Results of the Crusades Failures Jerusalem was in Moslem hands Christian pilgrims became fewer and more fearful than ever The Moslem powers, once tolerant of religious diversity, had been made intolerant by attack The effort of the popes to bring peace and unity to Europe had been thwarted by nationalistic ambitions, avarice, and internal dissension The influence of the Catholic Church and the position of the pope declined and the schism between the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church widened

Results of the Crusades Failures Moslem civilization had been victorious over Christian civilization Indigenous eastern Christians were caught in the middle between Crusaders and Moslems, and many who were outraged by the excesses of the Crusaders or who wanted to avoid persecution by Moslem leaders who saw them as collaborators with the Crusaders converted to Islam In fact, the Crusades ironically proved instrumental in making the eastern Mediterranean predominantly Moslem

Results of the Crusades Successes Serfs had used the Crusades to leave their lands and many found new opportunities The Turkish capture of Constantinople was delayed until 1453 The Moslems, even though victorious, had themselves been weakened, and fell more easily when the Mongols attacked Trade and exploration were enhanced

Trade Italian traders obviously benefited from supplying the Crusades while they were going on, but they also saw an opportunity to expand their market by establishing direct trade with the Moslem world The lucrative trade provided great profit to the Italian city-states and ultimately provided the economic basis for the Italian Renaissance we’ll discuss in Lesson 24 Lorenzo de Medici was part of a family that ruled Florence and served as bankers for the Crusades and patrons of the Renaissance

Egyptian scarf or garment fragment ca 1395 Trade The most important trade item were spices Other items included cotton, linen, dates, coral, pearls, porcelain, silk, and metal goods Damascus was a key center for industry and commerce and a stopping point for pilgrims on their way to Mecca Egyptian scarf or garment fragment ca 1395

Trade European Christians also became exposed to new ideas as they traveled throughout the Mediterranean basin The works of Aristotle Islamic science and astronomy “Arabic” numerals which the Moslems had borrowed from India Techniques for paper production which the Moslems had learned from China While the Crusades may have largely failed as military adventures, they helped encourage the reintegration of western Europe into the larger economy of the western hemisphere

The Reconquista of Spain The Christians did have better success wresting Sicily and Spain from the Moslems in actions separate from the Crusades Sicily was regained relatively easily Moslems had conquered it in the 9th Century but in the 1090, after about 20 years of fighting, Norman warriors returned it to Christian hands Spain would be a bit more of a challenge

The Reconquista of Spain Moslems invaded the Iberian Peninsula in the early 8th Century and ruled all but small Christian states such as Catalonia In the 1060s Christians began attacking outward from these toeholds

The Reconquista of Spain By 1150 Christians had recaptured Lisbon and controlled over half the peninsula These successes lured reinforcements from England and France and a new round of campaigning in the 13th Century brought all but Granada into Christian hands In 1492, Christian forces conquered Granada and the Reconquista was complete

Immediate Impact of the Reconquista After the successful Reconquista, the devoutly Christian rulers of Spain and Portugal were eager to dominate the Islamic states in North Africa and to convert non-Christians The desire to spread Christianity would be one of the motives for the European explorations we’ll discuss in Lesson 25 1492 was the year of both the completion of the Reconquista and Columbus’ voyage to the New World

Next Long-distance Trade and the Silk Roads Network