The Crusades

Crusades

•Wars between Christians and Muslims for control over the lands in the Middle East.

•Fighters were called “Christian Knights”•Wanted to win the “Holy Land” or Jerusalem to take over the Jewish population

•Crusades were not successful …total of 9…Muslims fought back

Crusades

• Pope Urban II led Crusades• Promised Christians a “ticket” to heaven if

they fought and killed Muslims

Impact of Crusades

•Left a bitter legacy of religious hatred between Muslims and Christians.

•3 Consequences from Crusades:•Church leaders gained new powers – Able to collect taxes to fund crusades

•European economies expand– Crusades encouraged trade

•Wider worldview– Realization that millions of people lived in other

regions of the world= exploration

Reconquista

•Ferdinand and Isabella (of Spain) drive out Muslims in Spain and reclaim it as Christian

•Isabella set out the Inquisition• Church court that hunted Jews and Muslims• Accused them of being non Christians

•They were burned at the stake.

Black Death

•Global epidemic•1 in 3 died•Rats became infected, which carried fleas, which bit humans…rapid infection occurred.•Unsanitary conditions

Black Death•People believed black death was God’s punishment for sins

•Most people blamed the Jews (thought they poisoned the drinking wells)•Thousands of Jews were slaughtered.

Black Death

•Effects from Black Death:

•1- Europe lost 1/3 of population

•2- Labor shortages bright higher wages for many workers

•3- Peasants left their manors, weakening feudal system