Understanding the

 A long series or Wars between Christians and Muslims between  Fought over control of Jerusalem (the Holy Land)

Understanding the world of the 11 th century

During the 8 th century the Islamic Empire had expanded to include much of the Middle East and North Africa Moors Invade Europe, 711

Contact with the Eastern world did not cease altogether; particularly in Spain and Italy Spanish Reconquista:

 Muslim expansion in the East threatened the borders and stability of the Byzantine Empire  The Byzantine Emperor asked Pope Urban II to help him against the Muslims (one Catholic leader to another)

 Urban responded to Byzantium’s request with a rousing speech in France in 1095  He called for the defeat of the Turks, returning the Holy Land to the Christians  Urban’s speech helped launch the first of several Crusades

 The Pope hoped to unite the divided Christian faith under the banner of the Latin Church  More power for him  Italian city-states hoped for commercial gains  The Byzantine Empire was in severe decline  Christian pilgrims visiting Jerusalem began experiencing increased harassment and danger

Muslim Turks captured Jerusalem from the Byzantine Empire Muslims stopped Christians from Visiting Holy Land Christian pilgrims were attacked Byzantine Empire feared attack on Constantinople

 Feudal Lords  Knights  Peasants

 Religious (promise of salvation)  Adventure and Glory  Profit and Power

 The word “crusade” comes from the Spanish cruzade which means “marked with the cross”  Crusaders wore red crosses on their chests to symbolize their purpose

 By the late 11 th century, the Islamic empire was suffering from it’s own internal struggles – prioritized internal threats over the external threat from Europe  Crusaders take advantage of Muslim disunity to carve out a Christian (Feudal) Kingdom in the Middle East centered on Jerusalem

 Most of the Crusaders returned to Europe after freeing Jerusalem, creating a manpower shortage  Moslem refugees retreated to Baghdad and demanded a force retake Jerusalem  Muslim counterattacks began in 1144, led by Zengi (reconquered Edessa)  Such developments would spur the Second Crusade

Eastern Mediterranean in 11c-12c

 This time the Muslims were ready  Eventually the Crusaders joined forces and lay siege to Damascus, but were soundly defeated  While the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem continued to be torn by internal strife, its Muslim enemies were moving toward unity

 Muslim ruler of Egypt who expanded his rule across Syria, and eventually Jerusalem  He declared a holy war against the Christians and captured Jerusalem in 1187 Saladin: one of the few Crusade personalities generally described favorably by both Eastern and Western sources

 The Crusade to reconquer Jerusalem  Led by three European Kings  Frederick Barbarossa (HRE)  Richard the Lionheart (England)  Philip Augustus (France)  The Crusade was a failure  Frederick Barbarossa drowned before reaching the Holy Land  Philip Augustus became ill and went home  Richard I fails to capture Jerusalem and gets himself captured on his way home

 Richard had possessed superior brilliance, courage, and knowledge of the military art, but Saladin’s moderation, patience, and justice had carried the day  The relative unity and fidelity of the Moslems had once again triumphed over the Christians’ divisions and disloyalties  Perhaps the only Christian victory – permission for Christians to visit the Holy Land

 death of Saladin renewed hope for another Crusade  Venice promised financial support to Crusaders, in return for their capture of the rival port city of Zara  1204:Crusaders captured and looted Constantinople – they never made it to the Holy Land  Byzantine Empire never recovered; significantly weakened until its capture by the Turks two centuries later

Failures  Jerusalem was in Muslim hands  The Muslim powers became more intolerant of religious diversity  The influence of the Catholic Church and the the pope declined - due to nationalistic ambitions and widening schism between Eastern Orthodox and Rome  Indigenous eastern Christians were caught in the middle between Crusaders and Moslems (most sided with Muslims)

Successes  Serfs used the Crusades to leave their lands and many found new opportunities  Trade and exploration were enhanced

 Feudalism declines because Feudal lords die or spend too much money on military.  Increased Travel – Europeans want to travel more  Increased Trade – Europeans want product from the East such as sugar, cotton, silk, spices, etc.  Exchange of Technology – Ships, Maps, Explorers  Exchange of Ideas – Aristotle, Astronomy, Science, Mathematics

Crusades inspired attacks on “infidels” in Europe  Jewish Communities in Europe were vulnerable to attack  Sicily – conquered by Muslims in the 9 th century, regained by Christians warriors in 1090s  Spain- in 1060s small Christian states began attacking Muslim lands; conquest wasn’t completed until 1492

 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 … was the year of both the completion of the Reconquista and Columbus’ voyage to the New World