The Crusades

Crusaders Invade the Holy Land The Crusades were a long series of wars between the Christians and Muslims The Holy Land is the region where Jesus had lived, preached and died

Causes of the Crusades In the late 1000a a group of Turkish Muslims captured the city of Jerusalem Christian Pilgrims returning to Europe claimed they had been attacked and that the Holy Land was no longer safe for Christians The Byzantine Emperor, fearing an attack on Constantinople asked for the popes help. Pope Urban II made a call to arms

The Call to Arms Pope Urban called on all Christians to take back the Holy Land from the Muslim Turks In response people joined the pope’s armies by the thousands They sewed crosses on their clothes to show they were fighting for God Many were so willing to fight because they may have thought that God would look favorably on them for fighting his enemies. Some were looking for land and treasure Still others were looking for an adventure

The First Crusade Most of the people who left were initially peasants, not soldiers They were not equipped to handle the Turkish troops, even before they reached the Holy Land The noble and knights did better and in 1099 were able to take Jerusalem They then set up for small kingdoms in the holy land and began to trade with the Europeans back home

Later Crusades Fail Within 50 years the Muslims had started taking land back from the Christians The Second crusade was a huge failure: poor planning and heavy losses lead to the defeat The third crusade began in 1189 pitting King Richard I of England against Saladin, a strong Muslim leader The two respected each other, yet fought and negotiated for months In the end the Muslims were the victors

The Fourth Crusade In the year 1201French crusaders made their way to Italy to begin the 4th crusade When they arrived they did not have enough money to pay for the voyage, so the Venetians made them attack a rival city, Zara, which they did They also attacked Constantinople and took many treasures. “The city that had been threatened by Muslims before the Crusades had been sacked by the Christians!”

The End of the Crusades By 1291The Muslim armies had taken back all of the holy land and the Crusades had ended Here are some reasons why the Crusades failed The Crusaders had to travel huge distances just to reach the war. Many died along the way. Crusaders weren’t prepared to fight in Palestine’s desert climate. The Christians were outnumbered by their well-led and organized Muslim foes. Christian leaders fought among themselves and planned poorly

Crusades Change Europe Even thought eh Crusades were a failure, they results changes trade between the two continents forever Cultural diffusion was inescapable In Europe kings gained more power and land due to the loss of nobles and knights Popes had wanted to be in charge of the Crusades, but rulers and noble took over, due to having experience with war, this caused more tension The Crusades had a lasting effect on people as well The Jews distrusted the Christians because the crusaders had attacked them. The Eastern Europeans did not trust the Westerner because they had sacked Constantinople

Christian and Muslim Relationships Positive Each group learned about the others religion and culture This led to a mutual respect Negative In general, most Crusaders viewed the Muslims as nonbelievers who threatened innocent Christians Most Muslims viewed the Crusaders as vicious invaders Some historians believe that the distrust that began during the Crusades still affects Christian and Muslim relationships today