Crusades
Reid and Hayden
What the Crusades Were
The crusades were a series of Holy Wars launched by the christian states against the saracens. The term saracen was used to describe a muslim at the time. The first crusade was preached by Pope Urban ll and inspired thousands of men to take Jerusalem from the muslims.
Why the Crusades Happened
In 1065 3000 Christians were massacred by the Turks. Jerusalem was known as a holy city for Christians. It originated as a strict city for Christians only. Over time though, it digressed into a city for people of multiple religions. Pope Urban II came around and noticed the change. He wanted to take back the city and make it a Christians only holy city.
Major Events of the Crusades
The first crusade happened between 1096-1099 and was the most important crusade of them all because it was the crusade that freed the holy lands. In 1212, there was a crusade called the childrens crusade and was led by a French peasant boy named Stephen of Cloyes. The ninth and very last crusade happened between 1271-1272 and was led by Prince Edward. The crusades brought increased wealth and power to the christian church.
Impact of Crusades on Europe
A big impact globally that the crusades had was taking back the holy land of Western Europe from what was becoming home to many Muslims. The crusades were basically the reason the western expansion of Muslims came to an end. The crusades also influenced trade between Western Europe and the Middle East. Several million people died fighting for Christian cause in the crusades. Even though many people died in the crusades, the crusades had many positive influences in many things like political and social and intellectual developments. The crusades had a huge impact on Europe to even today.
Bibliography
Bibliography
http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/the-crusades.htmhttp://thecrusadesproject.wikispaces.com/major+events+of+the+crusades
http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/crusades-timeline.htm
http://clio.missouristate.edu/chuchiak/HST%20101--Lecture%2020--Maps_of_europe_during_the_crusad.htm
http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/effects-of-crusades.htm
Essential Question
Why did the Christian church advocate for the crusades and how did this impact the region?