Reason
The desire to take control of Jerusalem away
from Muslims.
The belief that fighting in a crusade would give
you forgiveness of sins.
The chance to travel and make money.
The desire to defend the Byzantine empire from
the Turks.
The opportunity for younger sons of European
nobles to get new land in the Middle East.
The possibility of opening up new trade routes
between Europe and the Middle East.
Religious, Political or
Economic?
Background of the Crusades
• Muslim Empires in India and
Spain doing well
• India – Buddhism/Hinduism
doing well
• China Strong Dynasties
• Conflicts in the Middle East
stopping pilgrimages
Feudalism
• Growing class of landless
knights made up of second
sons, mercenaries, and
disinherited nobles.
• Higher nobility could more
easily fund armor, weapons,
and transportation due to
developments in agricultural
technology.
Importance of Jerusalem
•
Three major religious groups all claimed Jerusalem
in the land of Palestine as their holy city. To
Christians, it was the place where Jesus was
crucified and ascended to heaven
•
To Muslims, it was the place where Muhammad
ascended to heaven.
•
To Jews, it was the site of the ancient temple built
by Solomon.
•
In 600 CE, Arabs entered the city and took control.
But the Arabs allowed Christian and Jewish
pilgrims to visit Jerusalem. In fact, Jews and
Christians could live in Palestine as long as they
paid their taxes like everyone else.
The Seljuq Turks
• Occupied Jerusalem since 1073
• Stopped allowing Christians to
make pilgrimage to the Holy
City
• Threatening Byzantine Empire
Emperor
Alexius I Komnenus
• Seljuq Turks had taken much
of Asia Minor, and were
threatening Constantinople.
• Sent a letter to Pope Urban II,
asking for assistance from
Europe.
– Promised to place Byzantine
church under Roman authority.
Pope Urban’s Speech
•
•
From the confines of Jerusalem and from
contantinople, a grievous report has gone
forth that an accursed race has violently
invaded the lands of these Christians and has
depopulated them by pilgrimage and fire….
Jerusalem is a land fruitful above all others, a
paradise of delights. That royal city situated at
the center of the earth, implores you to come
to her aid. Undertake this journey eagerly for
the remission of your sings, and be assured of
the reward of imperishable glory in the
Kingdom of Heaven.
Going to Jerusalem
Goals for the Crusades
• The Pope
• Show his power
• Reunite Byzantine Empire and Roman Christians
• Byzantines did think Pope was the head of the
church
• Knights
• Win Glory in Battle
• Riches
• Serfs
• Can leave their land
• Merchants
• Trade
Land
• Gave landless knights an opportunity to gain
land and wealth and establish themselves as
nobles in new Latin kingdoms in the Holy
Land.
Wealth
• The Muslim world was the
medieval center of trade and
wealth.
• Rumored to be overflowing
with wealth, the Crusaders
expected to return to Europe
rich, by plundering the
treasuries of centuries old
Muslim mosques and
Orthodox churches.
Penance
• For a Christian to exit
Purgatory and get to Heaven
they had to perform some form
of penance.
• The Medieval clergy told
Christians that if they went on
Crusader their sins would be
forgiven, and they could obtain
absolution for themselves as
well as their families.
Christian Fervor
• Pope Urban II’s disclosure that Muslims
controlled Christianity’s most holy place,
Jerusalem, made European Christians itch
to take the city.
• Christians were angry because the Turks
had refused to let Christian pilgrims enter
the city.
The World of Islam
• The various Islamic empires
stretched from Spain to
modern-day Afghanistan
before the Crusades.
Europe
circa
1095
• Crusaders came
from all lands in
Europe,
however, the
vast majority
came from the
Frankish
kingdoms.
(Where Urban
preached his
original Crusade
Sermon)
Uncle Urban wants YOU!!!
• After Urban’s sermon,
clergymen traveled around
to recruit armies to take up
their cross and free the
Holy Land from the
“infidels.”
• One of the largest
recruiters was Adhemar,
Bishop of Le Puy
• Traveled via land
through
Constantinople
• Traveled across
the
Mediterranean
through Messina
Onward
Christian
Soldiers
Muslim Warlords
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The leaders of the Muslim armies were Kilij Arslan I,
Sultan of Rüm, and later, Kerbogha, Atabeg (Governor)
of Mosul.
The Fatamid Muslims of Egypt and North Africa
(Shi’ites) were ruled by Caliph Ahmad al-Musta’li.
Not only were they fighting the Crusaders, but they were
also fighting amongst themselves, which led to the
Christian victories.
Peter the Hermit


A priest of Amiens, Peter went around preaching
the crusade to the peasantry, to whom he
promised wealth, land, absolution, and victory if
they marched with him to the Holy Land.
Peter and his “Peasant’s Crusade” made it to
Nicaea (modern-day Turkey), where Kilij and the
Turks utterly decimated the marching serfs.
Urban II


Urban II, pope from 1088-1099,
preached the sermon that
started the First Crusade, as
well as gave the need for
further crusades.
He saw much opportunity to
expand the power of the
papacy in the crusades.
Godefroi de Bouillon




One of the first nobles to take up
the cross at Clermont.
Led an army from Lorraine to the
Holy Land, numbering 40,000
troops.
Godefroi was elected first King of
Jerusalem upon the fall of the city
in 1099 and ruled until his death in
1100.
His brother, Baldwin of Boulogne,
succeeded him as King of Jerusalem
until 1118.
Baldwin of Boulogne
Bohemond of Taranto
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

