Transcript The Crusades

The Crusades
Chapter 8 (p. 255)
1096 AD
• Begins—but lasts for over 200 years
• Christians battled Muslims for control of lands in the Middle East
• Ultimately, this shows Medieval Europeans that the world was larger than
they ever dreamed—which sped up changes in European society
1050 AD
• Western Europe was in a period of isolation (while most
others were thriving)
• Islamic civilization stretched from Spain to India—and began
spreading even farther
1050 AD: In the Americas
• Maya were clearing areas of the
rainforest to build cities with
temples
• Native Americans were building in
South America
• American civilizations remained
relatively isolated from others
Byzantine Empire
• Formerly the eastern Roman
empire
• By 1071, Seljuk Turks invaded
the empire and overran most
of the Byzantine lands in Asia
Minor (Turkey)
Seljuk Turks
• Extended power over the Holy Land (Jerusalem) and other
places where Christians believed Jesus lived and preached
• Palestine
• Ultimately, this prevented Christian pilgrims from traveling to
the Holy Land
Call for Help
• Byzantine emperor,
Alexius I, asked Pope
Urban II for Christian
knights to help fight
Muslim Turks
• Even though
popes/emperors were
rivals—he agreed
Call to War: 1095
• Council of Clermont—Urban
called bishops and nobles into
action
• P. 256
• Crusaders would be granted
“…remission for all sins.”
“God Wills It”
• Was chanted by the assembly
• By 1096, thousands of knights were on their way to the Holy
Land
• Ordinary men and women went too
Why?
• Salvation
• Escape troubles at home
• Adventure
• Treasure/wealth
……..but few returned
Motives of the Pope:
• Increase power
• Heal the split in the Church (east/west)
• Hoped that Christians would fight Muslims instead of each
other
The First Crusade
• Only crusade that came
close to success
• Christians capture
Jerusalem in 1099 (long &
bloody campaign)
• Killed Muslims and Jews
in the city
Crusader States
• Crusaders conquered land
and divided it into 4 states
• Muslims sought to destroy
these states
• Thus, Europeans launched
new crusades
A Losing Battle
• Over 200 years fighting
(off and on)
• 1187—Jerusalem fell to
the Muslims (led by
Saladin)
• 3rd Crusade = Europeans
failed to retake Jerusalem
– But, Saladin did reopen the
Holy City to Christian
pilgrims
Other Crusades
• Europeans mounted crusades against other Muslim lands
(esp. North Africa)
• Crusaders defeated
4th Crusade
• Crusaders fought other Christians—looted the Byzantine
Empire
“Children’s Crusade”
• Boy has a vision to convert Muslims to Christianity in the Holy Land
• Gains following of about 30,000 children
• Leads toward the Mediterranean Sea
“Children’s Crusade”
• Many died
• Sold into slavery
• Killed
• Disease/exhaustion
• LEGEND?
Impact
• Legacy of religious hatred
• Increased speed of changes for European society
• Economy expanded
• Increased the power of monarchs (who collected taxes to pay
for the crusades)
• Gained a view of a “larger” world
Marco Polo
• 1271—set out for China
• Stayed in China for many years
• Returned to Venice & wrote a book
• Many doubt he was ever in China
~ Government run mail service??
~ black stones to heat homes??
Crusades Map