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UNIT III: Regional
Civilizations
400-1500 C.E.
The Crusades
The Crusades
● Over the course of the preceding three weeks, you have been taught about three
regional civilizations:
o Western Europe (The Middle Ages)
o The Byzantine Empire (The “Second Rome”)
o The Islamic Empire (Middle East)
● In today’s class, all three of these civilizations will come together for an event
that defined 200 years of world history - The Crusades.
● What are the Crusades?
o “European Christian military expeditions made between the 11th and 13th
centuries to retake the Middle Eastern Holy Lands (Jerusalem) occupied by
the Muslims.”
The Holy Land
Three Religious Empires
The Crusades
● Why was Jerusalem important to the Christians and the Muslims?
o Christians: Jerusalem was the city in which Jesus Christ was executed and
resurrected.
o Muslims: Jerusalem was the third holiest city in Islam (Third only to Mecca
and Medina). Muslims believed that Jerusalem was the sight of
Muhammad’s ascent to heaven.
o Jews: Jerusalem was the city promised to the Jews by Yahweh; also, the
site of the Temple of Solomon.
● In the 600s C.E., Jerusalem was conquered by Arab invaders (Muslims).
o However, Jews and Christians were allowed to live in Jerusalem and
practice their religion as long as they paid their taxes and followed the laws
of the Islamic Empire.
The Crusades
● Why did the Crusades happen?
o In the late 1000s C.E., a Muslim people from central Asia known as the Seljuk
Turks conquered the city of Jerusalem.
o Under the rule of the Turks, Jerusalem became a dangerous place to live
and travel to for religious pilgrimages.
o In 1095 C.E., the Byzantine emperor, Alexius, wrote to the pope of the
Roman Catholic Church, Urban II, to ask for military assistance against the
Seljuk Turks:
 The Byzantine emperor felt that his empire and the grand city of
Constantinople was threatened by the Muslim Turks.
 The Byzantine emperor also worried about the safety of Christian
pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land (Jerusalem).
The Crusades
● Why did the Crusades happen? (continued)
o In response to the Byzantine emperor’s plea for help, the Roman Catholic
Pope, Urban II, called upon all Christians in Western Europe to assemble a
volunteer army to fight against the Seljuk Turks (Muslims) and reclaim the
Holy Land (Jerusalem) for all Christians.
o Thus, the Crusades had begun.
● Why did Christians (rich and poor) fight in the Crusades?
o Knights: For knights (the nobility), it offered the chance for adventure and
wealth.
o Peasants: Freedom from the system of manorialism.
o Christians: Pope Urban II promised immediate salvation for all Christians
killed while fighting in the Crusades.
Pope Urban II’s Plea
The Crusades
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The First Crusade: (1096-1099 C.E.)
o In 1099 C.E., the first Crusades defeated the Seljuk Turks in Jerusalem and conquered the city. In doing
so, they killed most Muslims and Jews living in the Holy Land.
The Second Crusade: (1147-1149 C.E.)
o Fifty years after the First Crusade, the Seljuk Turks conquered parts of Palestine. In response, Pope
Eugenius IV called upon another volunteer army to defend the Holy Land. However, the Christians were
unsuccessful, and parts of Palestine remained under Muslim control (however, Jerusalem was still
controlled by the Christian armies).
The Third Crusade: (1189 - 1192 C.E.)
o In 1187 C.E., a skilled Muslim leader named Saladin united all Muslim forces and conquered the holy city of
Jerusalem.
o Western Europe was horrified that the Muslims had reclaimed the Holy Land, and a Christian army was
assembled by the kings of France, England, and the Holy Roman Empire.
o However, the Christians were defeated by Saladin and the Muslim Turks, who kept the Holy Land under
their control.
The Fourth Crusade: (1202-1204 C.E.)
o During this Crusade, the Christian armies never reached the Holy Land. Instead, they attacked the
Byzantine capital of Constantinople. In doing so, they destroyed libraries, churches and valuable
treasures, while also destroying relations between the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox
Church.
The First Crusade
The Second Crusade
The Third Crusade
The Fourth Crusade
The Crusades
● Effects of the Crusades:
o Although the Christians were unable to capture the Holy Land, the Crusades
did have a great influence upon the development of Western Europe.
o Feudalism as a political system broke down - - - > European monarchs gained
more power and authority over their states.
o During the Crusades, European monarchs were able to raise taxes, raise
armies, and cooperate with each other towards common goals (conquering
the Holy Land).
o In an effort to raise money to fight the Crusades, European lords allowed
their serfs to buy their freedom and become property owners or artisans.
o During the Crusades, western Europeans had contact with the advanced
Byzantine Empire and Islamic Empire. Doing so increased their demand for
better living standards, luxury goods, and trade with the East.
The Crusades
● The Positive Effects of the Crusades:
o Once the fighting had ended, Muslims and Christians entered a period of
cultural diffusion (through trade and commerce) that resulted in Western
Europe emerging from the “Dark Ages” (Middle Ages) and becoming an
advanced civilization similar to the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic
Empire.
 Europeans began trading with Muslim merchants for spices, sugar,
melons, tapestries, silks, and other items.
 Muslim traders taught Western Europeans how to build better ships,
make accurate maps, use the compass, and create better weaponry.
 Because of the Crusades, Western Europeans were able to make
agricultural advances, abandon manorialism for early capitalism, create
towns and cities, guilds, a middle-class, and advanced educational
institutions and cultural accomplishments in art, literature, and science.
The Crusades
● The Negative Effects of the Crusades:
o Increased religious warfare and persecution:
 For two hundred years, Christians and Muslims fought each other in
what became a senseless war.
 For the duration of the Crusades, Jews faced increased persecution at
the hands of the Christian armies. On their journey from western
Europe to Jerusalem, Crusaders killed entire Jewish communities.
 The destruction of Constantinople: The actions of the Crusaders during
the Fourth Crusade had a lasting impact of the survival of the Byzantine
Empire. Not only did the Crusaders destroy countless cultural and
academic achievements made by Byzantine scholars and artists, but they
also weakened the ability of the Byzantine Empire to defend themselves
from the Muslim Turks, who would conquer their empire two centuries
after the end of the last Crusade.
Summary
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