...The Crusades In 1095 an assembly of churchmen called by Pope Urban II met at Clermont, France. Messengers from the Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus had urged the pope to send help against the armies of Muslim Turks. On November 27 the pope addressed the assembly and asked the warriors of Europe to liberate the Holy Land from the Muslims. The response of the assembly was overwhelmingly favorable. Thus was launched the first and most successful of at least eight crusades against the Muslim caliphates of the Near East. "God wills it!" That was the battle cry of the thousands of Christians who joined crusades to free the Holy Land from the Muslims. From 1096 to 1270 there were eight major crusades and two children's crusades, both in the year 1212. Only the First and Third Crusades were successful. In the long history of the Crusades, thousands of knights, soldiers, merchants, and peasants lost their lives on the march or in battle. 1095: Beginning of the Crusades In 1095 an assembly of churchmen called by Pope Urban II met at Clermont, France. Messengers from the Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus had urged the pope to send help against the armies of Muslim Turks. On November 27 the pope addressed the assembly and asked the warriors of Europe to liberate the Holy Land from the Muslims. The response of the assembly was overwhelmingly favorable. Thus was launched the first and most successful of at least eight crusades against the Muslim caliphates of the Near East. The...
Words: 4678 - Pages: 19
...The Crusades were a series of wars taking place in Asia Minor and the Levant between 1095 and 1291, in which Western European nations engaged using the propaganda of religious expeditionary wars. The first crusade was called by Pope Urban II of the Roman Catholic Church, with the stated goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem. The background to the Crusades was the centuries of Arab–Byzantine Wars and the Seljuq-Byzantine Wars and the recent decisive defeat of the Byzantine army by Seljuk Turks at Manzikert in 1071. The Norman conqueror Robert Guiscard's conquest of Byzantine territories added to the problems of the Byzantine Empire. In an attempt to curtail both dangers, its Emperor Alexios I sought to align Christian nations against a common enemy, requested western aid, and Pope Urban II in turn enlisted western leaders in the cause of taking back the Holy Land.[1] The crusaders comprised military units of Roman Catholics from all over western Europe, and were not under unified command. The main series of Crusades, primarily against Muslims in the Levant, occurred between 1095 and 1291. Historians have given many of the earlier crusades numbers. After some early successes, the later crusades failed and the crusaders were defeated and forced to return home. Several hundred thousand soldiers became Crusaders by taking vows;[2] the Pope granted them plenary indulgence. Their emblem was the cross — the term "crusade" is derived from the French...
Words: 433 - Pages: 2
...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...
Words: 1251 - Pages: 6
...Crusades: Salvation or Exploitation? Student’s Name University Affiliation The word crusade originated from the French term to ‘to lift the cross’. The word is used to describe the early military war or the campaigns by the early Christians against Muslims. The origin of crusades traces back to the 11th century. The first crusade was started by Pope Urban II and the aim was to restore Christian’s access to Jerusalem and its vicinity, which was considered to be holy land (Runcinman, 1987). The crusade led to a battle that lasted for more than 200 years, which ended with a defeat of the crusaders themselves. A series of crusades followed where the Christians fought to get Jerusalem back believing that they would go to heaven when they died. From the above history of crusades, it is evident that the past Christian crusades were voluntary. The idea of crusades was to bond a set of interrelated principals that are inherent within individuals, as well as those induced by a perfect, coherent preaching approach (Philips, 2009). The crusades were intended to preach the Gospel in order to convert non-believers into Christians. Unfortunately, in the current Christian setup, some rogue preachers are using crusades for their selfish goals. Most of the preachers and pastors use crusades to solicit funds from the public. However, they should conduct crusades voluntarily and use them as a way to convert non-believers to...
Words: 722 - Pages: 3
...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...
Words: 1287 - Pages: 6
...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...
Words: 2701 - Pages: 11
...Crusades Abstract Crusades are recalled as a major incident in the history. This series of the holy war started in 1095 and continued till 1272. In general, reasons and motivational factors behind crusades are classified as subjective in nature. The goal of the Christian in this war was to liberate Jerusalem from Muslim possession and retook the control of the holy land. While, Muslims at the beginning of this war were on defensive side and failed to sustain their kingdom. However, after the third crusade, Saladin recaptured Jerusalem and included this state in his Kingdom of Egypt. This paper briefly describes the reasons and impacts of crusades which affected Europe in terms of politics, economy and social system and benefits. Table of Contents John Q. Student Professor Doe English 344 8 May 2000 Crusades Introduction The human history has seen numerous wars which have been fought to achieve the strategic goals of the states. Most of the wars reflect the intention of territorial expansion, acquiring additional resources of occupied land, settling down the political instability and to create balance or dominancy in terms of power in the region. However, history also witnesses to the fact that there are many wars that were fought on the name of religion. Crusades, among them, are generally referred as holy war or series of religious military actions to conquer the...
