The Crusades The Crusades Christians during the Middle Ages regarded

Palestine as the Holy Land. Due to the pleadings of the Byzantine Empire

and tales of persecutions of Christians by the Seljuk Turks Pope Urban II called for a meeting at Clermont France in 1095.

Urban pleaded for Knights to stop feuding amongst themselves and fight the infidel and reclaim the Holy Land.

The Knights and followers who went to take back the Holy and became known as Crusaders, or marked with the cross.

The Crusades The Crusades Reasons for Europeans for going on the

Crusades – Those who died on a Crusade were said to go straight to heaven.

The Church guaranteed protection of family and property while the Crusaders were gone.

Debtors had their debts canceled. Criminals had their punishments relieved. Riches and rumored wealth and the sense of

adventure and making a name for oneself. The First Crusade lasted from 1096 - 1099

The First and 2The First and 2ndnd Crusade Crusade French and Norman nobles led the first Crusade, which turns out to be only successful one.

The Byzantine emperor worried about the Christian armies, but finally allowed them to pass through. ( he had reason to worry).

The Crusaders captured Antioch, Jersusalem, Edessa and Tripoli.

The 2nd Crusade began in 1147 after the Seljuk Turks captured Edessa.

The Crusade was led by Conrad III, H.R.E., and Louis VII. Failed after 2 years.

The The 3The The 3rdrd and 4 and 4thth Crusades Crusades In 1187 Saladin the Seljuk ruler recaptured the

city of Jerusalem. Europe responded with the Crusade of the Three Kings. ( really one King)

From 1189-1192 – Richard I of England, Philip II of France, and Frederick Barbarossa, H.R.E.

The 3rd Crusade was a disaster – Frederick Barbarossa drowns, Philip II sneaks back to France to reclaim French lands from England, and Richard slaughters everybody and is captured by the H.R.E. and held for ransom.

The 4th Crusade lands in Zara, a rival of Venice and captures a Christian city ( doh!!!) The army was excommunicated by the Pope .

Later Crusades Later Crusades Later in 1204 the Crusaders sacked the city of

Constantinople, which never really recovers and is eventually captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1453.

The Children’s Crusade was a disaster, a few actually reached the Holy Land, but the majority disappeared or were sold into slavery.

There were several other Crusades but none of them accomplished anything , the last major Crusade being led by Louis IX or St. Louis of France. ( 1270)

He died in Tunisia that same year.

Effects of the Crusades Effects of the Crusades The failure of Crusades weakened the Pope and the

authority of the Catholic Church. The Crusades also weakened European nobility when 1000s died.

The Crusades played an important role in stimulating trade between Europe and Southwest Asia.

In the Middle East the prejudice, murder and mayhem the Christians brought to the Islamic world, left a legacy of hatred.

For Christians that remained in the Holy Land the religious tolerance that was present before was gone

Trade and ideas were stimulated, teachings of the Islamic scholars, Library at Alexandria, etc.