The Crusades
Robert Tate Ransom
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How did Christians Justify the Crusades?
How did Christians Justify the Crusades?
Why I chose this topic:
I chose this research question because I wanted to study Christianity. I wanted to know if there was any major conflicts/wars that have happened in history that are related to Christianity. I feel that there are so many aspects to war that could be discovered and shared. I feel that war with religion adds many more interesting aspects. I do not have any personal connections but I am very interested in war and how it has evolved over time. It is a topic that I have looked at my whole life, I have read many war books and watched many war movies over the years. However, I have never looked into wars regarding religion. The Crusades are a set of wars where religion plays a huge role.
Background
Background
The crusades were a set of holy wars launched by the Christians against the Muslim empire in the Middle East. The justification for the crusades made by the Christian Empire was to stop the expansion and drive back the Muslim Empires that had been expanding in Africa towards Europe.
This was an attempt by the Christians to regain the holy land in Jerusalem and the Middle East that that was once theirs. It was an attempt to drive back other race’s and religions by invading and capturing.
Pope Urban was the leader of the Christian empire that waged war on the Muslims in the middle east in the first Crusade that eventually led to the two other Crusades, The knights of the Christians in Europe traveled to reclaim holy land that was once theirs.
Routes of the Crusaders
Routes of the Crusaders
The Crusades started in 1095 when the pope Urban preached the first Crusade at the council of Claremont. There were three important Crusades: the first Crusade from 1069-1099, the hundred years war 1337-1453, and the third Crusade 1189-1192.
The Crusaders started mostly in Germany and France and all of Europe and journeyed to Jerusalem and the holy land. The Holy land is now known as Israel and Jordan. Some of the biggest battle sites were Jerusalem , Damascus , Hattin, and Constantinople.
This is a painting of a battle of the third Crusade
This is a painting of a battle of the third Crusade
Deeper Insights
Deeper Insights
How did Pope Urban justify the first Crusade?
How did Pope Urban justify the first Crusade?
In the year 1094 the islamic forces were sweeping through the Islamic desert. The Byzantine empire ( which was Christian ) had lost Egypt, North Africa, and Syria. The Byzantine regained some minor areas. They felt that they were ready to take on the Turks. The Byzantines thought that the best way to take them was through Western Europe. The Byzantines sent a convoy to Rome to appeal to the Holy Father. Pope Urban got the message. He asked the council to send aid to Constantinople. He started the council of Claremont. He gave a speech in Northern Italy that changed history… “When an armed attack is made upon the enemy, let this one cry be raised by all the soldiers of God: ‘Deus vult! Deus vult! [God wills it! God wills it!]'" This is a line of his speech. “ God wills it! God wills it! “ his speech was directed to the rich and poor to stop in-fighting and embark on a righteous war to help their fellow Christians in the East.
What effects did the Crusades have on Europe?
What effects did the Crusades have on Europe?
The Crusades had a major effect on Western European society. The Crusaders spent years in foreign lands and eventually returned to Europe. The Crusaders not only came back to Europe losing a war but also came back with many inspirations that they had acquired from the East. These included new trade routes, ideas, inventions, languages, and knowledge of the Eastern world. Before the Crusades Europe was very single minded and not open to new things from the East. It helped push barbarian Europe into a European renaissance.
Who won the Crusades?
Who won the Crusades?
The first Crusade was definitely a success for the Christians they regained holy land such as, Jerusalem, and Damascus. It was how the Christians imagined it to be. However, the the two other Crusades were not as successful. The Christians had sacked Constantinople but lost it again soon after. They started to lose ground following the battle of Hattin in 1187. The third Crusade ended when Richard and Saladin signed a treaty that the holy land remained under Muslim rule but allowed unarmed Christian pilgrims to enter the city. To conclude the first Crusades were successful for the Christians were successful but in the end the Crusades seemed to have done nothing for them in terms of regaining the Holy Land. The Muslims/Turks had control of the Holy land when the war ended.
Important Vocabulary:
Important Vocabulary:
- Crusade - A war with religious objectives. The best known Crusades were launched by Christians to regain holy land in the 11th century.
- Pope - The Bishop of Rome, and official head of the Roman Catholic Church
- Barbarian Europe - The period of European history from the fall of the Roman Empire in the West (5th century) to the fall of Constantinople (1453). Also known as the Dark Ages.
- Turk - A member of any of the ancient central Asian peoples who spoke Turkic languages, including the Seljuks and Ottomans )
- Byzantine Empire - The Eastern Roman Empire after the fall of the Western Empire. Its capital was Constantinople.
Bibliography:
Bibliography:
siteseen network. “The Crusades.” The Crusades, 2016, www.lordsandladies.org/the-crusades.htm.
The American legion. “‘Deus Vult!" [God Wills It]: Pope Urban II Calls for a Crusade at Council of Clermont.” The American Legion's BurnPit, 2017, www.burnpit.us/2015/11/deus-vult-god-wills-it-pope-urban-ii-calls-crusade-council-clermont.
Thorfire enterprises. “The Crusades.” The Crusades | The First Crusade History, 2017, www.historybits.com/first-crusade.htm.
Image. “Second Crusade.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Oct. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Crusade.
“First Crusade 1096-1102.” Aspects of the High Middle Ages, School of Divinty, 2015, www.animatedmaps.div.ed.ac.uk/Divinity2/first.html.
Bragg, Melvyn. “In Our Time, Third Crusade.” BBC Radio 4, BBC, 29 Nov. 2001, www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00547ls.
“Dictionary.com.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/.
“Download Christian Fish Thin Line Transparent PNG.” Christian Fish Thin Line Transparent PNG - StickPNG, www.stickpng.com/img/religion/christianity/symbols/christian-fish-thin-line.
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