The Crusades

1612 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The crusades a different point of view

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...

... middle of paper ...

..., 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.

Show More
Related

  • The First Crusade Sparknotes

    672 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Crusades were a number of military expeditions by Europeans of the Christian faith attempting to recover the Holy Land, Jerusalem, which was then controlled by the powerful Muslim Empire. In his book People of The First Crusade, Michael Foss an independent historian tells the story of the first Crusade in vivid detail illustrating the motives behind this historic event, and what had really occurred towards the end of the eleventh century. The Christian lands of Western Europe were slowly deteriorating from invasions of the North, and the passing of corrupt laws from within the clergy and the high lords. However, these were not the only challenges those of European Christian faith had to face. Islam strengthened after the conversion of the

    Read More

  • The Crusades: Religious Devotion or Economy Desire?

    629 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Crusades took place in the Middle East between 1095 and 1291. They were used to gain a leg up on trading, have more land to show hegemony, and to please the gods. Based upon the documents, the Crusades between 1095 and 1291 were caused primarily by religious devotion rather than by the desire for economic and political gain.

    Read More

  • The Rise And Fall Of Christianity And Afro-Eurasia

    751 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tignor, R., Adelman, J., Brown, P., Elman, B. A., Liu, X., Pittman, H., & Shaw, B. D. (2011). Worlds together, worlds apart A history of the world: V. 1 (3rd ed., Vol. 1). New York: WW Norton &.

    Read More

  • The Crusades: Really a Holy War?

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 hungry, land coveting people who fought with non Christian ideals and Morales.

    Read More

  • The Crusades Argumentative Essay

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    Among some of the largest conflicts in the world stand the Crusades; a brutal conflict that lasted over 200 years and was debatably one of the largest armed religious conflicts in the history of humankind. Since this is so clearly an event of importance, historians have searched vigorously for the true answer as to why the crusades began. Ultimately, because of accusatory views on both the sides of the Christians and of the Muslims, the two groups grew in such hatred of each other that they began to act in deep discrimination of each other. Moreover, Christian motives seemed to be driven mostly by the capture of Jerusalem, the dark ages of Europe and the common-folks desperation for land, wealth, and a spot in heaven. What seems to be continually

    Read More

  • Violence in The Crusades

    614 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Crusades were an outlet for the intense religious tension between the Muslims and the church which rose up in the late 11th century. This all started because the church and the Catholics wanted the Holy Lands back from the Muslims. Around this time the church was the biggest institute and people were god-fearing. Pope Gregory VII wanted to control more lands and wanted to get back the lands that they had lost to the Muslims (Medieval Europe). So in order to get back these lands he launched The Crusades which he insisted to the peasants was a holy war instead.

    Read More

  • First Crusades: The First Crusades

    1245 Words  | 3 Pages

    The First Crusade from 1095 to 1099 has been seen as a successful crusade. The First Crusaders carefully planned out their attacks to help promote religion throughout the lands. As the First Crusade set the example of what a successful crusade should do, the following crusades failed to maintain control of the Holy Land. Crusades following after the First Crusade weren’t as fortunate with maintaining the Holy Land due united forces of Muslims, lack of organization, and lack of religious focus.

    Read More

  • First Crusade: The First Crusade

    1510 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1095, Pope Urban II called the first crusade. Happening between 1096 and 1099, the first crusade was both a military expedition and a mass movement of people with the simple goal of reclaiming the Holy Lands taken by the Muslims in their conquests of the Levant. The crusade ended with the capture of Jerusalem in July 1099. However, there has been much debate about whether the First Crusade can be considered an ‘armed pilgrimage’ or whether it has to be considered as a holy war. This view is complicated due to the ways in which the Crusade was presented and how the penitential nature of it changed throughout the course of the Crusade.

    Read More

  • The Crusades

    904 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Causes and Effects of the Protestant Reformation

    1175 Words  | 3 Pages

    Duiker, William J., and Jackson J. Spielvogel. World History. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomsom Learning, 2001. 374-438.

    Read More

  • The Injustice of Forcing Humanity into a Totalitarian Society

    716 Words  | 2 Pages

    Langer, Willian L., comp. Encyclopedia of World History. Vol. 2. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1968. Print.

    Read More

  • Works and Days by Hesiod

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    Bulliet, Richard W. Earth and Its Peoples: a Global History. 5th ed. Vol. 1. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.

    Read More

  • The Crusades: Short Term and Long Term Effects

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    In order for the crusades to begin, the Christians needed to gather an army to travel and fight the forces of Muslims. With all the power being held by monarchies at this time, the church needed to be cleaver in order to gain troops to put their lives on the line. To gain the support of these warriors and dedication of men, Pope Urban II (1088-1099) challenged those morals of men by telling them to grab their weapons and join the holy war to recover the land of Jerusalem. It was not the challenge that convinced men to take part in this war. The promise of “immediate remission of sins” attracted the men to stand up for their religion and beliefs while at the same time, promising them a trip to heaven when life comes to an end. With this statement, men instantly prepared for battle which in a very short period of time gave the church power which has been held by the monarchies. Men of rich and poor prepared for battle, some wearing ...

    Read More

  • Technology During World War 2

    2322 Words  | 5 Pages

    Schroeder, Michael. “Major Themes in World History.” Encyclopedia of World History. Modern World History Online. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. .

    Read More

  • The Role of the Qur’an in Muslim Religion

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    Chang, Edmond. “Making of the Modern World 12”. UCSD. La Jolla, CA. 23. Jan. 2013.

    Read More

More about The Crusades

Open Document