Essay about Crusades: Kingdom of Jerusalem and Crusade

Submitted By Kevin-Seiler
Words: 1046
Pages: 5
Open Document
Crusades
Kevin Seiler
Liberty University There are events in history that ripples like waters through time. These events cause strife and hatred through out time. Today some of these events are central to people’s belief systems. The crusades are among these events that leave a bad taste in one’s month. A person could be hard pressed to found any one that will support the crusades today. This report will go beyond the myths and find the true cause and impact of the crusades. Would Jesus have endorsed the cause, and how did the Crusades hinder, or promote the cause of Christ. Even today there are non-believers that refuse to pass the doors of the church because of the crusades. It is time to look past the History Channel folklore about the crusades. These ripples in time need an honest discussion. Under the hand of Urban II the first crusade started in A.D. 1096. To truly understand this event a person must go back over the events of the past hundred years. The Byzantines and Catholics had a history of distress with everything but the opposition of the Muslims. Christians and Muslims had claims over some of the same “Holy Places”. This resulted in a strained relationship between the two religions. The Holy Places of the Christians that were under control of Muslims were to be destroyed. In areas controlled by Muslims Christians were treated badly. This is what the first crusade was to regain control and restore the Holy Places of the Christians.1
Most of the support for the crusade came from the poor. This was not the aim of the pope however. The pope wanted the involvement of the knights that he knew from his preaching circuits. Knights became involved by the nature they were people that lived for the fight. This brought about a new era of the militia of Christ. This allowed the church to spread the “Peace of God” while being set a part from the blood of others.2
The first crusade was important to both the west and east. One of the most influential people involved with gaining people to fight was Peter the Hermit. He was so central at gaining support for the crusade he was given the credit for starting the first crusade for years3. He did this be gaining support of the crusade from all walks of life. Peter the Hermit laid the crusade to the gates of Jerusalem4.
If measured by conquered land the first crusade was a success. The crusaders had taken Edessa and Antioch in A.D. 1098, and Jerusalem just a year later5. These win came with a great cost in life. If you measured success by how the crusaders treat the people of the land they took back, it failed miserably. The crusaders set up states known as Outremer6. The crusaders also known for extreme brutality like commenting massacres, eating of captives, and other barbaric behavior7.
The second crusade was not as successful as the first. Pope Eugene III ordered this crusade to take back Edessa after it fail to Muslims in A.D. 11448. This crusade was also different as it also tried to protect the Jews. At first this crusade appeared to succeed until the army was destroyed in Turkey9.
The Muslim leader Salah al-Din defeated the second crusade. For this he would he was well known. The third crusade was known as the King’s Crusade. King Philip II, King (The Lionheart) Richard I, and The Holy Roman emperor Barbarossa traveled with the crusaders. The aim of this crusade was to recapture Jerusalem from Salah al-Din. This crusade would tragically end in failure in A.D. 1192 after Barbarossa drowned.10
There were more crusades to follow. These later crusades though where private endeavors. It was one such crusade that captured Jerusalem in A.D. 1228. Frederick II launched this crusade. Some crusades would go and gain Spain from the Muslims. Some crusades were not for land. These crusades were to battle against heretical movements.11
As history reveals the only successful crusade was the first. Each crusade after the first
Show More

Related Documents: Essay about Crusades: Kingdom of Jerusalem and Crusade

Essay on Study Guide

Viking king who attacked England in 1066 at the Battle of Stamford Bridge Harold Godwinson- chosen to be king of England Domesday Book- a census ordered by William the Conqueror to help him better tax the kingdom; consisted of the population of England in 1086-1087 Claremont- where the 1st crusade was called from Urban II Hugh Capet- 987 was elected by nobles as KOF because he was seen as weak; made the throne hereditary; created Capetian dynasty that would rule for 300 years; built an efficient…

Words 1116 - Pages 5

The Crusades (Holy Wars)

The Crusades (Holy Wars) The Crusades (Holy Wars) were wars by the European Christians and the Muslims between the 11th and 14th century to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims. There were nine crusades. The First Crusade began in 7th century. The Second Crusade began 1147 - 1149. The Third Crusade began in 1189 – 1192. The Fourth Crusade began in 1202 – 1204. The Fifth Crusade began in 1213 – 1221. The Sixth Crusade began in 1228 – 1229. The Seventh Crusade began in 1248 – 1254. The Eighth Crusade…

