come into being without the pious idealism that led men to risk all to liberate the lands of Christ” (Madden, 13). The First Crusade occurred after Pope Urban II preached a sermon to liberate Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Madden expresses regrets about what he calls a “mistaken view”, that says that “religion was not an impetus but a diversion” (11). He definitely assumes a point of view that is diffe...
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.
Obviously the largest problem that came out of the war was the many deaths that were sacrificed for the wrong reasons. Since the crusades had finished because they finally realized it was a lost cause, some may say that those people died for no reason. Other instances where the crusades were bad were the now broken relationship between Jews and Christians and the bitterness between Christians and Muslims. On the first crusade, Christians went through Jewish communities on their way to Jerusalem. Forcefully baptizing them and killing them if they did not convert was not the best way to make the Jews care for the Christians. Christians after the crusades saw them as sacred religious movements, while the Muslims thought of them as the christians trying to expand their territory and rule as much land as they possibly
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.
A main cause of the Crusades was the treatment of Christian pilgrims. They were robbed, beaten, and then sold. The main group of Turks, the Seljuk Turks, were threatening and growing in power. The Byzantine Emperor, Alexus I, began to become worried and sent out an urgent plea to Pope Urban II, in Rome. He requested for Christian knights to help him fight the Turks. Pope Urban II did agree to his appeal although Byzantine Emperors and Roman Popes were longtime rivals. He also did agree with Alexus I, in fearing that the Turks were expanding. Pope Urban encouraged French and German Bishops and Nobles to also take part in this. “ An accused race has violently invaded the lands of those Christians and had depopulated them by pillage and fire.” This is when Pope Urban II called for a crusade to free the Holy Land. Urban did agree to this having some of his own motives in mind. He was hoping his power would grow in ...
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.
In 1095, the conflict between the Christians and the Muslims started a crusade (a military campaign in defense of Christianity) for the battle of Jerusalem. This crusade involved people of other religions besides Christianity such as the Jews but they did not play a major role during this time. The Crusades lasted almost two decades and consisted of eight different crusades. With all of the events and actions that took during the Crusades, it led too many effects throughout years. There were short term effects and long term effects from the crusades that effected people of all different cultures. Two places which have had many effects from the Crusades are Europe and Islam. The Crusades has had short term and long term effects on power, economic and classical knowledge throughout Europe and Islam.
The constant fighting between the Christian crusaders and the Muslim people transformed religion into a license to kill, which justified the slaughter of men, women and children. Although the crusades were seen as failures during their time, the crusades had a huge impact on the world. This impact can be seen through the many social, political, economic, and religious changes that developed during the crusades. Some of these changes still remain to this day.
The emperor of the Byzantine Emperor was upset with Turks encroaching on his empire. He went to the Pope Urban II and complained. He made up atrocities about the Turks. In 1096, The Pope Urban II promoted the Crusade to reclaim the Holy Land from the barbaric Turks. These crusades lasted till the 13th century. In the process, Jews were persecuted and lots of looting took place. Many countries took interest in the Crusades because they were ready for travel and adventure. They wanted to expand trade with the Middle and Far East and so the Crusades gave them a chance to open up trade routes with those countries. They used Christianity to justify the Crusades. In reality, they wanted to expand trade and gain more territorial land.
Let's start with the Jews… how were they impacted by the crusades? “The Jews of the city, knowing of the slaughter of their brethren, and that they themselves could not escape the hands of so many, fled in hope of safety to Bishop Rothard.He placed the Jews in the very spacious hall of his own house, away from the sight of Count Emicho and his followers, that they might remain safe and sound in a very secure and strong place.” Says document A 3. “But Emico and the rest of his band held a council and, after sunrise, attacked the Jews in the hall with arrows and lances. Breaking the bolts and doors, they killed the Jews, about seven hundred in number, who in vain resisted the force and attack of so many thousands. They killed the women, also, and with their swords pierced tender children of whatever age and sex. The Jews, seeing that their Christian enemies were attacking them and their children and that they were sparing no age, likewise fell upon one another, brother, children, wives, and sisters, and thus they perished at each other's hands. Horrible to say, mothers cut the
The Crusades were the type of person who demanded many things, if not everything. They used their power and the backing of the Catholic Church to advance their movements and take control of cities. Many may believe the Crusades were mean, dangerous people who did not care about others and only wanted control. This, however, was only one view and many do not see how the Crusades benefited the church, help unite its members, and enabled the church to evolve in certain areas.