First Crusade History

Questions and Answers

The Byzantine Empire

The expansion of Islam

Western Europe

To control the city of Jerusalem Signup and view all the answers

11th century Signup and view all the answers

It exposed Europeans to goods from the Middle East and Far East Signup and view all the answers

To gain fame and glory Signup and view all the answers

Crusader states controlled by a European ruling elite Signup and view all the answers

The Sultanate of Damascus Signup and view all the answers

The growing strength of the Turks and Arab empires Signup and view all the answers

To retake territory lost to the Seljuk Turks Signup and view all the answers

The Byzantine Empire had formally severed ties with the Catholic Church during the Great Schism Signup and view all the answers

To gain control of trade routes and land in the Middle East, in addition to religious reasons Signup and view all the answers

Land in and around Jerusalem, and reduced time in purgatory Signup and view all the answers

Almost all of them died, but Peter the Hermit may have survived Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was a large, Greek-speaking empire that controlled much of the eastern Mediterranean.
The capital of the Byzantine Empire was the city of Constantinople, which is now called Istanbul.
The power and influence of the Byzantine Empire had been dwindling due to the expansion of various Islamic powers.

The expansion of Islam led to the Crusades, a series of holy wars launched by Christian powers to reconquer land acquired by Muslims.
The most important goal of the Crusaders was control of the city of Jerusalem, which was holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike.

The First Crusade took place between 1096 and 1099.
The Crusade was sparked by the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, who asked for help from Western Europe in order to retake territory lost to the Turks.
Pope Urban II agreed to help and called for a crusade at the Council of Clermont in 1095.

At the Council of Clermont, Pope Urban II used anti-Muslim propaganda to stir up religious fervor among Europeans.
He promised tangible rewards to people who participated in the Crusades, including land in and around Jerusalem.
The pope also offered indulgences to Crusaders, which reduced their time in purgatory.

The Crusaders captured Jerusalem and set up a number of Crusader states in the Middle East, including the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the County of Edessa, the County of Tripoli, and the Principality of Antioch.
Control of these kingdoms was tenuous due to the growing strength of the Turks and Arab empires.

The People's Crusade consisted of ordinary people who sought to fight in the Holy Land, led by Peter the Hermit.
Up to 40,000 peasants participated in the Crusade, motivated by religious fervor, but most of them died.

The Crusades led to the capture of Jerusalem and the formation of Crusader states, temporarily halting the expansion of Islam.
The Crusades also exposed Europeans to a variety of goods from the Middle East and the Far East, leading to the rise of Italian city-states as major trading powers and ultimately the Era of Exploration.