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First Crusade Dbq

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Throughout the time period from 800 to 1500 there were several dynamic shifts in power between the Church and the nobility of western Europe. These changes would decide if Europe would be controlled by kings and lords, or ruled by the pope. During periods of prosperity in Europe power rested in the hands of the nobility, while during fragile periods of Western Europe, the church exercised more authority, as a result rule by king was better for Europe.
One example of how a European king exercised authority over Europe during a peaceful time of the middle ages was during the reign of Charlemagne. Charlemagne was the most powerful king of Europe during this time period, and ruled for an incredible 47 years. He conquered a huge territory of land within Europe, greatly expanding the Frankish kingdoms tremendously. In addition Charlemagne established an administrative system that divided his massive empire, and supported education even …show more content…

The motive behind the first crusade is questionable. However it is true that the pope called for a massive army to attack the holy land and reclaim Jerusalem. The first crusade is a perfect example of papal supremacy and a disorganized Europe. Pope Urban II promised everyone who went on crusade a free passage into heaven, so 60,000 of people decided to to risk their lives and march to Jerusalem. Interestingly the disorganized nature of the crusade reflects a lack of unity amongst Europe. Remarkably the army made its way to the holy land and recaptured Jerusalem. However thousands of people died, and the future crusades were failures.The first crusade was an example of papal power simply because the pope was able to summon thousands of troops across all of Europe for a unified goal. No king had ever been able to do this and that was because under the tenants of feudalism the king was weak and

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