...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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...Bryant Kang Mr. Ryan Humanities 10 5/4/2015 The Third Crusade The Christians in Western Europe and Muslims in the Middle East were in a constant religious battle during the 12th century because the Roman Catholic Church wanted to take control of the holy land, Jerusalem. In order to conquer Jerusalem, the Church initiated crusades, also known as military campaigns or holy wars. The First Crusade was successful as Jerusalem fell under the European control, but not so much for the following crusades. The Second Crusade was a disaster, as Europeans failed to conquer any land from the Muslims. This led to the Third Crusade in which three kings, ‘Richard the Lionheart’ of England, ‘Phillip II Augustus’ of France, and ‘Frederick Barbarossa,’ joined...
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...because it had many teachings that appealed to the downtrodden in Roman society, these teachings being that even though they were suffering they would gain equality and possibly superiority in the next life, Christianity gave them hope. When Emperor Constantine “converted” to Christianity, this conversion is not fact and often debated, after the Christian God gave him a vision that he would win a battle if he put the sign of Jesus Christ on his soldier’s banners. He did and won the battle decisively giving credit to the Christian God and then proceeded to favor Christianity over all religions in the Empire. Constantine’s favor was the turning point in the Christian religion. Under his rule Roman citizens converted in droves. When the Western Roman Empire collapsed around 476 A.D. all non-religious authority broke down throughout this empire and central Europe. Germanic tribes began to invade and take over these areas and the rule of law became almost non-existent. The Catholic Church maintained its organization giving the Christians a place to look for guidance during this dark time only increasing their power and influence. Because of the lawlessness of this era other hallmarks of Roman life dwindled including education (How Christianity rose to dominate Europe n.d.). The lack of education only strengthened the Churches power more because people began to look to the Church as the source of world knowledge. Clergy were the only ones who became educated and...
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...Assess the reasons why there was a crusade in 1095 The first crusade began in 1095 following the Council of Clermont, although the official crusade forces didn’t leave until 1097. It was at the Council of Clermont that Pope Urban II first talked about the idea of a crusade. He explained that the Byzantine emperor, Alexius, had appealed for help as his land was constantly under attack from Muslim forces. Many people answered the appeal and took part in the crusade, however many embarked for different reasons. Some devout Christians, such as Peter the Hermit, will have taken part due to religious zeal and a desire to help the Christians in the East. Others, such as Baldwin of Boulogne or Bohemond of Taranto may have also desired the chance to gain land and material rewards in the East. Whatever their reasons, over 100,000 people took part in the crusade, final taking Jerusalem in 1099. The factor that sparked the whole idea of a crusade was Emperor Alexius’ appeal to Pope Urban II in 1095. Alexius saw an opportunity to take back some land lost to the Seljuk Turks as the Norman leader, Robert Guiscard, had recently died and the Muslim forces were focusing on internal conflicts. Although Emperor Alexius needed military assistance, his appeal to Pope Urban II focussed more on the suffering of the Christians in the East at the hands of the Muslims as opposed to fighting. He put emphasis on the fact that Christians were being slaughtered and that Muslims and Seljuk Turks had...
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...How the Crusades Changed the World HIS/276CA June 23, 2014 How the Crusades Changed the World The Dark Ages were a time of cultural recession for Western Europe. The barbarian invasions during the fifth and sixth centuries had obliterated the Roman Empire in the West. The wisdom of the lost Empire was nothing more than a memory. The Crusades offered endless opportunity and provided exposure the knowledge, culture, and resources that fueled the European progression into the Renaissance; a fortuity that shifted both cultural and religious power in the modern world. By the end of the 10th century, Western Europe was destitute. The inhabitants could not farm their land properly, and soon a cycle of famine, flood, and disease began to dictate the lives of the people. The only surviving institution was the Western Church in Rome. Roman popes soon began to challenge the Byzantine emperors for ultimate control of the church. Tension grew between the two branches of Christianity, which lead to cultural, theological, and irreconcilable differences between the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe and the Greek Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire (Stalcup, 2000). This event, known as the East-West Schism in 1054, was a precursor to the Protestant Reformation (Stalcup, 2000). Meanwhile, a holy war in Spain between Christian Europeans and Muslims terrorized the outskirts of Rome during the tenth and eleventh centuries. Western Europe became very accustomed to religious...
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...November 10, 2014 European identity during the Crusades. During the Crusades the Christians believed themselves to be more powerful and more important than any other group and saw themselves as dominant. They took the Popes orders to turn their anger and rage against other groups as opposed to being violent against one another. Their leader was Pope Urban the II and after he told them to channel their aggression into fighting the other religions things got ugly. Urban the second could probably easily take the blame for the blood shed that the crusades brought with it. During this time period Christians were killing each other for many reasons and it was chaos so Urban told them to stop killing each other for it was a greater sin and to find a common enemy. The common enemy the Christians found were the other religions whether it be Jews, Muslims, or pagans they sought bloodshed and the wealth that came with it. For example in the Rhineland they slaughtered the Jews. They brutally killed them sometimes in massacres. The crusaders thought the Jews were a good target because they were different and the Jews were rich due to the fact of the way they did business and put interest on loans. To be more specific according to Fordham Universities article “Albert of Aix and Ekkehard of Aura, Emico and the slaughter of the Rhineland jews” Lorraine is where the Christians began their slaughters. One day they robbed and slaughtered a group of Jews and after hearing of this 200 Jews...
