The Crusades

• the struggling kingdoms of Western Europe were united in their allegiance to the Christian faith
• the church was the single most influential force affecting the development of medieval Europe
• the Crusades were a serious of Holy wars waged against non-Christian Arabs, Turks and Moors (also known as Saracens)
• the Saracens called Europeans “Franks”
• crusade is derived from the French and Spanish words for “cross”
• Christian soldiers wore uniforms emblazoned with large crosses across the chest
• Muslims and Arabs in Palestine tolerated Christian pilgrimages to Jerusalem, “The Holy Land”
• The exception to this was in 1071 and the Emperor of Byzantine requested help from the pope
• Pope Urban II believed that all Europe had a duty to win back the Holy Land for Christianity
• Christian soldiers, known as crusaders were promised forgiveness of their sins, a share of the spoils of war and release from debts and punishments
• The first crusade was launched in 1096, involving 34,000 soldiers
• Despite being poorly trained and armed, these Europeans were surprisingly successful, taking Muslim territory
• The crusaders captured the Holy Land in 1099
• The second crusade was over repossessed land, the Christians failed and lost the Holy Land to the Muslims
• The third crusade, involving Richard the Lion heart (Robin hood) resulted in a truce which allowed Christian pilgrims to visit Jerusalem without persecution
• The forth crusade (1202) did not reach the Holy Land, it attacked the Byzantine capital and weakened the empire
• The pope and the Roman Catholic Church gained prestige from the successes of the first and third crusades
• The crusades had a significant economic impact, opening the eyes of the Europeans to the cultures and riches of the east (cotton, spices, sugar, perfume)
• Trade increased dramatically between Europe and the east