Words: 1724 - Pages: 7
...Crusades A crusade is a modern term from the French croisade that meant ‘to lift the cross’. It described the campaigns against the Muslim who were termed as the enemies of Christ and his church. They had captured two-thirds of the Christian land. Christians, therefore had to defend themselves or be incorporated by the Islam. They also wanted to liberate Jerusalem and other places which had been made holy by the life of Christ (Cole et al., 1998). People went for crusades for forgiveness of sins they had committed in order to go to heaven while others went for fun. The crusade was first witnessed in 1095 by Pope Urban II’s calling, at the Council of Clermont in the year 1095 to revive religiosity, because he felt that evil had hindered the success of the church in a spiritual sense and sought to repair that (Krey, 1921). He also preached that the Christians would be rewarded for killing a Muslim, however, this was not true and his aim was to hasten the recovery of the captured land of Jerusalem. From the first encounter of the Crusades, as much as their core purpose was affirming faith, converting the non-believers and preaching the gospel to the pagans, they were also social avenues for exploitation as depicted by the pope. In the modern days, Preachers have come up in need of self sustaining interests such as building their fame, raising their standards of living among others. They rob noble,expectant and naïve Christians with the promise of being freed from their...
Words: 520 - Pages: 3
...The Crusades were holy wars fought between Christians in Europe and Muslims in the Middle East between 1095 and 1291. The goal was to take control of Jerusalem away from Muslims. For centuries , Christians Pilgrims traveled from Europe to Jerusalem. In the 11th century , the Seljuk Turks , who were Muslims begin to interfere with these pilgrimages. In 1071 the Seljuk fought against the Byzantines, who were Christians lost. The Emperor asked the Christians in Europe to help protect his empire from the Turks. In 1095 , Pope Urban 2nd called for a crusade against the Muslims, to regain control of Jerusalem. He told the crusaders their sins would be forgiven. All who die by the way whether by land or by sea, or in battle against the Muslims. The...
Words: 352 - Pages: 2
...The Crusades In the High Middle Ages, Europe felt the pressure of the growing Muslim states to the south and southeast. When the Palestine was captured by the Seljuk Turks, the Byzantium Emperor at Constantinople requested assistance from the West. This requested sparked the Crusades, a Holy war with a goal of reclaiming Jerusalem. Several sources written about the Crusades offer a better understanding of the inspiration that fueled them and the circumstances surrounding them. Pope Urban II’s Speech at Council of Clermont and Albert of Aix: History of Hierosolymita provide great details surrounding the Crusades. Pope Urban II addressed the Christians in a distinguished Speech at Council of Clermont. It was an inspiring effort intended to encourage the Greeks to rise and defeat the Muslim invaders. The text of his speech was not conserved but Robert the Monk provided a descriptive recount of Urban’s motivational speech. But if you are hindered by love of children, parents and wives, remember what the Lord says in the Gospel, " "Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name's sake shall receive an hundredfold and shall inherit everlasting life." According to Robert the Monk, Pope Urban II uses multiple quotes from the Book of Matthew to help convince to the Christians to leave their families behind and join the Crusade. He explains that the Lord has offered eternal life for those that join...
Words: 1694 - Pages: 7
...1 Part 1 of of a monumental documentary on the crusades produced by the History Channel entitled "Crusades: crescent and the cross". This is part one of two. A must watch, and an excellent production! - Hosted by Nahda Media - 2 Not Synced for thousand of years the holy land of the middle east was run with blood. here the scars of battle was between the three of the great religion of the world. but the deepest would was made by the war between christians and muslims began at the close of the 11 century. fought for 200 years for a state a tiny strip of land which was a few hundred miles long. But with the greatest prize Jerusalem. now this holy war is passed as legd. there were those who saw it by their own eyes. great chronicles from two different worlds Christian and Muslim wrote of great deeds, great battles and great warriors. about men who laid down their lives. ¶ 3 Not Synced this was the collision of two great faiths, the clash between the crescent and the cross. 4 Not Synced this was the crusades. 5 Not Synced Of all the cities in the world, Jerusalem has the most troubled past and the most troubling future. 6 Not Synced For the Jews, it is the site of the great temple of Hewet and Solemn. For Muslims, the place where Mohammed ascended to heaven. For Christians,a place where their messiah was crucified. 7 Not Synced After his death, the world of Jesus Christ took root and Jerusalem slowly shed almost 4 centuries of Roman...