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...Finn Hist: 3056 Reading Response 1 Karr 02/05/15 Finn I. Despite the attempts of the Papacy to gain control over the Church within Empire, many humanists such as Dante Alighieri and Lorenzo Valla argued that not only was the Church corrupt in relying upon fraudulent papers such as the Doctrine of Constantine in order to stake its territorial claim, but that the claim was itself illegitimate. The Holy Roman Empire never was - nor has ever been- subordinate to neither a secular nor a spiritual power. Many have argued that it was the people who are represented by the electors and in accordance with the will of God - who were the true source of power of the Empire and it is the people who also had jurisdiction...
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...The Crusades was a series of “holy wars” fought between European christians and Middle Eastern muslims from 1095 to 1291. It consisted of three primary expeditions including the People's crusade, the German crusade and finally the Prince’s crusade. Though the main goal of all three Crusades was to reclaim regions near Jerusalem from the Infidel. Peasants, nobles, knights and various others were all motivated by varying causes. Whether it be for religious purposes, personal gain (such as money), or furthering their positions in power, it pushed thousands of people to participate in the Crusades. They succeeded in spreading their influence but failed to claim the holy lands back, leaving Islam as the dominate religion in the East. The crusades...
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...countryside called themselves Nizaris, but to the rest of the world, had become known by a different name - the Hashashin, or Assassins. The sheikh who presided at Alamut, nicknamed "the Old Man of the Mountain" since Hasan-i-Sabbah's time, was rumored to command a secret legion of fedayeen, or holy warriors, perfectly trained in the arts of espionage, infiltration, and murder, who were willing - indeed, expected - to give their lives to destroy designated enemies. The Assassins were murderers for hire, able to infiltrate the most tightly guarded palaces and royal entourages, and to assassinate kings, noblemen, and generals, Christian or Muslim, if the price was right. They were active and unpredictable players in the power politics of Christian and Muslim during the crusades, and Henry of Champagne had stopped at Alamut to see whether the Old Man of the Mountain would be amenable to an alliance. One day during his visit, Count Henry and the sheikh of the Assassins were strolling outside the fortress, when the conversation turned to military obedience....
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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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...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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...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...
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...Question: Explain the development and the nature of the Byzantine institutions (church and state), social and urban life, and cultural achievements? Answer: Byzantine art is the term commonly used to describe the artistic products of the Eastern Roman Empire from about the 5th century until the fall of Constantinople in 1453. (The Roman Empire during this period is conventionally known as the Byzantine Empire.) The term can also be used for the art of states which were contemporary with the Byzantine Empire and shared a common culture with it, without actually being part of it, such as Bulgaria, Serbia or Russia, and also Venice, which had close ties to the Byzantine Empire despite being in other respects part of western European culture. It can also be used for the art of peoples of the former Byzantine Empire under the rule of the Ottoman Empire after 1453. In some respects the Byzantine artistic tradition has continued in Greece, Russia and other Eastern Orthodox countries to the present day. The finest work, the most elegant, and the most accomplished technically, was, naturally enough, associated with the Byzantine capital, Constantinople, which was the very hub of the civilized world from the foundation of the city as capital around 330 till its conquest by the Turks in 1453. But there were other great centers too. In Rome, Milan, Ravenna, and elsewhere in the West works of the greatest importance that were in no way provincial were executed in the early years of Christendom...
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...Origin of History of Western Science, Could It be Barbarian Incursion? The history of science that we have been hearing and seeing till today and what we were taught at school was the theory that says that the origins of science is western, this is the only theory that we have known till we came to this class, according to his theory all the sciences that we know originated in the hands of the westerners or the “whites”. This theory is the one that has been spread and supported by the westerners to gain and maintain the soft power from the history of science. According to this theory all the theoretical and philosophical foundations of all the sciences we know were done by the Greek philosophers during their time, Greek philosophers such as Aristotle and Socrates are given the credit for most of these things. Then came the Dark Age and during which nothing much happened and then came the days of the Renaissance during which the European countries took initiative and did major contributions to science by doing the practical applications and proving the philosophical concepts of the Greek philosophers. These include the works of people like Einstein and Newton. This theory is the theory which is supported by the western textual sources and sources like Wikipedia. The alternative theory provided to us by Professor CK Raju, which says is that the Origins of western history of science and not Greek. According to this theory all sciences are universal and if so it does not make for...
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...KNOWLEDGE IS POWER After some debating of evolution vs creationism, and after reading some of Jack Herer's book, it just hit me like a ton of bricks, and I thought I'd share this thought with all of you. Knowledge is Power. Yes, most of us have heard that a million times on School House Rock on Saturday mornings, but it means so much more than they could have ever imagined. Knowledge is the ultimate weapon and the ultimate defence. Since the dawn of civilization, the powerful have restricted the Knowledge available to us common folk, and that is precisely how they maintain their power. One of the best examples of this (and because it's currently very fashionable (and fun!) to bash them) is the Catholic Church. Make no mistake, I'm Italian and the Church has always been very important in my family. However, since the very beginning, that is since around 100 A.D., it has consistently withheld Knowledge from its followers. But HOW did it gain so many followers so quickly? By claiming a monopoly on Knowledge right from the outset, by being extremely exclusive, moreso than any other religious cult in recorded history. Think about it: during a time of great crisis (as the 3rd century certainly was for the Roman Empire), a time when barbarians are invading the empire from all angles, a time when the Roman elite seemed incapable of defending their own population, out comes this religion which claims that it and ONLY it has the ability to save people for eternity. It has the ultimate...
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