...The Crusades were a series of military campaigns launched by the Roman Catholic Church starting from 1095. The main goal of the Crusades was to regain control of the Holy Land to the Christians from the Muslims. The Crusades were mainly a failure because they did not achieve this original goal. However, the Crusades were an inadvertent success because they brought vast changes to Western Europe. Thus, the Crusades are known as a successful failure. During the Early Middle Ages, the fifth through ninth centuries AD, Christians were able to safely complete a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, as the Muslim Egyptian rulers at that time were tolerant of other religions. However, in 1071, Jerusalem was captured by the Turks who would rob, rape and murder non-Muslim pilgrims. These Turks threatened the weak Byzantine Empire, and, in turn, western Europe and the Pope. In...
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...Siege of Antioch Persona The Sun hung heavy in the sky, and it was not even mid-day yet. We had been marching since the first few rays of the sun emerged over the eastern horizon, just as we had been doing for the past several weeks. We were told that our destination was Antioch, a coastal stronghold that was a vital area which we needed to control in order to solidify our pilgrimage in the pagan east. I am a minor cousin of Bohemond the leader of the mighty Normans. I joined in this first crusade to the east because I saw it as an opportunity for work in this dying profession of knighthood. That and my family decided that it was imperative that I undergo the journey. I finally heard the horn call for a cease to the marching for the day. As tired as I was I knew that sitting down to rest would only make matters worse, because my work was not quite done. I was tasked with walking through the camp to oversee the work. Every time that we stopped for the day, a perimeter had to be set up, and the camp properly set up and defended. Thankfully the footmen were there to do much of the physical labor, be it digging defensive ditches, or pits away from the main camp for the latrines. I looked out over the camp, much smaller now that a portion of our forces, headed by Baldwin and Tancred, broke off into the Cilician region. No one is sure if it was because of an argument or plans within plans. My gaze however kept snapping back to the terrifying mountain range, Anti-Taurus...
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...The crusade notes By: Travis Finney Date: 4-8-13 Decline of Byzantium * Muslim saliqus won an important victory at manzikert in 1071. Byzantium factions then turned on each other in civil war allowing the saliqus almost free rein in Anatolia. * The Byzantium emperor asked Pope Urban 11 to help him against the Muslim’s. Pope Urban 11 * Urban’s speech would help launch the first of several crusades. Reasons for the crusades * The Pope hoped to unite the entire eastern Mediterranean and the divided Christian faith under the banner of the Latin Church. * Italy with large navies supported the crusades for commercial gains and trading routes. * The Byzantine Empire was in severe decline and no longer could act as a butler between the Muslim east and the Catholic west. * Christian pilgrims visiting the holy sites in Jerusalem began experiencing increased harassment and danger. The First Crusade * The word “Crusade” comes from the Spanish Crusade which means “marked with the cross” * The first Crusaders met the Muslim forces and won victories at Nicaea on June 19, 1097 and Anita on June 3, 1098. * By June 7, 1099 after a three year campaign 12,000 of the original 30,000 crusaders reached Jerusalem. * On July 15, the crusaders went over the city walls and unleashed unbridled carnage. Moslem counter attack * Most of all the crusaders returned to Europe after freeing Jerusalem creating a manpower shortage. * Moslem...
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...The Crusades are traditionally defined as the series of western expeditions against the Muslim lands of Palestine and the Levant which begun with Pope Urban’s call to arms at Clermont in 1095 AD, and all but ended with the Muslim liberation of Acre in 1291. The initial western offensive was sudden and effective. By 1099, Jerusalem was in Christian hands, and remained so until 1187, when it was liberated by Slah al-Din. From then on, European power in the region was very limited, although Frederick II of Sicily briefly conquered Jerusalem again in 1228. The fall of Acre in 1291 marked the end of the European presence in the region. All in all, it was the western Christian that states failed to counter the ultimate rise of Muslim power as-well-as “liberating” any holy lands. It was a war that a man fought another man for the misguided main beliefs of another. Over-all, the Muslim nations that were invaded by those Christian states wanted no part of the hostile take-over of their lands or a forced conversion to their non-Islamic religion. Holy Sepulchre, a city in Palestine was the center of attraction; where the religious practices of Christians were not allowed to enter. The city was under the care of the Caliphs from Bagdad and the Fatimid’s of Egypt. At one point the Caliph presented the keys of this holy place to Charlemagne to lock out the millions of Christians from gaining access. People from Turkey sooner joined the fight to control the holy place as the Arabian community...
