The Crusades

Religion played a very important role in shaping the Middle Ages. It influenced
education, customs, morals, and routines of nearly everyone in Europe, and from
time to time, the rule of a king and the laws of the church came into conflict with one
another.
With the adoption of Christianity throughout Europe came the importance of
protecting the religion itself, and the center of faith for followers of Christianity,
udaism, and Islam was the city of erusalem, located in the area known as !alestine.
erusalem fell out of Christian control and "ecame ruled "y Ara" invaders during the
Early Middle Ages, "ut many religions #including Christianity$ were not frowned upon
"y erusalem%s new rulers.
&owever, when control of the city shifted to the 'urks in the eleventh century,
Christianity and udaism were persecuted. 'he city of erusalem was no longer a
religious center for these two groups.
'he Church, in its way, decided to take action,
feeling it a duty to protect its holy city. It
encouraged the leaders and people of Europe to
take "ack the city, and in ()*+ the ,irst Crusade
"egan, lasting until ()**. Religion and military
force "ecame very mi-ed up, and several groups
or .orders/ were formed during this time in
history. 'hese orders were made up of knights
who "elieved in the cause of protecting the &oly
0ands, and included 'he 1nights of the 'emple
#also known as 'he 'emplars$, 'he 1nights of
2t. ohn, and the 3rder of 2aint Mary of the
'eutons #or 'he 'eutonic 1nights$.
Each order had a different way of seeing things, despite sharing a common goal.
2ome took vows or promises to help Christian pilgrims, while others took vows of
poverty #remaining poor$ as a sign of devotion to their cause. &owever, among these
orders, fighting was common, and this arguing "etween Crusaders often proved to "e
the cause of many pro"lems. Rather than taking "ack erusalem, they seemed to "e
competing with each other.
4oth peasants and knights 5oined the Crusades, each with different reasons for going.
2ome clearly felt that it was the right thing to do and wanted to return erusalem to
its earlier state, making it safe for Christians to worship there. 3thers liked the idea of
getting rich, finding new lands, and adventuring. &owever, the Crusades time and
time again were unsuccessful. Cities in !alestine were captured and retaken "y "oth
sides, and this process happened over and over throughout the centuries.
It did not help that the Crusaders faced for some time a very powerful leader named
2aladin the 6reat, who had already captured 2yria, Egypt, and Ira7. 2ome kings,
such as Richard I #also known as Richard the 0ionheart$ saw 2aladin as a challenge,
"ut despite repeated attempts to retake erusalem, the most that Richard the
0ionhearted achieved was a treaty #or agreement$ with 2aladin.
3ver the years, popes called for further attempts to take "ack the
&oly 0ands. In total, there were nine of these 5ourneys, some led
"y royals and some "y common people. 'o give you an idea of the
scope of the Crusades, consider 5ust how many there were and
how often they took place, usually in poor conditions and with
e7ually poor results8 ,irst Crusade #()*+9()**$, 2econd Crusade
#((::9((;;$, 'hird Crusade #((<=9((*>$, ,ourth Crusade #(>)>9
(>):$, ,ifth Crusade #(>(=9(>>($, 2i-th Crusade #(>><9(>>*$,
2eventh Crusade #(>:<9(>;:$, Eighth Crusade #(>=)$, and finally,
the ?inth Crusade #(>=(9(>=>$.
2ome of these 5ourneys to take "ack erusalem lasted much longer than others, and
later voyages had as many political reasons as they did religious. 'aking "ack
erusalem not only meant winning a victory for Christianity, "ut it also meant
governing an important area of land and the wealth tied to it.
In the end, the Crusades were unsuccessful. Rather than winning "ack erusalem,
they ended up causing the deaths of many who went on such trips. &owever, they did
"ring a"out contact with the East, and education "enefited from Ara"ic materials
ac7uired during this time period, which were translated into 0atin and improved
Europe%s knowledge of many su"5ects.
'echnological advancements were made as well, such as the development of the
compass #leading to "etter maps$ and weapons like the cross"ow. With history, there
are always ups and downs.