The Causes and Results of the Crusades

General Information Crusades – “Going to the Cross” Usually ordered by the Pope Roman Catholic Holy Wars to recapture Jerusalem and the Holy land from the Muslims

Time Period 1 st Crusade nd Crusade – 1146 to rd Crusade – 1189 to th Crusade Albigensian Crusade Children’s Crusade th Crusade th Crusade th Crusade th Crusade th Crusade

What caused the first Crusade? During the Middle Ages pilgrimages were common –What is a pilgrimage? Where would a pilgrim go? Jerusalem was taken over by the Seljuk Turks, who were Muslim –Why was this a big deal to Christians? Byzantine Empire served as a buffer between Muslim and Christian areas –Battle of Manzikert in 1071 scared Christians... So: Pope Urban II called for the first crusade

Why would anyone want to go on a Crusade? Religious devotion Christians’ duty to correct the evils of the world Population boom caused a land shortage Respectable employment for a knight “Criminals and sinners, ravishers and the sacrilegious, murderers, perjurers and adulterers…”

What happened during the Crusades? 1095 “The Popular Crusade” –bands of poor people, no equipment 1097 The First Crusade –highly organized with 100,000 soldiers –stormed Jerusalem in 1099 and slaughtered the citizens “The blood of the enemy flowed as high as our horses’ knees…” “The dead were piled like the pyramids…” –20,000 Christian soldiers were left to occupy… built “Crusader Castles”

Crusades Overview

Muslim Response By 1144, the Seljuk Turks organized themselves and retook Jerusalem 2 nd Crusade is ordered to take it back Salah al-Din (Saladin), one of the greatest leaders in history, retook Jerusalem in 1175

The 3 rd Crusade An attempt by European leaders to re-conquer the Holy Land from Saladin. Called by Pope Gregory VIII and led by Europe's most important leaders: –Philip II of France –Richard I of England –Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor Failed to take Jerusalem

Other Crusades 4 th Crusade turned on itself and conquered Constantinople Children’s Crusade Crusaders for the next century united European nation states –France –England –Spain –Portugal

Results of the Crusades Thousands of Muslims, Jews and Christians killed Christians controlled Jerusalem for almost 100 years. Christian pilgrims could visit Jerusalem in relative safety. Slowed the advance of the Turks into Europe for a few hundred years

Results of the Crusades From Feudalism to Nation-States –Financial and governmental institutions to pay Crusaders. –Governments and the Church began to tax subjects –Repaired old Roman roads for faster travel –Increased trade across the Mediterranean –Standard of living in Europe increased with trade –Benefited from new ideas learned from the Arabs