THE MIDDLE AGES I
UNIT V
THE CRUSADES: CROSS VS. CRESCENT
Ever since the Muslim expansion of the 7th century, Christians had been tolerated and allowed access to the Holy Land.
However, when the Seljuk Turks took over Palestine in the mid 11th century, that access was cut off. Before long
hundreds of knights in Europe took up arms to retake the Holy Land from the Muslims and start the Crusades.
FOR OF THE CAUSE
When a Muslim force made up of Seljuk Turks begins pushing into Asia Minor, Byzantine Emperor, Alexius I, calls for
help from the West.
- Pope Urban II seeing opportunity to provide papal leadership for a great cause responds in an effort to
strengthen the power of the church
Council of Clermont (1095) – a meeting of the pope and about 300 clerics from Western Europe to discuss problems
and solutions of the church
- on the last day of the meeting he discussed the problems in the east with the Muslim threat calling all of
Christendom to a Holy War against the infidels (non-believers) claiming that “God wills it”
those who took up the cause of the Catholic Church were promised forgiveness of all sins and a direct ticket
to heaven (no waiting in Puregtoey)
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THE CRUSADES
Inspired by Pope Urban II, waves of Christian warriors fought their way from Europe to the Holy Land intent on
bringing the land of Christian origin back under Christian control. Although intended to liberate Jerusalem from Muslim
control, the Crusades eventually became a holy war between followers of the cross and those of the crescent.
1st Crusade (1096-1099) – Three armies from France, Germany, and Italy left Europe and assembled at Constantinople
to form the Crusader Army composed of several thousand men
- sweeping through Asia Minor, the Crusader Army defeating several Turkish armies before besieging
Antioch in 1098
- heading south along the coast, they reach Jerusalem in the summer of 1099 and after a month the city fell as
nearly 30,000 inhabitants (Muslims and Jews) were slaughtered
- after capturing Jerusalem, the Crusaders establish the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem, which would be the
last of four kingdoms established by the Crusaders
2nd Crusade (1147-1149) – after the fall of the first Crusader kingdom in 1144, the king of France and Germany
responded to the fall by agreeing to led a Second Crusade to recapture the fallen kingdom
- a small group also leaves from England becoming shipwrecked in Portugal  these Crusaders take Lisbon,
Portugal from the Moorish Muslims beginning the fall of Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and
Portugal)
- the rest of the Crusaders arrived in Jerusalem and after a council meeting, decided that the Crusaders should
attack the city of Damascus  the attempt fails
Fall of Jerusalem – under the call of jihad (Arabic for struggle for God) the Egyptian King, Saladin, besieged and took
Jerusalem in 1187 after 88 years of Crusader control along with nearly every Christian city in the Holy Land
3rd Crusade (1189-1192) – after the fall of Jerusalem by Saladin, a third Crusade is organized and led by Emperor
Frederick Barbarossa (Germany), Philip II (France) and Richard I (England)
- Philip and Richard both reached Acre (Emperor Barbarossa drowned in local river in route to Jerusalem)
and besieged the city taking it in 1191  due to sickness and disputes with Richard, Philip leaves for France
- Richard stays and defeats Saladin’s forces twice in route to Jerusalem, but after coming within sight of
Jerusalem, realizes that even if he took the city he would be unable to defend it
- in the end, Richard establishes a truce with Saladin that would permit the many coastal cities to remain in
Christian hands and allow Christian pilgrims access to Jerusalem in exchange for Richard returning to
England
The Middle Ages I 1
4th Crusade (1199-1204) – Incited by Pope Innocent III with the intention of invading the Holy Land through Egypt,
30,000 Crusaders arrived in Venice ready to set sail to Egypt, but lacked funds to pay for the journey
- the Venicians agree to aid the Crusade in exchange for defeating their maritime trading rivial in the East:
Constantinople
- the Crusaders attack Constantinople which falls to them in 1204 placing the East under Western control for
the next 50 years
- after the fall of Constantinople to the Crusaders, much of the energy to take the Holy Land was lost and the
Crusade was abandoned making the 4th Crusade the last major attempt to reclaim Jerusalem
Lesser and equally unsuccessful attempts to reclaim the Jerusalem followed for the rest of the 13th century totaling 9 in
all. Although the Crusades failed in their intended purpose of reclaiming the Holy Land, the Crusades had a tremendous
effect on Europe for centuries.
THE AFTERMATH OF THE CRUSADES
The effects of the Crusades had far reaching impact on both Europe and the Middle East than either side had intended.
While Christendom didn’t exactly get what they wanted, they did however receive benefits from this Holy War.
- trade routes that had been closed for centuries were reopened to provide for the Crusaders on their way to the
Holy Land  Italian port-cities like Venice became major trade centers in Europe and the Mediterranean for
centuries after the Crusades even outdoing Constantinople (thanks to the 4th crusade)
- much of Europe, outside of monasteries, had forgot the culture, knowledge, and wonder of the ancients 
the journey to the Holy Land brought back more to Europe than riches and gold as books and knowledge
from Aristotle to Pythagoras which the Arabs had taken and advanced upon are reexamined in post-Crusade
Europe leading to the rebirth of Renaissance
- tourism is also enhanced as tales from Crusaders of the wonder of the Holy Land bring thousands of pilgrims
wishing to see the region for themselves and experiencing the lavish goods  these lavish goods from the
Middle East to the Far East will spark in unquenchable thirst for these goods in the future
One of the other long lasting effects of the Crusades is the poor relation between Christians and Muslims. From that
point forward into modern-times, as each time the West intrudes upon this region it is looked upon as another Crusade
worthy of jihad.
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