Another noble to take up the cross,
Bohemond was in effect the true
leader of the First Crusade.
Upon the Siege and capture of
Antioch, Bohemond established
himself as Prince.
He traveled with his nephew,
Tancred de Hauteville, who later
became Prince of Galilee.
Robert II of Normandy



Also known as Robert Curthose, for his
short, squat appearance.
The son of William the Conqueror, Robert
gave up his claim to the Duchy of Normandy
to his brothers, William Rufus and Henry I of
England in order to pay for his funds to go on
the crusade in 1096.
Robert led troops throughout the battles of
the Crusades, most notably at the Siege of
Jerusalem.
Raymond IV of St. Gilles



Count of Toulouse, Raymond IV was one
of the very first to take the cross to the
Holy Land.
Raymond IV marched along with the papal
legate Adhemar of Le Puy.
Very religious, Raymond’s goal was to die
on pilgrimage and he did die in the Holy
Land in 1105.
Bishop Adhemar of Le Puy


Following Urban II’s original
call for a crusade at Clermont,
many priests throughout
Europe began to preach the
crusading ideal. One of the
most important was Adhemar.
Urban II elected Adhemar as
the papal legate
(representative) of the First
Crusade.

Adhemar was not only on the
crusade, but he was often to be
found in the front lines of battle.
Templars and Hospitallers
The Knights Templar
• The Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and of
the Temple of Solomon, or the Knights
Templar for short, were founded in 1096
by Hughes de Payens.
• They took oaths of poverty, obedience,
and chastity, and defended the Holy
Land for Christians on pilgrimage.
The Knights Hospitaller
• The Knights of the Hospital of St. John,
or the Knights Hospitaller were founded
in 1113 by Blessed Gerard.
• Their primary task was to provide
medical services to Christians in the
Holy Land.
The Latin Kingdoms
• During and after the First
Crusade, the Latin, or
Crusader, kingdoms were
established.
• Four Kingdoms set up in the
same feudal style as Europe
entered the Holy Land
– Kingdom of Jerusalem
– Principality of Edessa
– Principality of Antioch
– County of Tripoli
The Siege of
Nicaea
• The siege and capture of Nicaea took place from May
14 - June 19, 1097.
• Nicaea was a Byzantine city under Turkish control
since 1077.
• During the siege, the Turks inside the city called for
help from Kilij Arslan. The Sultan of Rüm arrived but
was defeated by the Crusaders.
• Once the Crusaders had claimed the city, the
Byzantines took possession of it.
Battle of Dorylauem
(click for re-enactment)
• Following the Siege of Nicaea, the Crusaders moved
on towards Antioch.
• En route, Bohemond’s force (ahead of the main
army) was attacked by Turks under Kilij Arslan.
• The timely arrival of the forces under Godefroi,
Raymond, and Robert, as well as European heavy
cavalry, allowed the Crusaders to crush Kilij’s lightlyarmed Seljuqs.
Click the mouse
to activate each
phase of the battle.
Battle of Dorylauem
(click for re-enactment)
• Following the Siege of Nicaea, the Crusaders moved
on towards Antioch.
• En route, Bohemond’s force (ahead of the main
army) was attacked by Turks under Kilij Arslan.
• The timely arrival of the forces under Godefroi,
Raymond, and Robert, as well as European heavy
cavalry, allowed the Crusaders to crush Kilij’s lightlyarmed Seljuqs.
The Siege of Antioch
(click for video clip)
• The Crusader siege of Antioch lasted from October 21, 1097 to
June 2, 1098. The Crusaders had it about as bad as the people
inside the city. Lack of water and food caused many Christian
soldiers to desert.
• The Crusaders took the city by trickery.
– Bohemond of Taranto made a deal with an Armenian Christian
inside Antioch.
– One night the Armenian let down a ladder and let the
Crusaders in.
• After they took the city, Kerbogha arrived to besiege the
Crusaders.
• The Crusaders sallied out of the castle to challenge the
Muslims.
• On June 28, 1098 the Crusaders, with the Holy Lance (a
Christian relic found in the city) before them, defeated
Kerbogha.
The Siege of Jerusalem
(click to see a battle map)
• The Crusaders arrived in Jerusalem on
May 7, 1099 and began their siege.
• An army of 7,000 crusading knights
attacked Jerusalem and by the end of
the siege, only 1,500 remained.
• Jerusalem was taken by the Crusading
army on July 15, 1099. Upon entering
the city, the Europeans slaughtered
everyone inside (Muslim, Jew, and
Christian alike).
• After the First Crusade, there were
several more CRUSADES that resulted
in little or no success for the Christians.
• In 1291, the last remaining Crusader city
of Acre fell to the Mameluks (the Muslim
slave army) under Sultan Qalawun.
• To this day, peace remains elusive in the
Middle East.
Later Crusades
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Second Crusade (1144-1150)
Third Crusade (1189-1192)
Fourth Crusade (1201-1204)
Albigensian Crusade (1209-1229)
Children’s Crusade (1212)
Fifth Crusade (1217-1221)
Sixth Crusade (1228-1229)
Seventh Crusade (1248-1254)
Shepherd’s Crusade (1251 and 1320)
Eighth Crusade (1270)
Ninth Crusade (1260-1272)
Northern Crusades (1193-1500s)
Spanish Reconquista (718-1492)
Results of the Crusades
• Did not conquer the holy land (Original
Goal)
• Increase of religious intolerance
• Power of Church goes down
• Power of Nobles go down (too many
died)
• Monarchs powers go up (taxes and
warriors)
• Increase in trade, travel and exploration