THE CRUSADES
Beginning of the Crusades
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In the 1050s, the Seljuk Turks invaded the Byzantine Empire. Over the next four decades they
overran most Byzantine lands in Asia Minor as well as Palestine.
Christian pilgrims were being attacked in the Holy land (Jerusalem)
In 1095 the Byzantine emperor asked Pope Urban II for help. Pope Urban agreed.
o Rome saw this as a chance to reunite the church
At the Council of Clermont Urban encouraged French and German bishops to recover Palestine,
or The Holy Land, as it was called by Christians
Christians referred to this area s The Holy Land because it was where Jesus had lived and taught.
Muslims and Jews also considered the land holy.
Christians who answered the Pope’s call were known as crusaders.
Reasons for the Crusades
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Pope Urban believed that the Crusades would increase his power in Europe and possibly reunite
the Eastern and Western churches.
Christians believed that their sins would be forgiven if they participated in the Crusades.
Nobles hoped to gain wealth and land by participating in the Crusades.
Adventurers saw the Crusades as a chance for travel and excitement.
Serfs hoped to escape feudal suppression by fighting in the Crusades.
Early Christian Victory
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6 Crusades
The People’s crusade – 1095 CE
o Most were butchered
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For 200 years, the fighting went on. Only the first of four Crusades came close to achieving its
goals. In 1099 Christians captured the city of Jerusalem. They followed the victory with a
massacre of Muslim and Jewish inhabitants.
Crusaders divided their conquered lands into four small states called the crusader states. They
divided these lands into feudal domains. Muslims tried to regain these kingdoms, and this
resulted in additional Crusades.
Saladin and Muslim Victory
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During the late 1100s Saladin united the Muslim world. Both Muslims and Christians admired
and respected Saladin. When Saladin marched toward Jerusalem the Christians were
determined to stop him.
A Christian victory did not happen. The crusaders in Jerusalem surrendered to Saladin. Saladin
forbade his soldiers to kill, harm, or steal from the defeated crusaders.
Richard the Lion-Hearted became king of England in 1189. He was determined to retake
Jerusalem from Saladin. During the Third Crusades, Richard’s forces advanced to within a few
miles of Jerusalem but were unable to capture the city.
Saladin:
Richard the Lion-Hearted:
The End of the Crusades
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The Fourth Crusade was supposed to regain Jerusalem but the knights were diverted. After
helping Venetian merchants defeat their Byzantine trade rivals, the knights looted
Constantinople itself. What started as a war between Christians and Muslims ended up a battle
between rival Christian factions.
In Palestine, Muslims overran the crusader states. They captured Acre, the last city to fall, in
1291. This time the Muslims massacred Christian inhabitants after their victory
Map of Crusades:
Impact of Crusades
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Holy land temporarily regained
There was a lasting legacy of hatred between Muslims and Christians as well as Christians and
Jews.
Contacts between Muslims and Christians resulted in cultural diffusion. The European economy
began to grow through trade. Europeans began to adopt an expanded view of the world.
European trade expanded. Crusaders brought new products from the Middle East back home to
Europe. Merchants from Venice who had transported crusaders kept the trade routes open
with Palestine and other Middle Eastern kingdoms.
Europeans were stimulated to learn more as they were exposed to Muslim culture. Muslims
had preserved Greco-Roman culture and also made advancements in mathematics, science,
literature, art, and geographical knowledge.
The Pope temporarily gained more power but the rift between the Western and Eastern
Churches became wider after crusaders attacked Constantinople.
Monarchs gained power and prestige. Feudalism began to weaken as monarchs began to
demand taxes and rent from serfs so that money would be available to finance the Crusades.
Grain was no longer demanded by the monarch. Money replaced land as the focus of a new
economy. Many serfs were free as a result.