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Crusades Turning Point

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Every once in awhile something happens that changes that course of history, a turning point. The Crusades were a huge turning point in European history, changing the outlook of life of Christian serfs and peasants living in Europe. The Black Death was also a huge turning point, killing nearly half of Europe's population leaving the survivors to pick up the pieces of the broken country. Without these major turning points who’s to say where Europe would be today? The Crusades were a series of defensive wars fought by European Christians against Muslims for control of the holy lands. Christians violently and ruthlessly persecuted and destroyed Jews and Muslims on their way to the holy land leaving Christians with a tyrannous reputation among these people. Before the Crusades Europe was in the Dark Ages, there was little education and very few people could read and educate themselves. Also, the Christian church had all the power. Pope Urban II called Christians to fight in the Crusades and to defend the holy land which they believed belonged to them. A new middle class was also created, middle class citizens made their profit from buying and selling property and collecting interest on loans. The Crusades led to a huge expansion of the European world. Peasants and serfs …show more content…

The pause on life for many also paused production and consumption in Europe blazing a trail to the worst recession in history. As fear and devastation built, Jews were used as a scapegoat, accused of poisoning the air and water; they were killed in mass executions. Europeans who survived were left with the concentrated wealth of those who died and many wages were doubled and tripled. The Catholic church also lost its influence in Europe when its promises to heal plague victims were not

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