Response Essay to Islam in the Crusades

The Crusades of the High Middle Ages (a.d. 1050-1300) was a period of conquest or rather, reconquest, of Christian lands taken from Muslims in the early Middle Ages. It is an era romanticized by fervent Christians as the time when Christianity secured its honorable status as the true religion of the world. The affect of the Crusades is still with us today. It sailed from Spain and Portugal to the Americas in the fifthteenth century aboard sailing ships carrying conquistadors who sought new territory and rich resources. They used the shield and sword of Christianity to justify a swift conquest of mass territory and the subjugation of the indigenous peoples; a mentality learned, indeed,

This chivalrous act is derided in Monty Python and the Holy Grail when King Arthur confronts the Black Knight blocking the path to the bridge. King Arthur insists on crossing the bridge instead of going around, forcing a confrontation between the Arthur and the Black Knight. Arthur shows no mercy in the battle and cuts the Black Knight's limbs off, one by one. This demonstrates satire because as the Black Knights limbs are being cut off, King Arthur continues to slice at him, displaying an exaggeration of showing no mercy. The Black Knight persists against Arthur, also mocking how one must never recoil before the enemy, even if one's limbs are removed. In Le Morte d' Arthur, King Arthur is merciless against Modred, his bastard son whom attempts to take over King Arthur's kingdom, and pierces Modred with a spear. This instance is an example of chivalry because King Arthur does not hesitate to kill his own son nor does he display clemency. Modred as a response does not recoil, which is also is in the code of conduct of chivalry. When a knight faces the enemy, he should never flinch or shy away because of fear. This aspect of chivalry is parodied in Monty Python and the Holy Grail when King Arthur and his knights brawled with the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog. The Killer Rabbit is an unearthly creature because it leaps incredible lengths and wrenches a knight's head off with one bite. This scene is executed to make the confrontation appear ridiculous to the audience by the otherworldly rabbit decapitating one of King Arthur's praised knights, proving them to be inept in battle. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the Green Knight, a mystic man with a green complexion and a body made of nature, challenges a knight to a beheading game. When Sir Gawain accepts this challenge, he decapitates the Green Knight, whom proceeds to ride away "although

The women in Le Morte d’Arthur and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, were part to blame for knights breaking the code of chivalry. Knights in these stories broke the code of chivalry by treating women in a poor manner, not obeying their lieges, and keeping secrets from their kin. The code of chivalry was an honorable code followed by knights in which they had to respect women, obey their liege, and show bravery in battle. Sometimes the women tried to tempt the knights, resulting in affairs. Sometimes these women try to exploit a knights chivalry. The women in these stories had an influence that steered knights into breaking the code of chivalry that caused some battles and knightly dishonors.

A major turning point in Medieval history were the Crusades. The Crusades were a series of wars fought between the Christian Europeans and the Muslim Turks, which occurred between the years of 1096 to 1272. In this Holy War the Christians goal was to obtain the Holy Land from the Turks, in which they did not succeed. Although the Christians did not meet their goal, many positives did come out of their attempt. Due to the reason that they did not meet their goal, yet numerous positives came out of their effort, many refer to this as a successful failure.

The Crusades were one of the most prominent events in Western European history; they were not discrete and unimportant pilgrimages, but a continuous stream of marching Western armies (Crusaders) into the Muslim world, terminating in the creation and eventually the fall of the Islamic Kingdoms. The Crusades were a Holy War of Roman Christianity against Islam, but was it really a “holy war” or was it Western Europe fighting for more land and power? Through Pope Urban II and the Roman Catholic Church’s actions, their proposed motivations seem unclear, and even unchristian. Prior to the Crusades, Urban encouraged that Western Europe fight for their religion but throughout the crusades the real motivations shone though; the Crusaders were power

Knights are one of the most mistaken figures of the medieval era due to fairytales and over exaggerated fiction novels. When medieval knights roamed the earth, it was known that they were only human and, like humans, had faults. These knights did not always live up to the standards designated by society. However, in The Canterbury Tales, the knight is revealed as a character that would now be considered a knight in shining armor, a perfect role model in how he acts and what he does. Modern day people see them as chivalrous figures instead of their actual role as mounted cavalry soldiers. As time passes, the idea of what a knight is changes from a simple cavalry soldier to a specific type of behavior.

