A Brief History of 12th Century Christian Crusades
Summary:
A brief history of the Christian crusades against the Muslims in the 11th and 12th centuries, especially the wars in Turkey. Much of the motivation for the crusades was personal rather than religious, and the legacy of the period is lasting damage between Christian and Muslim religions.
Emperor Allexius Commnenus never realized the impact his plea for help would have on his city and world of the east. Pope Urban II agreed to help with the invasion of the Seljuk Turks who had besieged the Byzantine Empire and were preventing the pilgrims to reach the holy land. Therefore the launching of aimed expeditions began. The crusades were the armed expeditions to the east, Constantinople and the Holy Land.
The Pope's Urban speech in the fall of 1095 in the city of Clermont united all classes of people in a joined effort to help Christians and restore peace in the east. For Urban II this was also an opportunity to regain power and prestige for himself at the expense of his rival who was the pope in the Rome of the east. Subsequently he was able to form an army of the crusades who eagerly started on a journey to free Jerusalem. First however, they needed to capture the city of Anatolian, the Turkish capitol of Nicaea. There the Seljuk Turks were blocking the main supply route to their destination. After attacking and defeating the Turks they finally opened up the way to Anatolian capturing along the way all major cities such as Antioch and Jerusalem.
After many years the Christian forces grew weak. The Turks in 1144, recaptured portions of the Middle East giving a rise to the second crusade, which was led by King Luis XII of France, and King Conrad III of Germany. However the two armies did not cooperated and were defeated by the Muslim forces. In 1187 Saladin defeated the Christian army at the battle of Hatting and recaptured Jerusalem leading to the third crusade. Consequently Saladin was defeated numerous times but the crusaders were unable to recapture Jerusalem. Saladin agreed to allow the Christian pilgrims to enter and worship in the holy city freely. After this the crusaders turned their power against one of their own allies. The fourth crusade mainly made up of French nobles, got involved in the affairs of the Byzantine Empire, and never reached their original goal. When they reached Venice intending to take ships across the Mediterranean they found out that the Venitians had raised the price offering ships in return for a combine crusade attack on Constantinople. The two allied together and over took the city that to that day was undefeated. Upon capturing Constantinople they placed on the throne a puppet ruler, soon though he was over thrown and the crusaders plunder Constantinople.
The main goal of the fourth crusade to recapture the Holy Land had failed. Although the western and eastern Christians had united against a common enemy, the Ottoman Empire, the effects of the fourth crusade caused bitterness between these two groups of people that is harbor to this day. The Pope's also used the crusades for personal and political gains and thus causing them to lose all prestige.
There were some positive effects from these expeditions that enriched European life. They help increase economic grown, by increasing trade between cities and borders of the Mediterranean Sea. Italy grew powerful by transporting crusaders and their supplies to the Middle East.
In concluding many of the crusaders were more interested in personal gain then religion. Also they quarrel among themselves. These and the popes using the crusades for personal and political gain contributed to the failure of the crusades intended goals. Moreover it led into a heritage of hate between the two religious groups.
This is the complete article, containing 580 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
