The Crusades

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The crusades were a series of military expeditions undergone by the Christian armies of the eleventh and twelfth centuries directed against Muslim controlled areas of the eastern Mediterranean (Cowper 40). Although there were many reasons for the start of the crusades, the main cause was that the Muslim control of the holy land was a disgrace, and considered a threat to Christianity’s livelihood (Toler 140). With the holy cities of Jerusalem and Palestine being in Muslim control Christianity as a whole saw its influence in the world begin to weaken, so the leaders of the Christian religion came together as a entirety and determined it was time to regain their beloved holy land through means of force (Daniels 152).
While the followers of the Christian Religion had never been called to bear arms, or cause violence for their beliefs, it was finally time to break that seal and take back Jerusalem (Toler 141). But seeing as most of the supporters of the religion were common men, a fighting force of warriors was defiantly in need in order to be successful in their conquest. Luckily the crusades came at an era in time when knighthood had reached its full expression in Europe (Daniels 153). The system of Knighthood had produced a band of gentlemen warriors whose code and manner of conduct became one of glory, chivalry, piety, and romantic ordeal (Daniels 153). Preparation for knighthood began at the age of twelve for most young men, where they started out with the title of page, and proceeded to advance in rank becoming a knight’s apprentice at the age of fourteen, as well as eventually becoming a squire after his apprenticeship (Daniels 153). Training for knighthood included many physical activities such as horsemanship, archery, and mo...

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..., as well as new trade routes, European began to play a bigger part in the ever growing world (Toler 145).

Works Cited

Cowper, Marcus. History Book: An Interactive Journey. Washington, DC: National Geographic, 2010. Print.
"Crusades." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. .
Daniels, Patricia S., Stephen G. Hyslop, and Douglas Brinkley. National Geographic Almanac of World History. 2nd Edition ed. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Encyclopaedia Britannica 5: Macropaedia : Knowledge in Depth The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. Chicago: Benton, 1974. Print.
Knauer, Kelly. History's Greatest Events: 100 Turning Points That Changed the World : An Illustrated Journey. New York: Time Home Entertainment, 2010. Print.
Toler, Pamela D. Mankind: The Story of All of Us. Philadelphia, PA: Running Book, 2012. Print.

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