Download The medieval "Crusade" was a holy war

THE CRUSADES.
What were the Crusades?
The medieval "Crusade" was a holy war sanctioned by the Pope and conducted against groups
seen as enemies of Christendom, in this case the Islam. The most important Crusades were
expeditions to the Holy Land (Jerusalem and its territory).
How the Crusades Began:
For centuries, Jerusalem had been governed by Muslims, but they tolerated Christian pilgrims
because they helped the economy. Then, in the 1070s, Turks (who were also Muslim) conquered
these holy lands and mistreated. The Turks also threatened the Byzantine Empire.Byzantine
Emperor asked the Pope for assistance, and Urban II, seeing a way to use the violent energy of
Christian knights, made a speech calling for them to take back Jerusalem to Christianity.
Thousands responded, resulting in the First Crusade.
When the Crusades Began and Ended:
Urban II made his speech calling for Crusade at the Council of Clermont in November, 1095.
This is seen as the start of the Crusades. Traditionally, the fall of Acre in 1291 marks the end of
the Crusades.
Crusader Motivations.
The most common reasons were religiously motivated. Individuals would receive eternal
forgiveness for his or her sins. The vow to crusade was originally meant for only those
who had a militaristic background. Many people was interested in what happened to
them after they die, so the promise of forgiveness and gain the paradise was enough to
encourage them to fight. Obviously, some people had more interest in monetary gain and
the
greed
for
power
than
in
this
pilgrimage and forgiveness.
Who Went on Crusade:
From peasants, artisans, merchants to
kings and queens, answered the call.
Women were encouraged to give money
and stay out of the way, but some went on
crusade anyway. Younger sons of the
nobility more frequently went crusading in
search of estates, properties and fortune of their own.
The Number of Crusades:
Historians have numbered eight expeditions to the Holy Land.
Crusader Territory:
After the success of the First Crusade, the Europeans set up a king of Jerusalem and
established what is known as the Crusader States: the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the county
of Edessa, Principality of Antioch, the county of Tripoli, etc.
Crusading Orders:
Two important military orders were established in the 12th century: the Knights
Hospitaller and the Knights Templar. Both were monastic orders whose members took
vows of chastity and poverty, yet they were also militarily trained. Their primary
purpose was to protect and aid pilgrims to the Holy Land. Both orders were very well
financed by land donations in Europe and Holy
Land.
Impact of the Crusades:
Some historians consider the responsible for the
changes in the structure of European society that
took place in the 12th and 13th centuries. The
effort of raising armies and providing supplies
for Crusaders stimulated the economy; trade
benefited, as well, especially once the Crusader
States were established. Interaction between the East and West affected European culture
in areas of art and architecture, literature and education. Pope Urban's vision of directing
the energies of warring knights outward succeeded in reducing war within Europe and
having a common enemy improve the view of Christendom as a united entity.
ACTIVITIES.
1. Write down in the text the meaning of the underlined words.
2. Write down the past, participle and present of the verbs of Crusader Motivations
paragraph.
PRESENT
3.
PAST
PARTICIPLE
Who
PRESENT
were
PAST
PARTICIPLE
the
Templars?.
________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
4. How many kingdoms were founded by the Crusaders after the success of the first
Crusade?.
________
What
was
the
name
of
these
kingdoms?.
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