Ruppy Singh

4/1/2017

Crusades

Crusades was a turning point in history. It arose in Medieval Europe during Feudalism. Crusades

was a Holy war between two major religions, Islam and Christianity. Both religions were found in the Middle

East. The Crusades was an attempt by the Roman Catholic Church to regain the Holy Land in Jerusalem

from the Muslims. These religious wars took place for 170 years. Crusades was created to protect

Christianity. This event was known as the Crusade because of the cross which symbolizes Christianity.

How did the Crusades start? Pope Urban II calls for the first Crusade in 1095 because in his speech

he states that Another religion has invaded Christian lands and have killed our people. Also, they have

destroyed churches of god. It was the most influential speech of the Middle Ages, giving rise to the

Crusades by calling all Christians in Europe to war against Muslims to reclaim the Holy Land. The City of

Jerusalem held a Holy significance to the Christian religion because Christians believe that's where Jesus

Christ lived and died and Jesus is considered god in Christianity. Muslims took over Jerusalem because

Muslims believe that's where Mohammed ascends his soul to heaven. The causes of the Crusades were:

Muslims stopped Christians from visiting the Holy Land, Christians pilgrims were attacked, and Byzantine

Empire feared an attack on Constantinople. The Crusades had a positive and negative impact on the society.

The positive impact of the Crusade was trade expansion. In Document 2 it states, Italian merchants kept

these trade routes opentrade goods involved. This means that Europe was introduced to new goods like
sugar, cotton rice, and muslin. In Europe during Feudalism, trade wasnt allowed because serfs would grow

their food instead of trading with other nations. Trade routes expanded which helped Europe become a

wealthier nation and form alliances. In Document 8 it talks about Christians failed to regain the Holy Land

from Muslims but they brought back goods such as spices, sugar, and silk. Nobles and merchants enjoyed

the new luxury lifestyle. The goods brought to Europe, boost the economy. The Crusades help end Feudalism

because it was based on the division of land by the king to nobles and vassals in return for their military

service. Europeans had never seen valuable goods such as silk and sugar. This inspired people to run trade

routes eventually ending Feudalism completely. Merchants hoped to gain control of key trade routes from

Muslim Traders. In Document 5 it states Commerce(trade) with the West benefited both Muslims and

Europeans. Trade expanded between Europe and Southwest Asia. Merchants grew rich from new trade

with the West. Crusaders also brought back Greek and Roman classical works. The wealth from trade and

new knowledge of from classical Greek and Roman works sparked the Renaissance in Europe. Crusaders

destroyed Muslim mosques and from the Europeans perspective, this is a positive impact because as Pope

Urban II states that Muslims have destroyed Churches of god. The Catholic Church played a significant role

in the Crusades. Pope still had control over the people. People during that era were very religious. The

Catholic Church encouraged the Kings, Knights, and Serfs to help in the Crusades. They traveled thousands

of miles to fight for the Christian religion and the Roman Catholic Church in the belief that this would earn

them an entry into heaven. The Crusades greatly increased the power of the Church. To cover the loss of

weapons and other things Church started collecting taxes. The church became the most powerful institution

in the world. Medieval people all believed in the concept of Heaven and Hell. From the point of view of
Christians, on their way to free the Holy Land, they wiped out all the Jewish because Christians believe

Jews killed Jesus Christ. Jerusalem is important to Jews because that is the promise land god gave to

Abraham. The Arabs were far more advanced than European culture in Literature, art, and technology wise.

After the Crusades, much knowledge was gained from medical practices and Eastern architecture which

helped Europe in advancements of technology and many other things. Jerusalem was a Holy Land to these

3 major religions.

The Crusades ended in 1291. There were many negative impacts of the Crusades. There were four

Crusades. Crusaders failed in 3 Crusades and were unable to free the Holy Land. Many people were killed

and cities were destroyed and Jerusalem remained under Muslim control. In Document 1 the author calls

the Crusades a bitter one because Christians and Muslims killed each other and there was so much hate

between both religions, which grew even worse. Document 3 talks about a negative impact from the

European perspective because some were interested only in fighting for Christianity because they wanted

to go to heaven but others were looking for adventure or for commercial opportunities. The negative impact

the 4th Crusade had on the Christian world was as it states in Document 4 The Crusaders and Venetians

stormed Constantinople, sacked the city destroying its magnificent library and sold the relics. The

Crusades are often called a successful failure for many reasons. First, they are known as a failure

because they did not accomplish the ruling of Jerusalem for the long term. The Crusades opened a fight for

power of lands that were not previously occupied by the Christians. The Crusades are thought to have

brought Western Europe higher standards of Medicine and Learning. It is also thought that they encouraged

the spread of Greek and Muslim cultures stated in Document 4. In Document 6 it states The 4th crusade
was a wasteful and destructive event that resulting in further diving the Christian world. In Document 7 it

was difficult to maintain the Crusaders kingdoms because crusading knights often abused and committed

murders against Eastern Orthodox Christians, Jews, and Muslims. An effect of the Crusade was power of

the Pope weakens because the Crusades weakened the feudal nobility and increased the power of the kings.

Kings wanted to increase their power and gain more land. The fall of the Constantinople weakened the

Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine empire never recovered as a political unit. The Kings were dedicated to

protecting the religion and the Roman Catholic church in the Middle Ages. Another reason why the power

of the Pope weakened was that the government was becoming more centralized.

I think that Crusades were neither a successful or a failure. Crusaders couldnt free the Holy Land

and many lives were taken. Also, hate between Islam and Christianity was worse. Trade expanded in Europe.

The govt became centralized, The Crusades are often called a successful failure for many reasons. First,

they are known as a failure because they did not accomplish the ruling of Jerusalem for the long term. The

Crusades opened a fight for power of lands that were not previously occupied by the Christians. The

Crusades are thought to have brought Western Europe higher standards of Medicine and Learning. It is also

thought that they encouraged the spread of Greek and Muslim cultures as stated in Document 4.

In Conclusion, Crusades was a neither a success or a failure. Crusades was a Holy war between

Islam and Christianity. This religious war changed Europe because they were not an advanced nation but

after discovering new inventions it helped them strengthen their power and boost its economy. The effects

of the Crusades on Europe of the Middle Ages were a key factor in the history of the progress of civilization.
It helped end Feudalism. The effects of a Crusade influenced the political matters and commerce. Crusades

had both negative and positive impacts on the society.