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The Buildup to the Crusades
To understand why Christians throughout Europe
started on Crusades, we first have to understand what
was happening throughout Muslim lands in what is
known as the Middle East today.
In the 11th century a new Muslim dynasty was founded
by a group known as the Seljuk Turks. These people
lived in and around Central Asia for the past few
centuries. The Seljuk group received its name after a
famous and powerful leader who had converted to
Islam in the mid-10th century. And finally, in 1055, his
followers took control of the capital of the Abbasid
dynasty in Baghdad (modern day Iraq_. Seljuk sultans,
or a ruler of a Muslim territory, now controlled the
region.
Having conquered the Abbasid, the Seljuk Empire
became more and more eager to explain their territory.
The Seljuk’s moved westward and conquered such
nearby territories as Syria and Palestine from a
neighboring dynasty, the Fatimid dynasty. The Seljuk’s
conquered most of Asia Minor, or referred to as
Anatolia in this time, when they defeated a large
Byzantine army in the area.
Christians became worried for their own
personal safety as word traveled of the Seljuk
advances. As the Seljuk’s’ conquered more and
more, their growing power threatened the
Byzantine Empire itself. Eventually, Christians
grew fearful about the fate of the Holy Land,
especially the city of Jerusalem.
Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike all viewed
Jerusalem as a sacred city. For Jews, it was their
spiritual capital, the home of their once great
temple. Jesus Christ, prophet to Christians, was
crucified and rose from the dead in Jerusalem.
To Muslims, Jerusalem was where Muhammad rose to
heaven during his Night Journey. All three groups saw
Jerusalem as “theirs” – and all three would fight for it!
In the 7th century, Jerusalem (and the rest of the
Palestine region_ came under Muslim rule. Here,
Muslims built the Dome of the Rock, a shrine to
Mohammad to mark the spot where they believed
Muhammad rose to the heaves. While Muslims ruled to
area, Christians, Muslims, and Jews all lived together
peacefully. However, depending on the policies of the
various Muslim rulers, the rights and freedoms given to
non-Muslims varied at times.
Once the Seljuk’s overthrew the Abbasid dynasty and
took control of Palestine, travel outside the empire
became very unsafe. European Christians, while on
pilgrimages to Jerusalem, were often attacked or even
killed! Christians throughout Europe began to fear they
would no longer be able to visit Jerusalem. Too, they
worried about the fate of their city now that it fell into
the hands of the Seljuk’s. This fear paved the way for
the crusades.
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The Buildup to the Crusades
1. How was Jerusalem valuable to Christians, Jews and Muslims?
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2. According to the text, what factors contributed to the buildup to the crusades?
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3. Describe the relationship between those living in the Holy Land prior to the crusades:
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The Crusades
As you learned in the last section, the Crusades began
as a response to the threat posed by the Seljuk’s. As the
Seljuk’s advanced closer and closer to the capital of the
Byzantine capital, Constantinople. Christians became
increasingly worried. Too, unsafe travel to Jerusalem
was already on the minds of most Christians. Then, in
1095, it happened; the Seljuk’s had moved too close!
They were within 100 miles of Constantinople!
Byzantine Emperor Alexios Komnenos asked the leader
of the church, Pope Urban II, for help.
The pope agreed something must be done to stop the
advances made by the Seljuk’s, Pope Urban called for
nobles and other church leaders to a meeting held in
Clermont, France. It was here where Pope Urban
initiated the first crusade! He called for a crusade to
drive back to the Muslims, reclaim lost Byzantine land,
and most importantly, reclaim Jerusalem for the
Christians! The pope promised that all who joined the
fight would be allowed into heaven.
Word of Urban’s proclamation traveled quickly. Frenchspeaking nobles scrambled to organize armies to fight in
the Holy Land. Knight’s townspeople, craftsmen, and
peasants all enlisted their help to reclaim what they
believed was theirs.
The desire to reclaim the Holy Land inspired most
people to fight. In fact, many donned the Red Cross to
show their support Christianity. However, religious
desire was only one reason people enlisted to fight.
Merchants and tradespeople saw opportunities to earn
money through trade. Others especially sons of nobles,
hoped to gain land of their own in Jerusalem.
The first Crusade was led by four nobles and around
30,000 knights, peasants, and commoners. The
Christians marched their way westward through
Anatolia, then headed south toward Jerusalem. Finally,
by June of 1099, the crusaders had reached the Holy
Land.