The Muslim army was well trained, disciplined, and capable of defeating any enemy that it encountered in war. Muslim forces were very violent and cruel. The army took countless captives and attacked with the cruelty of raging tigers. (Document 4) Two empires in

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe entered a period of chaos and disarray known as the Dark Ages. For the duration of the Dark Ages, peasants were desperate for protection while rich landowners were desperate for workers. Thus, a system known as feudalism, in which lords protected peasants in exchange for labor, developed. Under the feudal lifestyle, trade slowed to almost a complete stop due to self sufficiency on manors. Education and almost all greco-roman culture disappeared. When Pope Urban II was urgently called to help the Byzantine Emperor, he stepped up in order to conquer the Holy Land of Jerusalem from Muslims. However, while the crusades ultimately failed and lead to religious intolerance, they ended the Dark Ages

Founder of Constantinople, Constantine claimed the great Byzantine Empire and in turn inherited the new Holy Roman Empire. With the Edict of Milan in 313, Constantine proclaimed religious tolerance of Christians throughout the empire and soon the religion spread. Constantine then transformed the city of Byzantium into the new capital of the Roman Empire, which then was known and proclaimed as Constantinople. The new capital would profit from its location being closer to the east frontier, having then the advantage of better trading, and a militarily sound location being protected on three sides by water.

Usama begins by describing the “strange” behavior of the Franks. He is surprised and confused by the elevation of courage and strength as premier virtues in the Christian mind and he sees an invitation for his son to visit Europe as being worse than being taken prisoner of war (Ibn Munqidh 185). This observation sets up the basic world view difference: Muslims valued justice and fairness while the Christians of this time valued power and respect. Chivalry was not a Muslim virtue; instead the idea of Futuwwa reigned. This system, though similar to the western notion of chivalry has its differences. Muslims and Christians also differed in their views on modesty in sexual affairs differed as well (Ibn Munqidh 189-191). Also, many religious practices seemed strange to Usama as he details events in which a newly arrived Christian tries in vain to get him to change his prayer direction away from Mecca and towards the east. And another instance in which a Christian shows him an icon of a baby Jesus, sacrilege in Islam. Both instances demonstrate a lack of understanding between the two religions that were now interacting. Additionally Usama does mention

The Nation of Islam’s answer to the issue of unfair treatment of Blacks in America is best depicted by Wright in his essay, “[w]hite people had come to lead, as well as control, much of the movement for civil rights. Malcolm X, against this state of affairs, demanded that organizations for black men’s improvement – like those of the Jews by Jews and Irish by Irish – be black supported and black led” (Wright 105). The Nation of Islam felt

In The middle of the Eleventh Century The tranquillity of the eastern Mediterranean seemed assured for many years to come, but little did the people know what was ahead . This, thus embark us on a journey back into the First Crusade. In this paper I will be discussing the events that lead up to the first in a long line of crusades. I will also be mentioning the lives of some of the crusaders through letters that they wrote. The crusades were a time of confusion for most people, yet today we look back at them as a turning point.

The Battle of Tours was fought on October 10, 732 AD between the Frankish Empire, led by Charles Martel, and the Moorish army, led by Abd der Rahman near the city of Tours, France. The Frankish Empire included the territories of much of modern-day France, western Germany, Switzerland, along with Belgium and the Netherlands, and was the dominant Christian power in Western Europe at the time. The Middle East was becoming united under the religion of Islam and was beginning to conquer more distant lands. The Muslim army had crossed the Gibraltar Straight and entered into Europe by way of present-day Spain. From here they began to set up new kingdoms and conquer other parts of Europe primarily for plunder of treasure.

eft blank. Qutuz fired back with a counter-attack which shocked the Mongols. Qutuz lead the Mamluks into victory when he launched a frontal attack. Qutuz, an islamic leader, enforced the saying of Prophet Muhammad, “the people who are attacked in the center of their land will be dishonored”, which means that they have a right to defend themselves if people attack them on their land. Once the battle started, the Mamluk army were ordered by Qutuz to move forward in order to confront the foe. Qutuz ordered an exploration group to arrive near the Palestinian coastline, where they confronted the Crusaders. If the Crusaders did not stay neutral in this war, Qutuz strongly advised the Crusaders that if they did not stay neutral in this war that heh

Death speaks: There was a merchant in Baghdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions and in a little while the servant came back, white and trembling, and said, Master, just now when I was in the market-place I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was Death that jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture; now, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samarra and there death will not find me. The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop he went.