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The Crusades
Crusaders Invade the Holy Land
The Crusades were a long series of wars
between the Christians and Muslims
 The Holy Land is the region where Jesus
had lived, preached and died
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Causes of the Crusades
In the late 1000a a group of Turkish Muslims
captured the city of Jerusalem
 Christian Pilgrims returning to Europe claimed
they had been attacked and that the Holy Land
was no longer safe for Christians
 The Byzantine Emperor, fearing an attack on
Constantinople asked for the popes help.
 Pope Urban II made a call to arms
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The Call to Arms
Pope Urban called on all Christians to take back the Holy
Land from the Muslim Turks
 In response people joined the pope’s armies by the
thousands
 They sewed crosses on their clothes to show they were
fighting for God
 Many were so willing to fight because they may have
thought that God would look favorably on them for
fighting his enemies.
 Some were looking for land and treasure
 Still others were looking for an adventure
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The First Crusade
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Most of the people who left were initially peasants, not soldiers
They were not equipped to handle the Turkish troops, even before
they reached the Holy Land
The noble and knights did better and in 1099 were able to take
Jerusalem
They then set up for small kingdoms in the holy land and began to
trade with the Europeans back home
Later Crusades Fail
Within 50 years the Muslims had started taking land
back from the Christians
 The Second crusade was a huge failure: poor planning
and heavy losses lead to the defeat
 The third crusade began in 1189 pitting King Richard I of
England against Saladin, a strong Muslim leader
 The two respected each other, yet fought and negotiated
for months
 In the end the Muslims were the victors
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The Fourth Crusade
In the year 1201French crusaders made their way to
Italy to begin the 4th crusade
 When they arrived they did not have enough money to
pay for the voyage, so the Venetians made them attack
a rival city, Zara, which they did
 They also attacked Constantinople and took many
treasures.
 “The city that had been threatened by Muslims before
the Crusades had been sacked by the Christians!”
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The End of the Crusades
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By 1291The Muslim armies had taken back all
of the holy land and the Crusades had ended
Here are some reasons why the Crusades
failed
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The Crusaders had to travel huge distances just to
reach the war. Many died along the way.
Crusaders weren’t prepared to fight in Palestine’s
desert climate.
The Christians were outnumbered by their well-led
and organized Muslim foes.
Christian leaders fought among themselves and
planned poorly
Crusades Change Europe
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Even thought eh Crusades were a failure, they results
changes trade between the two continents forever
Cultural diffusion was inescapable
In Europe kings gained more power and land due to the
loss of nobles and knights
Popes had wanted to be in charge of the Crusades, but
rulers and noble took over, due to having experience
with war, this caused more tension
The Crusades had a lasting effect on people as well
The Jews distrusted the Christians because the
crusaders had attacked them.
The Eastern Europeans did not trust the Westerner
because they had sacked Constantinople
Christian and Muslim Relationships
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Positive
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Negative
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Each group learned about the
others religion and culture
This led to a mutual respect
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In general, most Crusaders
viewed the Muslims as
nonbelievers who threatened
innocent Christians
Most Muslims viewed the
Crusaders as vicious invaders
Some historians believe that
the distrust that began during
the Crusades still affects
Christian and Muslim
relationships today
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