By the time the Christians reached Jerusalem, the Seljuk
Empire was starting to crumble into several smaller citystates. Muslims had troubled uniting to defeat the
crusaders. The Christians quickly surrounded the city
and scaled its walls. Within one month, in July 1099, the
city had surrendered. Christians burst into the city,
slaughtering Muslims and Jews throughout the city.
Accounts from the time sat that Jerusalem was “ankle
deep in blood.” Christians also looted the Dome of the
Rock as they took whatever treasure they could carry.
Many people opted to stay behind in Jerusalem rather
than return home. These people created four feudal
kingdoms throughout Anatolia.
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The Crusades
1. How did decisions made by Byzantine Emperor Komnenos and Pope Urban lead to the First Crusade?
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2. What reasons did people enlist to fight in the First Crusade?
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3. What allowed Christians to easily defeat their enemy in Jerusalem?
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4. Describe the actions of Christians once they entered Jerusalem:
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The Crusades Part 2
The Second Crusade (1146-1148)
The Christian crusaders reclaimed Jerusalem in the First
Crusade in large part to the crumbling of the Seljuk
Empire. A lack of unity among Muslims proved to be
their largest weakness, one they could not overcome.
However, Muslims realized the dysfunction and lack of
unity was the cause of their demise.
As Muslims reunited, they fought back impressively and
effectively. Eventually in 1144, Muslims were able to
capture Edessa, the capital city of one of the kingdoms
set up by the Christians following the First Crusade.
Seeing their territory invaded again, and recognizing a
resurgence of Muslim power, the Christians rallied
trooped and embarked on the Second Crusade.
This crusade, however, ended in failure for the
Christians. Crusader armies from Germany were beaten
in Anatolia, well before reaching in the Holy Land. Some
crusaders from Western Europe traveled by sea,
however many did not prepare for the arduous journey
and died along the way. When a French Army of 50,000
crusaders finally reached Jerusalem in 1148, they were
fought off by a united Force of Muslims who came to
the city’s aid. This defeat ended the Christian hopes.
The Second Crusade ended with the Holy Land being
reclaimed by the Muslims.
The Third Crusade 1189-1192
Eventually, Muslims reunited under common
leadership. They had recognized the importance of
having an organized empire. By the late 1100s, the
sultan Saladin had established the largest Muslim
empire since the Seljuk’s ruled. Saladin was able to unit
lands far to the east, as well as Egypt and Syria. Still
under Muslim leadership, however, Saladin wanted
control of Jerusalem.
By 1187, Saladin and his army captured Jerusalem.
However, while Christians had previously slaughtered
Muslims (including women and children) when they
reclaimed Jerusalem after the First Crusade, Saladin did
not kill prisoners. Instead, he sold them for ransom or
freed them all together.
News of another large empower invading Jerusalem
shocked Europeans into taking action. King Richard I of
England (known as Richard the Lionheart) led the Third
Crusade against Saladin.
As King Richard advanced through Anatolia, crusaders
reclaimed the town of Acre. Here, Richard and Saladin
had discussions about exchanging prisoners.
Unsatisfied, with the speech of negotiations, Richard
decided to prove a point – he ordered his men to kill all
2,700 Muslim prisoners at Acre.
Richard and his men then marched toward Jerusalem,
however the army could not reclaim the city. Instead,
Richard was forced to sign a treaty with Saladin;
Christians were allowed to maintain many cities they
captured in Anatolia and near Jerusalem. Muslims were
allowed to keep Jerusalem, however they were required
to allow peaceful Christians to visit the city on their
pilgrimages.
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The Crusades Part 2
1. Which side controlled Jerusalem following the First Crusade?
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2. What spurred Christians to launch a Second Crusade?
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3. Describe the outcome between Christians and Muslims at the second Crusade
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4. What contributed to a different outcome at the Second Crusade than Christians experienced in the First
Crusade?
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5. When Saladin captured Jerusalem, how did his treatment toward Christians differ from how Christians
previously treated Muslims?
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6. What spurred Christians to launch the Third Crusade?
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7. How did Richard act toward non-Christians in Acre?
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8. What was the outcome of the Third Crusade?