Words 1458 - Pages 6

Crusades Essay

The First Crusade was from 1096 to 1099. They were Christian military expeditions and religous wars proclaimed by the people. The purpose of the Crusades was to gain and keep control over Palestine from the Muslims. Palestine was also called the Holy Land because Jesus lived there. Alexius Compenus was a new ruler that came into power in Byzantium in 1081. Constentinople was in danger because the Seljuks threatened them, so Alexius first called for help to Pope Urban ll who…

Words 1084 - Pages 5

Defining A Crusade Research Paper

Defining a Crusade Brandon Copado HY 300-005 An intense scholarly debate that is ongoing between several experts even now is the discussion over what the crusades as a whole were and how to define the word crusade itself. Norman Housley described it best in his book Contesting the Crusades with the quote, “The answer is that no clear template or yardstick for a crusade exists against which we can measure the features of other expeditions to check if they ‘qualify’” (pg. 1). A question that…

Words 1947 - Pages 8

An Analytical Essay: The Success Of The First Crusade

The First Crusade was started by the Western Christian world from 1096 to 1099. It was a military expedition intended to recover the Levant occupied by the Muslim and ultimately ends in 1099 years that the Crusaders captured Jerusalem. (Asbridge) The Muslims captured Jerusalem since 1076, from that time every Christian who wanted to pilgrimage to Jerusalem was very difficult. Soldiers of Muslim made Jerusalem very dangerous for Christians and Christians who lived in Jerusalem were difficult. (History…

Words 1018 - Pages 5

The Crusades: Significance for Christianity Today Essay

of The Crusades. What significance do they still have for Christianity today? What should contemporary Christians learn from them? In this essay, this writer will give a brief account of The Crusades, demonstrate the significance they still have for Christianity today and what lessons contemporary Christians should learn from them. The Crusades were a series of Holy Wars launched between 1095 and 1291 by the Christian states of Europe against the Saracens who were Moslems. The name Crusade is derived…

Words 1745 - Pages 7

you are stupid mister rabbit Essay

reason and cause of the crusades was a war between Christians and Moslems which centered around the city of Jerusalem and the Holy places of Palestine. The City of Jerusalem held a Holy significance to the Christian religion. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem commemorated the hill of crucifixion and the tomb of Christ's burial. Pilgrims throughout the Middle Ages made sacred pilgrimages to the Holy city of Jerusalem and the church. Although the city of Jerusalem was held by the Saracens…

Words 820 - Pages 4

13th Crusades Research Paper

Although the crusade was meant to be something holy and doing it in the name of Christianity, Not Everyone was doing it in the name of Christianity or for good. In the first Three crusades, were very bloody battles in which Christians were killing in everyone in their path. Muslims and also jews were being attacked by the christian crusaders. The Christian crusaders took over Jerusalem in the first crusade and the muslims took it back on the second crusade and in the third crusade it ended in a…

Words 851 - Pages 4

The Role Of The Black Death In The Middle Ages

age from 500 to 1500 AD when one considers the Crusades,the Bubonic plague,and the destruction from the brutal laws. For example, the Crusades caused many terrifying deaths in the city Jerusalem. In this excerpt it states that the Crusades were bloody and horrifying,”Men rode in blood up to their knees and bridle reins”. This shows that this made Europe a dark age and making Muslims die or forcing them to follow Christianity. The city of Jerusalem was called the ¨Holy Land¨. The Black Death, also…

Words 296 - Pages 2

Western Civilizations: The Crusades

The Crusades were a very important occurrence to the Western Civilizations. The crusades were a series of holy wars called by popes with the promise of indulgences for those who fought in them and directed against external and internal enemies of Christendom for the recovery of Christian property or in defense of the Church or Christian people. The flow of traffic from Europe to the Holy Land led to the rise of trade and ideas. While Europe came out of the Dark Ages, the East was on the rise with…

Words 1853 - Pages 8