The Pros And Cons Of The Crusades

The purpose of all the Crusades was to reclaim the Holy Land. The Christians wanted to take back Jerusalem (The Holy Land) from the Muslims. it’s where their faiths started.

At first, the goals of the First Crusade were widespread. Christians of all backgrounds set out on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in order to strengthen their ties to tradition (The First Crusade). The Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos requested the help of Pope Urban II to repel invading Seljuk Turks from Eastern Anatolia, and return Byzantine land to Byzantine control (First Crusade). However, the goal which eventually dominated the others was the reconquest of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and its surrounding areas (First Crusade). Pope Urban II cleverly noticed that the first two goals would rally enough support in order for him to concur Jerusalem and restore

Jerusalem should be solely their own in order to bring closeness to their God. But in fact the

According to the Christian Faith Jerusalem holds significant religious importance due to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and many other important religious sites. This is detailed in The Capture of Jerusalem by John France “Jerusalem had a special place in the religion and culture of medieval europe for it was the place Christ had died and his empty tomb in the church of the holy sepulchre was the very symbol of christian belief”. Pope Urban II called for the crusades to secure these sites for christians in that area and around the world. These sites also hold a religious importance to the Islamic Faith to this day, which is also seen in The Capture of Jerusalem “For Jerusalem is sacred to islam: its name al-Kuds, ‘the city of the sanctuary’, refers to the important shrine we now call the

Going against modern day religious beliefs, in 1095AD the Christians went to war to claim the holy city of Jerusalem, massacring the Muslims in a bloody attempt to worship their God. Pope Urban II’s speech at Clermont inspired by claims made by the Byzantium Emperor encouraged the Christians to partake in the First Crusade in an attempt to liberate Jerusalem. The religious and economic factors were the most relevant to cause this crusade, with some influence from desired political gain and little from social factors unrelated to religion. The immediate consequences were positive for the Christians and negative for the Muslims, but the First Crusade launched an ongoing conflict between the Christians and Muslims which had positive and negative consequences for both sides. There are a number of relevant modern sources which examine the causes and consequences of the First Crusade, but, while there are many medieval sources, they do not explicitly discuss the causes and consequences of the war. In order to fully comprehend the First Crusade, it is necessary to analyse the religious, economic, and political factors, as well as the short-term, long-term, and modern consequences.

L. The main reason the crusades started was to take Jerusalem from the Turks. Before 1087, Christian pilgrims frequently traveled to Jerusalem, “the holy land”. However, according to document 6, “from 1087 onwards, turks stopped christian pilgrims from entering Jerusalem.” Basically, the Turks claimed Jerusalem as their own, and prevented any pilgrimages. Pope Urban II was not happy about this. He called European Christians to war in 1095 to recapture Jerusalem. According to Document 1, he says, “I, or rather, the Lord, beseech you as christ's heralds to publish this everywhere and persuade all people of whatever rank, foot-soldiers and knights, poor and rich….to destroy that vile race from the lands of our friends.” Basically, Pope Urban II is urging the people to fight the Turks, and win back Jerusalem.

One of the many reasons European Christians fought in the crusades was to have control of The Holy Land and Jerusalem. Jerusalem was very important to the christians because it was where christ was crucified and rose again (previous knowledge). This was very important to the christians because Christ and God were the center of their religion

For 200 years from the eleventh century to the twelfth century (1091-1291) a war between Christians (which is the most popular religion at this moment) and the Muslim religion fought to get back the Holy Land. Byzantine Empire were losing against the Muslim. The Byzantine Empire called the Pope for aid, he decided he would help only because they were Christians. This was a barbarous act that caused the death of an abundance amount of people and the eradication of many things. That is why The Crusade had a negative effect of the world even to this day, a big stain. One of the most impactful events that left a mark was the killing of many innocent people during that time. In Doc 1 it states “In Europe, crusaders sometime turned their fury against