Words: 2901 - Pages: 12
...Crusaders Casey Roden THEO 350-B13 The crusades are something that I love to read about. Not only are they filled with action, but also mystery. As a kid I remember watching things like Indiana Jones or even Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and wanting to know more about the time period. I would love to travel to the areas that the Crusades went through. The crusades were a series of holy wars called by popes with the promise of indulgences for those who fought in them and directed against external and internal enemies of Christendom for the recovery of Christian property or in defense of the Church or Christian people. Crusaders would take a vow and granted indulgences. The Crusades are often related to pilgrimages, spreading Christian love and piety that paid for penalties earned by sin. Crusades were a combination of Holy war and pilgrimage to produce the concept of indulgence, “remission of penance and/or sin granted by papacy for participation in sacred activity”. This paper will be looking to answer the question, “Although there were clearly political, intellectual, and technological benefits to Europe as a result of the Crusades, can it be said that the Crusades advanced the cause of Christ?” Scholars argue what is covered as a Crusade and what is not. There are traditionalists that limit the true crusades to expeditions aimed at recovering or protecting Jerusalem. Pluralists, regard any expedition preached as a crusade in which the participants took crusading vows...
Words: 1852 - Pages: 8
...Crusades In Usama Ibn Munqidh’s Book of Contemplation: Islam and the Crusades, the main focus is on the relationship between Muslims and Christians in the East after the Christians capture Jerusalem. After the capture of Jerusalem, the east was basically a hot zone wherever Muslim and Christian armies were set up. Although there were multiple crusades after the capture of Jerusalem, crusaders from past crusades stayed back in the crusader states for many reasons. Some did not have anything back in the west to go back to. Others wanted to start a new life in the crusade states or even spread the Christian word wherever it may take them. Although there were some instances of peace, most of the west was stained by war and carnage. Usama writes about an encounter with Tancred of Antioch on page seventy-seven. After a year’s truce between Muslim armies and Tancred’s Antioch, Tancred set out for battle against a Muslim army. He told the story of Hasanun watching his brother in cavalry, Kamil, fight in battle. Hasanun was beginning to get impatient while watching Kamil drive his spear into the bodies of Christian infantry. After waiting for his armor to arrive for quite some time, he decided to go ahead without armor. Not long after he charged into battle, he was captured by Tancred’s army. Usama soon began to explain that although Hasanun did surrender, he was tortured in a variety of ways. He did not explain all of them, but he did mention that Tancred wanted them to cut out his...
Words: 1150 - Pages: 5
...QuaShaun Stewart Dr. K History 119 November 25th, 2013 The First Crusade When the Muslims captured the city of Jerusalem it made life in Jerusalem and surrounding areas hard for Christians. Muslims were threatening to conquer the remaining parts of the Roman Empire. Alexius I of Constantinople scared that his country (modern day Turkey) might fall to the Muslims called on the Pope Urban II to give him help to defeat the Muslims. They wanted to free Jerusalem and The Holy Land from the Seljuk Turks. So in 1095 The Pope gave a speech to his followers urging them come together and fight the infidel that was in the Holy Land. In his speech the pope made some valid points but also made a lot of mistakes. This story told from the Muslim side also gives you a different view of what really happened in those Crusades. There were many Christians who wanted to reclaim Jerusalem and the Holy land for their belief and get the Muslims out of the city. There were also a lot who knew they had committed a lot of sins and by going on the Crusade they thought that they might have been forgiven by God. They had also been told by the pop that if they were killed, they would automatically have a bid to go to heaven because they were fighting for God. Then there were those who thought that they might get rich by taking the wealth they believed to be in Jerusalem and what they found on the way. When the Pope gave his speech at Clermont in France 1095, he called for a war against the Muslims and...
Words: 1252 - Pages: 6
... The Crusades The crusades were military expeditions launched against the Muslims by the Christians in an attempt to regain the holy land. They took place between 1095 AD and 1291 AD. It was one of the most violent periods in the history of mankind. The crusades did not accomplish much during their time. The crusades were unnecessary because many people were raped and killed, there was only one successful crusade, and they ultimately weakened the empire. The crusades caused great pain to families, Jewish communities and more. For instance, “the crusades ended their campaign in 1099 by slaughtering some 30,000 Muslims and Jews in Jerusalem.” They are considered to be the most violent, because innocent people were killed. Many different types of weapons were used to accomplish these tragic events. The blood from the children that were killed was mixed with the leavened bread of Passover. There were seven different crusades. Even though, the first crusade was successful in the holy war, many Muslims were slaughtered. The second crusade was launched in the 12th century. They lost many battles and were ambushed. The third crusade destroyed a chain of cities along the Mediterranean. The fourth crusades had financial difficulties, so they took Constantinople and plundered it to get money. The fifth, sixth, and seventh crusades were the same as the others- they were launched and did not accomplish much. Overall, there are many reasons why the crusades were not...
Words: 403 - Pages: 2
