Attitudes During The Crusades

The Crusaders didn't always attack the Muslim Empires. Sometimes they attacked each other. Document 1 states that, “In Europe, Crusaders sometimes turned their fury against Jews, massacring entire communities.” This is relevant because the Crusaders were supposed to be fighting the Muslims to get land, but instead they decided to attack the Jews and destroy their communities.

Pope Urban II called upon all Christians into this war, calling those who don’t believe in God Heathens and providing reason to take control of Jerusalem again. Also assuring that the soldiers of this war will get an admission into Heaven. (Document 1) Christians, no matter the empire or region were being united by the Crusades through their love of Christ. (Document 2) French and German crusaders invaded a Jewish City, killing people for sanctification of the Lord. (Document 5)

The crusades were a huge thing in the medieval times. They lasted for hundreds of years and people believed it was their religious duty to fight, because they thought it would please God. They were also promised access to heaven, by the pope. The crusades involved three main religions Christianity, Judaism and Islam. I believe that the muslims were more to blame for the crusades, because they posed the first threat, and because they killed and sold many into slavery.

Religion had a huge effect on the Crusades and how it played out in the long run the economy during the Crusades was changing a lot and for the better in some aspects. One thing that changed was the Increased trade in international trade across the Mediterranean which gave them more new products and increased sales. The products they got were Spices, sugar, dates, watermelon, lemons, Cotton cloth, Persian carpets, and other things too. Another thing that happened was Technology of Islamic achievements was now known in the west and east Europe giving them more ideas. paper, water wheels, and better castle buildings were also brought back to Europe.

For example, in Document 6, it states that they “-didn’t get the support expected.” It also says in the Fourth Crusade, that they attacked Byzantine Empire. Although they won, “-crusading lost much of its appeal to most Europeans.” “Jerusalem stayed under Muslim control.” This is important to know since this helps understand how horrible the Crusades were.

According to a speech during the Council of Clermont, the pope promised forgiveness and the reward of heaven to those who decided to fight as Crusaders in the name of God. Due to this, there may have been sinful Christians that would be willing to do barbaric things to people that wanted wealth or a place in heaven. Criminals were promised no punishment for any of their actions, despite the reasoning, during the Crusades. Some also believe that within historical context, this behavior could have been considered normal. However, this particular event costed the lives of millions of people, which had never happened before.

Up to approximately seven major Crusades, the Muslims and Christians went through bloody days, and many attacks on each other. After many years of victories and misplacements, the Holy Land was claimed by the Muslims. It is perceptible that the Crusades were caused primarily by religious devotion because Jerusalem had a Holy significance, They wanted to signify their loyalty and cause of their God, and to guarantee

Though, the crusades were an important part of the Medieval European history. The role of religion played a leading factor in the crusade wars, specifically using Christianity and the citizens of Europe. For almost 200 years during the Middle Ages, Christian Crusades wrested control of the Palestine region from the Selçuk Turks through a series of military incursions made up of Christian armies largely from Western Europe. It was during these 200 years that up to nine crusade wars were fought.

In the 11th century, Pope Urban II called all Europeans to fight in the crusades. The Crusades lasted from 1096- 1291. People wanted to fight for God and the pope to get back the Holy Land. The Seljuk Turks, who were Muslims, inhabited the Holy Land at this time. The Muslims were not treating the Holy Land and God in the way Christians believed they should be treated.

Pope Urban II’s speech at Clermont in 1095 was a call to crusade given outdoors to the nobles, commoners and church leaders of the Western European Christians (the Franks). The people were moved by this speech and it changed history, launching the first crusade to capture Jerusalem from the Muslim Turks. After hearing Pope Urban II’s speech, thousands of Western European Christians were moved to embark on the dangerous journey and fight in the crusade. I believe the main reasons they were moved and persuaded to fight was; 1) they felt it was their Christian duty, 2) Pope Urban promised them absolution for their sins and 3) they felt compelled to defend Christianity, their holy land and the Eastern Christians.

Robert the Monk, a man who was at the sermon of Clermont where Pope Urban II gave a rousing call to crusade, writes that Urban says “For this land that you inhabit… is choking under your great multitude. It has no real riches and provides barely enough food for farmers” and even writes that he

The purpose of the Crusades were for political and economic gain because of the military threat from the Muslims, potential resulting success, and control of Jerusalem. One of the political and economic benefits of the Crusades was the defeat of Muslim enemies. In Pope Urban II’s 1095 speech that asked for recruits, it stated, “They have occupied more and more of the lands of those Christians, and have overcome them in seven battles. They have killed and captured many, and have destroyed the churches and devastated the empire” (Document 1). Pope Urban II wanted Christians to go to the Middle East to fight because Arabs and Turks attacked their fellow Christians and conquered Christian land.

The Crusades The initial crusades from April to July of 1096 many Jews were given the option of converting to Christianity or death. This was when the crusaders and city dwellers alike were attacking them in an attempt to reach Jerusalem to free it. However, the Christians were not the only ones killing since many jews would rather take their own life and the lives of their family then convert. These were viewed as martyrs for the Jews, since they were emulating their religious heroes.

The Muslim people were the ones being attacked and had opposing viewpoints of what was going on. The views of the crusades were vastly different from two of the largest religious groups of their time, the Christians and the Muslims. The Christians looked at the crusade as their religious and personal mission and duty. After all, the Christians were the ones who were leading the crusades and they were the ones who were the biggest advocates of them.

For example, the Crusades were a series of military campaigns sanctioned by the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages against the growing Turkish threat to guarantee pilgrims access to the holy sites in the Holy Land under Muslim control. From 1095 under Pope Urban II, the Crusades were launched which pitted for the first time, the clash of Christianity and Islam. Pope Urban II in his speech towards his fellow Christians states, “I beseech you as Christ 's heralds... to destroy [the Muslim Turks] from the lands of [the Byzantine Emperor]... Enter upon the road to the Holy Sepulchre; wrest that land from the wicked race, and subject it to yourselves... Accordingly undertake this journey for the remission of your sins, with the assurance of the imperishable glory of the Kingdom of Heaven.”