* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download The Crusades
Hussite Wars wikipedia , lookup
Church of the Holy Sepulchre wikipedia , lookup
Franco-Mongol alliance wikipedia , lookup
Third Crusade wikipedia , lookup
Livonian Crusade wikipedia , lookup
Kingdom of Jerusalem wikipedia , lookup
Siege of Acre (1189–1191) wikipedia , lookup
Despenser's Crusade wikipedia , lookup
Savoyard crusade wikipedia , lookup
History of Jerusalem during the Kingdom of Jerusalem wikipedia , lookup
Siege of Antioch wikipedia , lookup
Albigensian Crusade wikipedia , lookup
Rhineland massacres wikipedia , lookup
Battle of Nicopolis wikipedia , lookup
Second Crusade wikipedia , lookup
Siege of Acre (1291) wikipedia , lookup
Military history of the Crusader states wikipedia , lookup
Fourth Crusade wikipedia , lookup
First Crusade wikipedia , lookup
The Crusades The Crusades were campaigns approved and supported by the Pope. They were the first wars fought for an ideal, although it became clear that early enthusiasm regarding participation was largely based on illusion. The character of later recruits differed and the motivation for going on crusade to escape debt became increasingly common. Similarly, judges gave criminals the option of going to prison or on crusade which increased numbers but also supplied soldiers who did not have the same ideological motivations witnessed in the initial wave of crusaders. Today, among both Christian and Muslim circles it is common to view the Crusades as a period of unwarranted aggression by the West. Why did people join a Crusade? People were offered the remission of confessed sins if they fought and so the crusades presented the opportunity to gain spiritual capital and reduce time spent in purgatory, a very appealing proposition for medieval men and women. In addition, crusaders were also offered the protection of their family and property, and so many were convinced to take part as a result of this. Some believed that travelling to the East would result in the acquisition of land and wealth. It has also been suggested that the climate was perfect for the realization of the Crusader ideal, with men eager to take up their swords due to an increasing and restless population in the search of new lands and outlets of energy. How many major crusades were there? There were nine crusades with the first five being fought by a combination of Christian European countries and the last four being done so by single states. The majority of the crusades were unsuccessful in their goal of reclaiming the Holy Land for Christians, with the First Crusade proving to be the peak of the crusaders campaign. The Council of Clermont Who were the crusaders? Crusaders came from all walks of life – peasants and nobles alike responded in great number to the call to fight. Urban appointed the bishop of Le Puy in charge, with French nobles taking military control. The church set about obtaining recruits, money, supplies and transport. Crusaders identified themselves by means of a red cross on their chest, as seen in much of the artwork depicting the crusaders. How did the Crusades start? Many were motivated to take part in the Crusades as a result of Pope Urban II’s speech at the Council of Clermont in November 1095. He inspired those present to commit to the cause, with the crowd exclaiming ‘Dieu le veult’ – ‘God wills it!’ and small pieces of cloth were pinned on the breasts of those who vowed to ‘take the cross’. There was extreme enthusiasm to take part in the Crusades. What was their purpose? The Crusades set out with the aim to re-gain the Holy Land from the Turks. Christians regularly made pilgrimages to the Holy Land and birthplace of their religion since the 6 th century but after control of Jerusalem was taken by the Seljuk Turks, Christians were forbidden from entering. The Turks also threatened to invade the Byzantine Empire and Constantinople, causing the Emperor Alexis I to appeal to Pope Urban for help. Urban seized the opportunity to unite Christian Europe and reinforce the power of the Papacy, aiding Alexis in his plea. What did they discover? Many of the items we take for granted today came to Europe as a result of the crusades. In terms of food, rice coffee, sherbet, melons, ginger and other spices, apricots, dates, lemons, sugar, sesame, spinach and artichokes were all discovered by the crusaders. New ideas came to light such as algebra, chemistry, water wheels and clocks, Arabic figures 0-9, the colour scarlet, irrigations and pain killing drugs. Furthermore goods such as wheelbarrows, shawls, mattresses, ships, compasses, mirrors, carpets, writing paper and cotton cloth for clothing were also discovered. In the same way that goods were brought back from the East, many western items were taken to the East for the first time, including items such as linen and woolen cloth. Finance It is no secret that war is expensive and the Crusades were no exception. It was the soldiers themselves who were expected to finance their journey, an impossible demand for most. Many had to sell their land and possessions to take part. The development of taxes and the tax system can be attributed to the Crusades as an effective system of raising funds for war was required, and nobles and the church saw the answer as tax. Some even took loans in order to finance their journey, leading to the development of the system of banking and credit we know today. The middle classes were able to profit from interest made on loans and through buying and selling property on behalf of the elites. Peasants also benefitted from an increased demand for their products. What was the impact of the crusades? Once in control of Jerusalem the Crusaders set about making their impact on the country and began constructing the castles we still see today. Many became accustomed to life in the East and settled into the new lifestyle they experienced there. The rising middle class benefitted from lending money to crusaders and selling supplies. Similarly a number of peasants and serfs were able to buy their freedom from masters needing the cash for travelling expenses. The onset of the Crusades marked the decline of feudalism and the beginning of towns and cities as centres of trade, linked to the access to the range of new goods listed above. It can additionally be argued that the development of trade led to the creation and development of guilds. The Crusades also stimulated a variety literature concerning the crusades, including epic poems, histories and memoires of those who participated. Female involvement in the Crusades It was certainly not uncommon for women to participate in a crusade and Byzantine historian Nicetas Choniates describes how women could be seen riding in the ranks of Knights and men at arms. Stories about Eleanor of Aquitaine describe her and her ladies dressed in cherry red boots and white tunics with crimson crosses across their chests galloping white horses over the hills at Vezelay, brandishing swords and spurring the faint hearted to take the cross. In the first crusade many women accompanied their lords due to the desire to visit the Holy Land which was so deeply rooted in the medieval mindset. Peter the Hermit preaching the First Crusade