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...The crusades were a series of Wars fought over the Holy Land Jerusalem, between Christian Europe and Muslim Asia. Jerusalem held a high significance to Christians because the Church of the Sepulchre was built upon the hill Christ was crucified on top of. The start of the Crusades was influenced by Pope Claremount in 1095. There were about nine crusades in total, the first four were known as the Principal crusades, and the four remaining, Minor crusades. The Holy crusades had many effects on both Europe and Asia. Before the 11th century most Christians were encouraged and even welcomed by the Muslim people of Jerusalem to journey on pilgrimages to experience Christ. Muslims had an open policy for pilgrims seeing them as a source of revenue. In the 1065 the Turkish took over control of Jerusalem and murdered Christians. The Pope Urban II hired a man named Peter the Hermit, a native monk of France, to spread the word and influence people to stand up and fight against the Infidels controlling Jerusalem and attacking Europe. August 15th 1096 marked the start of the crusades into Asia. The most important Crusades are the first four known as the Principle crusades. 3000 Christians were slaughtered in Jerusalem, prompting the first crusade, known as the People’s Crusade, made up of all kinds of classes of people, men, women, and children. Many preachers’ excited people of Europe, swaying them with their words of “Gods Will” to set out on a march to Jerusalem. The first crusade...
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...The Knight: Pilgrim Analysis In the general prologue of the Canterbury Tales, the Knight is the first of the pilgrims to be described because he is of the highest rank. Therefore, it is only fitting that he goes first. In Chaucer’s work, he “. . . creates his knight in such a historical detail that we can easily explore the specific kind of knight he might have been . . .” (Calabrese 3). Chaucer describes his knight as “. . . a most distinguished man . . .” (Coghill 4). The narrator illustrates the Knight to be a man who “followed chivalry, truth, honor, generousness and courtesy” (4). Furthermore, the Knight presents himself in a polite fashion, never speaking insensitive words about anyone. Through Chaucer’s words and descriptions, it...
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...Final Paper The Crusades were military campaigns controlled by the Catholic Church throughout the Middle Ages. In 1095 the Byzantine Emperor Alexios the first, from the city of Constantinople, sent one of his ambassadors to Pope Urban the second located within Italy. His ambassador pleaded for military help against the growing Turkish Empire and viewed them as a threat. The Pope answered by sending Catholic soldiers to fight in the First Crusade. The initial objective was to gain pilgrims access to the holy sites in the Holy Land that at the time was under Muslim occupation. His larger goal was to reunite the Eastern and Western branches of Christianity after they had split in 1054. The pope remained as head of the united Church, and carried...
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...The Crusades were classified as a holy war against the infidel (Spielvogel 331), and were caused by religious differences, who held control over the Holy Land, and a clash between two different civilizations such as the Christians and Muslims. Christians and Muslims are two groups of people that believed in different gods and have different views about life and the world, mostly on religion. They both wanted control over the Holy Land and this led to multiple Crusades. Christian Crusaders often waged attacks on cities filled with Muslims, but they also got sidetracked by emperors who asked for their help. They would sack others cities taken over by Muslims, like Constantinople, on their way to Jerusalem, the Holy Land, and a lot of the time...
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...The Fundamental causes of the Crusades Derek A. Shuman The ancient World had the territorial Peleponesian war between Athens and Sparta. After that, the Persian swept in and conquered much of Greece, along with the rest of the Mediterranean area. Alexander retook possession of Greece, (along with much of the Mediterranean). Then came the Romans, who also conquered Greece, (along with much of the Mediterranean). But after the fall of the Roman Empire, the Eastern Mediterranean fell into the hands of the Muslims. So, since 638 AD, Jerusalem had been governed by Muslims. The Muslim Caliphs were, at heart, capitalists, and they tolerated Christian pilgrims because the tourist money helped the economy. But then, in the 1070s, Turks (who were recent Muslim converts) conquered these Holy Lands and mistreated the Jews and Christians, not realizing how useful their good will (and money) could be. The Byzantine Empire was also threatened by the Turks. Emperor Alexius asked the pope for assistance. Pope Urban II, a skillful orator, seeing an outlet for the violent energy of Christian knights, made an urgent speech calling for them to take back Jerusalem. Thousands responded, resulting in the First Crusade. Dates and Leaders of the Crusades: Urban II made his speech calling for Crusade at the Council of Clermont in November, 1095. He combined the idea of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with waging a war against the infidels. When he also promised complete absolution past present and future...
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...Causes of the First Crusade The Crusades were a violent military campaign between the Latin Roman Catholic Church and the Islamic empire. According to Don Closson an author with probe ministers, there were 7 crusades in total and they lasted about 200 years. John France the author of The Crusades And The Expansion Of Catholic Christendom states that , “After the First Crusade achieved its goal, the invading Christians set up several Latin Christian states. Because of this Muslims in the region vowed to wage holy war (jihad) to regain control over the region (Crusades). But what caused this dispute, what caused the crusades to even begin? Well before the crusades started the dispute between Christians and Muslims could be seen in many different...
