The Crusades

The many kingdoms of Europe were struggling to form their own political identities, but remained united in their Christian faith The Crusades were holy wars fought against the Saracens- non Christian Arabs, and Turks that were mainly practicing Muslims The Saracens referred to all Europeans as Franks Crusade comes from French and Spanish words for cross

European Christians had been making pilgrimages to the Holy Land (Jerusalem) since the second century By the seventh century Arabs and Muslims gained control of the Holy Land then called (Palestine), but in general accepted the Christian pilgrims In 1071the Seljuk Turks gained control of Palestine, and as a result they closed off the area to the Christians

In 1054 the Roman Catholic church and the Byzantine church had split Pope Urban II requested all kingdoms in Europe to prepare for a holy war Urban II believed Europe had to gain control of the Holy Land for all Christians He also wanted to reunite the two churches, and stop the constant wars in Europe

Christian soldiers were referred to as Crusaders and were promised the following for fighting in the Holy Land Forgiveness for their sins A share in the spoils of war Release from their debts and punishments

The First Crusade Began in 1096 Nearly 34,000 soldiers took part Many were trained knights, but most were poor peasants The Crusaders gained control of the Holy Land in 1099 The first crusade was their only victory

The Second Crusade In 1147 the Muslims gained control of the Christian States (eastern Mediterranean shore) The Crusaders failed to gain control of these areas

The Third Crusade Occurred in 1187 and is the best known of the crusades Three European kings including Richard the Lionheart were involved In 1192 each side called a truce, which allowed the Christian pilgrims to visit the Holy Land without persecution

The Fourth Crusade This war was not fought in the Holy Land As a result of the crusades the many European Kings became more powerful, because many lords and knights that would have opposed their power were killed Europeans were introduced to the cultures of the East during the crusades

Do you think the European Christians were justified in launching a holy war against the Muslims? You may choose to use your textbook to help you answer the above question pages When you have completed answering the question hand it in to be marked.