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The Crusades Part 3
The Children’s crusade 1212
Crusades to reclaim Jerusalem continued for
another hundred years following the third
Crusade. The most unusual of them all is what is
known as the “Children’s Crusade/”
In 1212, another crusade departed from
Europe. However, this crusade was composed
entirely of children. These children became
convinced that they would be protected by
God, and that once they arrived in Jerusalem he
would slay their enemies.
A boy named Stephen of Cloyes is believed to
have started this crusade. Stephen claimed that
he had received a letter from Jesus ordering
him to organize a crusade. He claimed that
Jesus would part waterways and slay enemies
for them. As the boys marched off toward
Jerusalem, they clearly had no idea what they
were doing.
The Children’s crusade was doomed to failure.
Of the 30,000 children who enlisted, none had
ever walked such distances before. The journey
just across their own country caused most to
drop out. Some died of exhaustion, dehydration
or starvation. There was little preparation, as
Stephen believed God would provide the way.
These who made it to the Mediterranean were
disheartened when the sea did not part as
Stephen had said. They were forced to board
boats to cross the sea, and that was the last
anyone ever heard from them.
Manu wonder why parents and the Roman
Catholic Church would let their children do this.
Historians ponder the same question, but have
reached a general agreement. Parents and
church leaders hoped this would embarrass the
kings of Europe enough to get a full-scale
crusade together. While the crusade was a
complete disaster, it does give an indication of
how important Jerusalem was to Christians.
What was gained from the crusaders?
Christians were never able to reclaim the Holy Land for
themselves. However, Muslims and Christians were able
to learn a great deal from each other due to the
crusades.
Since Christians traveled to foreign lands, and were
surrounded by a new culture, it makes sense that they
would learn the most from their enemy. Crusaders
returned to Europe with new food products like rice,
coffee, apricots, lemons and spices. New household
goods appeared in European homes like mirrors,
carpets, writing paper and wheelbarrows. Too,
Crusaders brought back knowledge of algebra, better
irrigation systems, the Arabic figures 0-9, and the game
of Chess. Finally, European castles underwent
immediate upgrades once Crusaders returned with
information about the far superior Muslim castles.
Muslims were only able to learn from what the
Crusaders brought with them, such as European types
of linen and wool cloth. Also, types of weapons and
armor were seen as upgrades in Muslim society.
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The Crusades Part 3
1. Who was Stephen of Cloyes and how did he convince people to join what became known as the Children’s
Crusade?
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2. Imagine you were on the Children’s Crusdae. What difficulties would you face?
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3. Why is it believed that children were not stopped when they left on their crusade?
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4. Why is it only natural that Christians would learn more about Muslims, than Muslims would learn about
Christians in the Crusades?
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5. In what ways was Muslim culture and society diffused to Europeans?
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6. How did knowledge of Christians and their way of life benefit Muslim Society?
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The Christians and the Crusades
All groups who participated in the Crusades felt the
terrible effects of war. On both sides, Christians and
Muslims alike were wounded and killed in battle.
Families experienced the grief of losing a loved one.
Disease and the difficulties of travel also plagued those
who made difficult voyages. While all groups dealt with
harsh negatives, Christians likely experienced the
greatest benefits from the crusades.
Finally, Crusaders found a new, interesting culture that
greatly impacted their lives upon their return. While in
the Middle East, Christians learned new ideas, such as
algebra and chess. A new fabric started to impact
clothing styles in Europe known as muslin. Foods like
melons, apricots, rice and coffee became popular
among the Europeans. Even spices like pepper started
to be used regularly!
The crusades brought far reaching economic changes to
Europe. The Kings and Popes that desired to fight for
Jerusalem needed a way to pay for supplies. Those with
money started to make loans to those who needed
access to it. Others saw the Crusades as a way to make
money – investments were made in businesses that
were expected to do well. For example, metalworking
saw great spikes during the Crusades as the need for
weapons and tools increased.
However, the whole reason for fighting the crusades, to
reclaim Jerusalem for the Christians, was never fully
accomplished. Even though Crusaders refused to
recognize other faiths, they understood that Jerusalem
was valued by people other than the Christians. These
cultures and religious still value Jerusalem. Even today
we continue to see extreme fighting near the Holy Land
– both sides, Christians and Muslims, still cannot reach
common ground on who has the right to claim the city.
The Crusades changed the feudal system that
was in place before. As thousands of nobles
and knights left home to fight for the Holy
Land, Monarchs tightened their power on
those who remained. This increasing power
forced peasants to seek a way to leave the
manor, which ultimately led to the end of
feudalism.