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...The Crusades The Crusades was a war against the Moslems(Muslims) fought by the Christians. It started in November 1095 when the Byzantine Emperor, Alexius Commenus had sent a desperate appeal to defend Christianity against the Moslem enemy because the SeIjuk Turks, the dominant Moslem power, had conquered the Holy Land from the Christians and closed of the places made sacred by the life of Christ. Pope Blessed Urban II concluded a speech with words, “Men of God, men chosen and blessed among all, combine your forces! Take the road to the Holy Sepulcher assured of the imperishable glory that awaits you in God's kingdom. Let each one deny himself and take the Cross!” The assembly then rose with him and thus became the Crusaders. They adopted a red cross as there emblem and within ours no more red material remained in town because the knights had used it all to make the crosses that would be sewn onto their sleeves. The name Crusaders was given to them because of their emblem(crux the Latin word for cross). The Crusades were a just war which has been a controversial debate over time, but to prove it, in history the Christian nations in Europe were definitely not the aggressors. The Moslems had been the aggressors against the Christians since the seventh century. Their attacks on the Christians were still going on in the eleventh century. In 1071 the Turks had attacked and virtually annihilated the Byzantine army at Manzikert. It was this defeat that led the Byzantine Emperor...
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...other subjects or it will result in ongoing fights, arguments, and wars. In the case of the Crusades, this was exactly the result- a series of religious “Holy wars”. This particular set of Holy wars was divided amongst the Christians, Muslims, and Jews in revolt against the Catholic church. The original intention of the Crusades started as a political issue under the rule of Pope Urban II in 1095 AD. His goal was to increase Papal power, obtain wealth, and gain greater political power in Jerusalem, the Holy land. However, this quickly changed when religion played its role. The Pope performed a speech in Claremont simply implying that Muslims were persecuting the Christian faith due to the regions they resided in near the Middle East. As a result, the first Crusade came to terms. Something as profound as the Crusades will never be forgotten and although many centuries have passed, the previous problems still linger- especially in the Middle East. Most history books will focus on the outcome of the Crusades according to Western European culture, but it is the Eastern culture and religions who have truly suffered. All one has to do in order to realize this is to look at the current situation in our world today. The effects of the Crusades have taken a negative toll on the relations between Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religions and communities. In order to explain the result of the Crusades within the Jewish religion, one must understand what Jerusalem is to the Jewish people. It...
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...The Crusades. 1. What was the cause of the crusades? a. I expect to find out why there was a war between Christians and Muslims, and what is the holy land and why were they fighting over it. 2. What were the objectives of the crusades? b. I expect to find out why it expanded from releasing the holy land to conquering Spain from the Moors. 3. How many crusades were there and what were the most important? c. I expect to find out the exact number of crusades and why the first four were the most important. 4. What was the crusades timeline? d. I expect to find the dates of each crusade and when they finished. 5. What was the effect of the crusades? e. I expect to find the answer to why did they play a very big role in the Middle ages and how did they effect the catholic church. 6. Who were the crusaders and how were they treated? f. I expect to find the classes of where the crusaders came from and if they had any special privileges. Throughout history the Crusades affected many aspects mostly the Europeans Middle Ages. The crusades went on for almost 300 years and affected the people whom lived there church and many other aspects. Powering religion and the church. Even though many people lost their lives it still plays a huge role. 1. What was the cause of the crusades? The word crusade means holy war, and was caused over the possession of the holy land. For many years Muslims were responsible of the...
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...What was a knight? There were three main types of soldiers during the Middle Ages: foot soldiers, archers, and knights. The knights were heavily armored soldiers who rode on horseback. Only the wealthiest nobles could afford to be a knight. They needed very expensive armor, weapons, and a powerful war horse. Medieval Knight by Unknown The First Knights The first knights of the Middle Ages fought for Charlemagne, the King of the Franks, in the 700s. In order to fight battles across his large empire, Charlemagne began to use soldiers on horseback. These soldiers became a very important part of his army. Charlemagne began to award his best knights with land called "benefices". In return for the land, the knights agreed to fight for the...
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...Pope Urban II called the first crusade at the Council of Clermont after the Byzantine emperor Alexios Komnenos asked him for help with the Seljuk Turks. Urban, seeing this as an opportunity to launch an attack on the Islamic held holy land, made speeches at the council with accounts of violence being inflicted on the Christian pilgrims. He used this speech to rile up the French clergy and noblemen, as well as being a good troop gathering tool. The Church was very influential at the time of the Crusades, so it was not hard to gather men for these armies, considering they had the help of several prominent Frenchman including the Count of Toulouse, Raymond IV. Unexpectedly, it was the peasants, not the knights, who most fervently answered the call to war. Men of women of all ages took up arms, possibly seeking to earn grace with God, or to earn wealth during the war. Following his speeches in France, Urban recruited other leaders such as Godfrey of Bouillon, Bohemond of Taranto (enter other things here...
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