Download The Crusades - Saint Michael Parish

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Egeria (4th Century Pilgrim) – Desired to see “the
places themselves”
Destruction of Holy Sepulchre in 1003
Persecution of Pilgrims by Seljuk Turks in 11th
Century
 Eventually relaxed for financial reasons
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Sin highly on the minds of medieval Christians
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Crusading as a Penitential Act
Death was near for warriors
Vow of the Crusader for a Plenary Indulgence
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Initially tied to reaching Jerusalem
Later related to defending Christians
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Traditionalist
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Crusades are armed
pilgrimages to the East
Thus there are eight
major Crusades, and
they end with the fall
of Acre in 1291
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Pluralist
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Crusades as papally
pronounced wars on
behalf of Christians
Thus the Crusades end
sometime near the end
of the 16th Century
Battle of Lepanto
(1571)
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Crusades were Defensive Wars
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Crusaders were Armed Pilgrims
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Crusaders at the time would not have understood
the word ‘crusader’ but would say they were
pilgrims
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Money
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Possibility of Plunder – Relics, not Money
Cost of Crusading was Enormous
Aftermath of First Crusade
Land
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Kingdom of Jerusalem
Most Crusaders Left
Assumption of Byzantine Rule to be Restored
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Overpopulation
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Perhaps like the Vikings
Lords of Estates, not Landless
Cost of Crusading
Aggression against a Peaceful People
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Martin Luther in 1521, then in 1529
Saladin’s Chronicler
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Papal Power Play
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Taxes/Tithes not called for by the Pope until 1199
with Pope Innocent III
Possible abuses of the practice, among kings
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Crusading as Act of Devotion
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Goal of Self-Sanctification
Crusaders left upon fulfilling their vow
Crusading as Loving Your Neighbor
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Death toll between 40 – 50%
Lack of success after First Crusade
Particularly true of later warriors responding to
papal calls
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St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153): Founder of
Cistercian Order and Doctor of the Church
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St. Francis of Assisi (1181 – 1226):
Founder of the Franciscan Order
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Didn’t Debilitate the Various Muslim Groups
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Distant Memory
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Seljuks ousted by the Mongols
Rise of the Ottomans
Few Muslims in the 19th Century Knew of Crusades
First History written in 1899
Saladin was virtually forgotten
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Well remembered in the West
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Drain on Resources
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Brought Enlightened Culture from the East
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Growth in Europe’s Wealth Facilitated Crusades, not caused
by them
Debated among scholars, there was certainly an intellectual
spring that began in the 12th century with Scholasticism
Prevented the Destruction of Christendom
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Debated as well, certainly slowed the progress, but the
Mongols and the Ottoman’s internal decline big factors
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Conquest of Jerusalem
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Reconciliation Walk of 1099
“Rivers of Blood” cited by former President Clinton
actually a metaphor, not possible in reality
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Crusades were Canonically Well Worked Out
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What about the Fourth Crusade
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Diversion to Constantinople
Apology of John Paul II on May 4, 2001
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Enlightenment &
Romantic
Interpretations
Enlightenment: Silly
expression of Catholic
bigotry
 Romantic: Bringing
Western culture to
backward Muslims
 These are essentially
handed to Muslims in
the 19th century, as
they had no histories
of their own
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Sir Steven Runciman’s History of the Crusades
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Forms understanding of Crusades in the 1950s as
“morally repugnant acts of intolerance in the name
of God” (Madden, “Crusade Myths”).
This view persists to this day
Contemporary Scholarship since the 1970s
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Only in last 15 years reaching a more popular
audience with works like The New Concise History of
the Crusades (Thomas Madden), The Crusades: A
History (Jonathan Riley-Smith), and The Crusades
(Thomas Asbridge)
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Books & Scholarly Articles:
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Thomas F. Madden, A New Concise History of the Crusades,
Rowman & Littlefield, 2006
Jonathan Riley-Smith, The Crusades: A History, Yale
University Press, 2nd Ed., 2005.
Adam L. Hoose, “Francis of Assisi’s Way of Peace? His
Conversion and Mission to Egypt,” Catholic Historical
Review, July 2010, 449-469.
Paul F. Crawford, “Four Myths About the Crusades,” The
Intercollegiate Review, Spring 2011, 13-22.
Robert L. Wilken, The First Thousand Years, Yale University
Press, 2012
Maria R. Wagner, “The Impact of the Second Crusade on the
Angelology and Eschatology of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux,”
Journal of Religious History, September 2013, 322-340.
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Talks & Interviews
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Thomas F. Madden, “The Crusades: Then and
Now,” Augustine Institute, February 2012,
Archbishop’s Lecture Series.
https://vimeo.com/33043624?lite=1
Thomas F. Madden, Interview with Patrick Coffin,
“How to Explain the Crusades,” EWTN, Catholic
Answers Live, October 25, 2010.
http://www.catholic.com/radio/shows/how-toexplain-the-crusades-4775
Thomas Asbridge, Interview with George Miller,
“The Crusades,” Blackwell Publishing, Blackwell
Podcasts, January 21, 2010, Web.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1ZrloO7o-A
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Online Articles & Blog Posts:
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Thomas F. Madden, “Crusade Myths,” Ignatius Insight,
Jan-Feb 2002,
http://www.ignatiusinsight.com/features2005/print2
005/tmadden_crusades_print.html
Steve Weidenkopf, “The Massacre of Jerusalem,”
Catholic Answers, July 31, 2015,
http://www.catholic.com/blog/steveweidenkopf/the-massacre-of-jerusalem
Steve Weidenkopf, “Were the Crusades Just Wars?”,
Catholic Answers, November 4, 2014,
http://www.catholic.com/blog/steveweidenkopf/were-the-crusades-just-wars
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Online Videos:
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Real Crusades History, “Did Islamic Atrocities
Provoke the Crusades?” August 15, 2008, Web.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imTY5izhTDo
 This is a useful resource for primary sources, particularly
for the accounts of the fall of the Armenian Christian city
Ani to the Seljuk Turks in the late 11th century.