Download The Crusades

The Crusades:
The Fight for the Holy Land
Why fight for Jerusalem?
(A little background knowledge)
• Jerusalem – where is it?
• Proclaimed as divinely sacred by Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam (Jews, Christians and
Muslims)
• Destination of pilgrimages for all three religions.
• In Hebrew, the city’s name means “City of
Peace.” For Muslims, Jerusalem is Al Quds,
Arabic for “The Place of Sacredness.”
Jerusalem Timeline
• www.biblewalks.com/Sites/jerusalem.ht
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Why fight for Jerusalem?
(A little background knowledge)
• For Jews:
– According to the Torah (Old Testament of the Bible as Christians
call it), God told Abraham to look North, South, East, and West –
for as far as he could see (from where he was standing) God told
him He would give him and his descendants forever. (Therefore
the “Holy Land”)
– Jerusalem is where the Jewish King David brought the ark (not
the big boat) containing the original Torah for safe keeping.
– It was in Jerusalem that God commanded King Solomon to build
the original Temple
– It is in Jerusalem that the Messiah will appear on the Day to End
All Days.
– Every year on Passover, Jews all over the world end the service
by saying “L’Shana HaBahah Be’rushalalim” (Next year in
Jerusalem)
Why fight for Jerusalem?
(A little background knowledge)
• For Christians:
– Jerusalem is the site of Jesus’ life and preaching, as well as His
death, reappearance before ascending to heaven, and
resurrection.
– He was born in the nearby city of Bethlehem
– He was executed on a hill called Golgotha, just outside
Jerusalem’s walls.
– The city was the home to the original cross and sacred stone of
Christ’s tomb.
– It remains the home of the sacred shrine of the Holy Sepulchre,
as well as over fifty Christian shrines.
– According to Christian tradition, Jesus mourned for Jerusalem
and predicted the destruction of Solomon’s Temple
Why fight for Jerusalem?
(A little background knowledge)
• For Muslims:
– According to both Qur’an and the Bible, both
Jews and Arabs are descendants of Abraham
– therefore the Holy land belongs to them too
as they are descendants of Abraham as well
the Jews.
– Jerusalem is the site of Muhammad’s
ascending into heaven to meet God.
The Quest for the Holy Land
• The Crusades
– Definition: series of eight Christian military
expeditions from Europe to Palestine
– Date: 1096-1270
– Crusader: to take up the cross (crux = cross in Latin)
– Motivation: to recapture the Holy Land from the
Muslims
– Palestine (the Holy Land): ancient region of
southwest Asia, on east coast of Mediterranean.
The Quest for the Holy Land
• Muslims:
– descendants from Abraham so given to them by God
– Site of Muhammad’s ascension into heaven
• Jews:
– descendants from Abraham so given to them by God
– King David brought ark containing Torah there
– Site of King Solomon’s temple
• Christians:
– site of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection
– Home to original cross and stone of Jesus’ tomb
– Site of sacred Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The First (or Peasant’s) Crusade
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What do you see here?
What seems to be the mood of the crowd?
Do you see any symbols?
Who do you think these are?
Pope Urban II
• Felt Muslim Turks
threatened Byzantine
Empire and he had
responsibility to protect all
Christianity
• Important Turkish leader
died in 1092 – weakened
Turkish empire –
provided a good time to
attack.
• If all Christians would
unite under him, he’d
have more power
• By AD 1071 not safe for
Christians to go to
Jerusalem
Probably most popular
motivation…
• AD 1071 – Jerusalem ruled by Seljuk
Muslims
• Christians not protected
• Christian pilgrims from Europe threatened
by highway robbers
• Important to Christians that they be able to
go there
Peter the Hermit
• Poor man who
attracted peasant
followers with his
religious preaching
• Also attracted
artisans, beggars,
thieves, and tricksters
Nobles
• France in late eleventh century was too
small and too poor for so many people.
• French ruling class looked for new
opportunities in the Holy Land
• Hoped to add to personal fortunes and
strengthen power of the monarchy
Knights
• Urban originally intended the crusading army
was to be knights (but others answered the
call as well)
• Church had declared proclamation that
attempted to curtail killing among Christians
leaving knights without much to do.
• Urban wanted chivalry and courage in battle
to continue
• Church declared Jerusalem the “fief of God”
and commanded Knights to defend it
• Crusades offered hope of adventure
Peasants
• Those who went on crusades were
released from feudal obligations
• Crusades offered escape from drudgery of
serf’s existence and hope of adventure
Results
• Four armies all used different land routes to get
to Constantinople, Antioch, and Jerusalem
• Crusaders attacked farmers, looted cottages,
and massacred Jews during their crusade
• Used siege tactics to capture Antioch from
Muslims, but lost much of army to disease
• Captured Jerusalem and massacred many
Muslims and Jews.
• Jerusalem controlled by Christians; some
crusaders returned to Europe, others stayed
The Third (or Kings’) Crusade
• What do you see here?
• Which army is Christian? Which is
Muslim?
• How does this group of crusaders
compare with those you saw in the
previous transparency (the First
Crusade)?
Background
• Like the Second Crusade, the Third Crusade
was provoked by increasingly powerful Muslim
threat to the crusader states in the Holy Land.
• During the 1120’s the governor of Mosul began a
series of campaigns that brought many
neighboring Muslim states in Syria under his
control.
