The Crusades & Church Reform
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Transcript The Crusades & Church Reform
The Crusades & Church
Reform
I. The Crusades
Palestine = “Holy Land”
600s: Muslim Arabs conquered Palestine
Tolerated others
1000s: Saljuq Turks (warlike, from Central Asia)
Conquered Palestine & attacked Asia Minor (Byz)
Threatened Constantinople
Appealed to Pope
A. The Pope’s Call for a Crusade
Pope Urban II
1095: meeting of Church leaders in Claremont, Fr.
“God wills it!!!”
Crusaders—sewed a cross of cloth on garments
Crusades = expeditions to regain Holy Land
1. inspired by faith---you go straight to Heaven if killed
2. the lure of lands & plunder
3. merchants = money
B. The First Crusade (1096-1099)
Led by Fr. & Norman nobles
Crossed Euro. to Const.
Met some resistance at Const.
Crusaders suffered severely
Unprepared
Army of 12,000 reached Jerusalem
July 15, 1099: captured Jer. – terrible massacre
Crusaders set up four small states:
Edessa
Antioch
Tripoli
Jerusalem
Introduced feudalism
Euro. trade developed
Acculturation
C. The Second Crusade (1147-1149)
Turks recaptured Edessa & threatened Jer.
King Louis VII (Fr.) & Conrad III (H.R. Emp)
Did not join until Damascus (Turks held)
Failed to capture Edessa
D. The Third Crusade (1189-1192)
Salah al-Din (Muslim leader—recaptured Jer.)
Led by:
King Philip II (Fr.)
Emperor Frederick Barbarossa (H.R. Emp.)
King Richard the Lion-Hearted (Eng.)
Failed
Barbarossa drowned
Philip & Richard quarreled (Philip went home)
Richard was outmatched
1192: King Richard & Salah al-Din agreed to a
truce
Jer. remained under Muslim control
Unarmed Christian pilgrims could freely visit
E. Later Crusades
Pope Innocent III = Fr. Knights embarked on
the Fourth Crusade (1202-1204)
Venice (transportation)
Attack Zadar
Christian city but commercial rival of Venice
Army was excomm.
Venetians & crusaders attacked Const.
Supported one faction of the Byz. royal family
Const. = $$$$$
1204: crusaders looted Const.
Christian relics taken back west
Byz. regained Const. 50 yrs. later
1453: Turks seized Const.
1. A Spanish Crusade
Moors controlled most of Spain until 1100s
Reconquista: Spanish effort to liberate Spain
of Muslims
1492: last Muslim kingdom of Grenada fell to
the Christian army (Ferdinand & Isabella)
Inquisition: Church’s attempt to suppress
heresy
Heretics?
2. Children’s Crusade
1212: thousands of children embarked on
crusades to Jer.
Stephen of Cloyes (Fr.)—12 yrs. old
30,000 kids under 18
Many died of exposure & starvation
Nicholas of Cologne (Germany)
20,000 kids & young adults
Many died crossing the Alps to Rome
Once in Rome, pope said, “Go home!”
2,000 survived the journey home
Crusading spirit slowly died
Additional crusades took place after 1204
until 1291 (Muslims captured Acre)
F. Results of Crusades
Military: all crusades failed except the First
Euros. learned much militarily
1. the crossbow
2. siege tactics
3. gunpowder
Power of kings & middle class strengthened
Feudalism declined
Nobles died fighting
Some mortgaged or sold land to finance
crusade
Papal prestige was enhanced (assumed political
power)
Commercial changes
Italian cities benefited by transporting crusaders
Euros. became more familiar w/new products
II. The Age of Faith
Monasteries led spiritual revival
Cluny, Fr. (910) –return to the basic principles
of Christianity
New religious orders
A. Problems of the Church
Some priests were nearly illiterate
Some popes had questionable morals
Many bishops cared more about being feudal
lords than spiritual leaders ($$$$$$$)
Many issues of concern:
1. priests married w/children
2. bishops sold positions in church (simony)
3. lay investiture
B. Reform & Church Organization
Pope Leo IX & Pope Gregory VII enforced
church laws
1100s & 1200s: Church was restructured to
resemble a kingdom
Pope & Curia
Canon law
Friars: diplomats for the pope traveled thru
Euro. dealing w/bishops & kings
Collected taxes = tithes
C. Heresy
Church did not allow the questioning of the basic
foundation of Christianity
Heretics: unbelievers guilty of the unpardonable
sin of heresy (eternal damnation)
Religious orders:
Franciscans: 1209 –St. Francis of Assisi
Dominicans: 1216 –St. Dominic
Friars: traveled, lived, preached among people
Mid 1200s: Dominicans led the Inquisition