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The Christians and the Crusades
1. How did the Crusades change the economic system of Europe?
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2. Explain how the Crusades contributed to the end of feudalism throughout Europe
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3. How did knowledge of Muslim society transform Europe
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Muslims and the Crusades
Since Christians traveled to foreign lands, then returned
home with new foods, items, and knowledge, Europe
experienced the greatest benefits from the Crusades.
Muslims could only learn from what Christians brought
with them, which limited what could be diffused from
culture to culture.
All in all, the crusades were terrible for Muslims.
Countless numbers of Muslims lost their lives in battles
and massacres. Where Muslims had previously spared
hostages, women and children, their Christian
counterparts slaughtered thousands of innocent
people.
However, Muslims did learn some new ideas from the
Christians. New weapons and military techniques were
adopted by Muslim armies, such as the idea of a
standing and professional army. A standing army is one
that is permanent and can be called to fight. New
clothing styles and with European furs and leather
goods started to be seen throughout the Arab world.
The greatest impact from the Crusades is that Muslims
were able to repel the Christian invaders. However, one
must remember that Muslims,
too, were the invaders at
one point in history. Both
sides are to blame for the
violence that took place.
However, before the
Crusades, Muslims, Christians
and Jews all lived together
peacefully, even under Muslim control. What sparked
violence between these groups was the initial call to
reclaim Jerusalem by Pope Urban.
Due to their peaceful contact before the Crusades,
Muslims were all well aware of Christianity. They did
not agree with the teachers in the Bible; however they
respected Christians, believed Jesus to be real, and
understood the importance Jerusalem to the faith.
Muslims maintained the beliefs for a long while after
the Crusades, despite the fluctuations of peace and
violence in the area. Christians, however, were bitter
about their defeats in the Holy Land. This created
hostility toward Islam that still exists by many Christians
today.
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Muslims and the Crusades
1. Why is it that Muslims did not learn as much about Christians as Christians had learned about them?
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2. How might Muslims develop a distrust about Christians based on their experiences in the Crusades
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3. In what ways did Muslims incorporate European methods into their societies?
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The Jews and the Crusades
How were Jews impacted?
While the Crusades mostly involved Muslims and
Christians, Jews were impacted greatly as well. Along
with Muslims, Jews were slaughtered as well in the Holy
Land. Jews were perceived as just as much an enemy as
Muslims. They were attacked for the crucifixion of Jesus
and for being non-believers.
Jews throughout Europe suffered extreme persecution
and bouts of violence during the First Crusade. Many
Crusaders wondered why they should travel so far from
home when there were plenty of non-believers in
Europe. Entire communities of Jews were massacred as
Christians marched toward the Holy Land. Synagogues
and temples were burned to the ground. Holy books
and other religious texts were destroyed. Jews were
tortured in order to make them accept Christianity and
request forgiveness for past wrongs. Many were even
burned to death at the stake.
Jews fought side-by-side with Muslims to protect
Jerusalem in the First Crusades. Once the Crusaders
scaled the outer walls of the city, most retreated to
their synagogue to pray since they knew the end was
near. Crusaders marched their way through the city,
slaughtering all Jews and Muslims in their path.
Crusaders circled the synagogue and set it ablaze,
effectively burning alive all Jews who sought safety
inside its walls. Accounts exist that claim the Christians
even sang the hymn “Christ We Adore Thee!” and held
“their Crusader crosses on high” as the temple burned.
By the time the final Fourteenth Crusade had come to
an end, the lives of Jews were miserable. Jews were
forbidden to hold public office. Businesses that were
previously owned and operated by Jews were now the
property of Christians. Jews were forced to leave their
homelands and relocated to eastern Europe once
England banished Jews in 1290, France in 1394. It soon
became popular for communities throughout Europe to
enforce segregation among Jews. Segregation is when
one group is forced to be separate from the rest of a
community. Jews were crammed into small
neighborhoods that were separated from other nonJews by walls or gates. These communities are called
ghettos, or an area of a town that is isolated from the
rest.
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The Jews and the Crusades
1. Despite not being the reason for the Crusades, why were the Jews attacked anyways?
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2. What were the experiences of many Jews during the crusades?
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3. Describe what happened when the Crusaders entered Jerusalem
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4. How had Jewish life changed by the end of the Crusades?
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5. What is a ghetto? And how were they used for Jews?
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