• Zangi (one of the first Muslim leaders to take
advantage of the idea of jihad against
Christians) and his son were able to capture
some crusader state leaders.
Background on Saladin
• Born in 1138 in Tekrit (now in Iraq) to
powerful Kurdish Sunni Muslim family
• Schoolboy in Damascus when Christians
attacked the city during 2nd crusade
• 1169 chosen as commander in chief of
entire Syrian army
Muslim Forces:
Battle at the Horns of Hittin
• Muslim victory over Christian army
• Triggered the third crusade
Muslim Forces:Muslim Military Leaders
• Imad al-Din Zangi: one of first
Muslim leaders to use jihad
against the crusaders
•Nur al-Din: son of Zangi,
captured several crusader
state leaders
•Saladin: devout and
chivalrous military
leader who went to war
when the crusaders
broke treaty by
attacking a Muslim
caravan
Christian Forces:
The Call for the Third Crusade
• Archibishop of Tyre called for new crusade
in response to Muslim victory at Hittin
• Sometimes called King’s crusade because
military leaders were also monarchs
Christian Forces:The Kings
• Philip: king of France,
more of a politician than a
general
Frederick Barbarossa: king of
Germany, drowned on his way to
Constantinople
Richard I: king of
England, nicknamed the
lionheart, skilled military
leader
Results
• Philip and Richard capture city of Acre, but Philip
later returned to France
• Richard grew impatient and ordered execution of
all of Acre’s Muslims
• Richard and Saladin fought many battles, but
Richard never regained Jerusalem
• Peace treaty of 1192:
– Crusaders to keep control of cities north of Jaffa
– Pilgrims free to visit holy places of Jerusalem
The Fourth Crusade: The Sack of
Constantinople
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What do you see here?
Who are the men on horseback?
What are they doing?
Why are they doing it?
Crusaders
• Called by Pope Innocent III to
free Holy Land from nonChristians
• Initially, slow to start – then very
enthusiastic after fiery sermons of
Fulk of Neully
• Venice offered to supply
crusaders in return for promise of
half the wealth acquired
• Focus of crusaders changed from
religion to desire to pay off debt
to Venice
Byzantines
• Despite Pope’s opposition, crusaders
attacked Zara, a Catholic Hungarian city
• Crusaders then sacked the Byzantine city
of Constantinople in AD 1204
• Sacked not only Muslim quarter, but
convinced that Byzantine Christians were
traitors, attacked them, looted and set fire
to the city
Results
• Crusade broke apart in 1204; some money
sent to Venetians
• Crusade leaders who stayed soon died,
the city was drained of wealth and strength
• When the Greeks regained the city in AD
1261, Constantinople was in ruins, having
forever lost its splendor and glory
• Permanent split between Latin and Greek
Christian churches
The Children’s Crusade
• What do you see here?
• How are the children feeling? The adults
reacting?
• Why would some adults let children
undertake a dangerous journey to the Holy
Land?
Participants
• Children and
shepherds
• Laborers,
wanderers, and
sons who were
not first born
• Adults, including
women and
infants
Bishop of
Brindisi
refused to
allow children
to board ships
to Holy Land
All
participants
believed
divine will
would help
them defeat
the Muslims
Some parents
joined their
children; others
insisted they
return home
Philip II of
France
demanded
children
return to
their
homes
AD 1212 – a fateful year for children
Stephen of France
A boy who was probably
about 12 at the time
• Claimed to be
inspired by Jesus and
have ability to perform
miracles
Nicholas of
Germany
A boy who was inspired by
what he had heard of
Stephen
• Believed God would
part the
Mediterranean so
crusaders could
easily reach the Holy
Land
AD 1212 – a fateful year for children
Stephen of France
• Many followed him from
central France to
Marseilles thinking that
when they reached the
Mediterranean it would
open and they could walk
to Palestine. When that
didn’t happen, some
merchants offered to take
them by ship. Two ships
sank, killing all on board.
Many children who
boarded the ships were
sold as slaves.
Nicholas of
Germany
• Many followed him from
Germany across the Alps
– many died along the
difficult journey. When
they reached Genoa,
Italy, they too believed
the Mediterranean would
part and they could walk
across. When this did not
happen most scattered.
Some continued on to
Palestine. Some were
able to return home.
Results
• Crusade fell apart when children reached
Genoa, Italy
• Some children died while attempting to sail
to Holy Land
• Many children sold to Muslim slave
markets
• Church claimed tragic fate of children
crusaders was work of the devil
The Impact of the Crusades
• What do you see here?
• What similarities do you see?
Differences?
• After spending nearly 200 years trying to
drive the Muslims from the Holy Land, why
would Europeans begin to do business in
the Muslim world?
On Christians
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Exposure to Muslim culture
Feudal structure weakened
Increased use of money
Kept control of the Mediterranean
Greek and Latin churches permanently
split
• Failure of crusades produced bitter
feelings toward Muslims
On the Exchange of Ideas
• Muslims adapted European military tactics
• Muslim scholarship circulated throughout
European universities as Arabic works
were translated into Latin
On the Exchange of Goods
• Exchange of languages
• Chess traveled to Europe through Muslims
• Paper introduced to Europe through
Muslims
• Muslim arch used in European cathedrals
• Textile industries adapted by Muslims
On the Muslims
• Controlled most of Asia Minor but lost
Spain
• Political fragmentation of the Muslim world
after Saladin’s death
• Generally respected Christians as “People
of the Book”