Jerusalem is of significant value to all Christians since it is the city where Jesus Christ lived and died. Therefore, it is no surprise that Christians would want to protect this city from Muslim invaders, just as Muslims had conquered North Africa, Palestine, Mesopotamia, the Persian Empire, and territories in southern Asia and the Indian subcontinent for their jihad. The word jihad can be translated as struggle or holy war. Further, Christians often had to work side-by-side with Muslims in the territories they captured, specifically when the crusaders formed an alliance with Egyptians against invading Seljuk Turks because the captured territories often lacked settlers and defenders. This would mean that crusaders were far more likely to

In the effort to conquer the Holy Land, the Crusades created a lasting animosity between Christians and Muslims. The Christians committed horrific atrocities in the name of Christianity. Entire communities of Jewish people were slaughtered. (Document 1). When the Crusaders reached Constantinople and destroyed its city, library and looted its treasures, it weakened the Byzantine Empire and pitted Christian people against other Christians.

Jerusalem is the main reason why The First Crusade ever happened. It is an extremely important place of worship for multiple religions, including Christianity and Islam. Christianity puts great importance in Jerusalem because shortly after birth Jesus was taken to this city. Jesus also had his last supper here, and was crucified and buried right outside of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is also significant to Christians because it is the site of various saints or profits like Abraham, Solomon, David, Zachary and others (“The Importance of”). But Jerusalem is also valuable to Muslims for multiple reasons too, so much so that the Arabic translation is even “The Noble, Sacred Place.” Jerusalem was even the first Qiblah, the direction Muslims turn towards in prayer, meaning that they would turn to face Jerusalem when praying. It was also the location that Muhammad, messenger and prophet of God, took Muhammad from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca to the Furthest Mosque (Al-Aqsa) in Jerusalem. He was then “taken up to the heavens to be shown the signs of God” (Dodge). The Prophet met with previous prophets and led them in a prayer. The entire journey lasted only a few hours (Dodge). It becomes obvious why the Christians and Muslims would go to such great lengths to possess this once city.

Christians everywhere considered Jerusalem to be the main Holy city where Jesus Christ lived and died. A thousand years after the life of Jesus, this Holy city of Jerusalem was no longer controlled by the Jews, but was overtaken and controlled by the Muslims. The Christians of Western Europe around the eleventh century begun to emerge as a significant player in Europe. With their confidence growing and their faith building, their Christian heritage and Holy city of Jerusalem begun to take a more prominent role in their life. For the next 200 years, the Roman Catholic Church, specifically the Pope, commissioned Christians in Western Europe to take up arms in an attempt to take back the Holy City. Each Pope used different motivations and

The Middle East has been afflicted by major religious wars and strife for thousands of years. For nearly a millennium, pilgrims from Europe had been persecuted by the Muslim rulers while on their way to the holy Christian city of Jerusalem in order to make atonement for their sins. The tense struggle for ownership of the city of Jerusalem between Muslims and Christians nearly a thousand years after Christ’s death finally came to a head in 1095. After learning of the mistreatment towards Christians in the Middle East by Muslims, Pope Claremont advocated for the liberation of Jerusalem from its Muslim governance in order to acquire freedom for the oppressed Christians attempting to simply be pious followers and repent. The Crusades, occurring from 1095 A.D. to 1272 A.D., were a direct response to the problems coinciding with the growing population of Muslims, Jews, and Islamic peoples in the Middle East and were greatly influenced by powerful individuals such as Richard I of England, consequently leading to effects that would forever change the world’s advancement and progression.

The fight over Jerusalem is not a new issue. Rather, it is one that has been a matter of contention for hundreds of years, from the Third Crusade, a fight between Western and Eastern leaders, to today’s conflicts between Israel and Palestine. Both are over control of the territory. The Holy Land and the surrounding area have always inspired strong feelings in the three major monotheistic religions and their kingdoms, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, enough that they are willing to shed blood over it throughout history and to present day for the right to control it.

Introduction The Crusades also known as the “Holy Wars, were a series of conflicts centered around the disputes of Christians wanting to conquer Muslims. These movements occurred in the Middle East and were centered in the Holy Land of Jerusalem. Most often, the crusades were petitioned by the church and lead by papacy. In total there were nine major crusades and an unnumbered amount of minor ones.