The Crusades PDF

## Section 1: The Crusades **Before You Read** * **Main Idea:** The Crusades, a series of attempts to gain Christian control of the Holy Land had a profound economic, political, and social impact on the societies involved. **Reading Focus** 1. Why did Europeans launch the Crusades? 2. What happe...

## Section 1: The Crusades **Before You Read** * **Main Idea:** The Crusades, a series of attempts to gain Christian control of the Holy Land had a profound economic, political, and social impact on the societies involved. **Reading Focus** 1. Why did Europeans launch the Crusades? 2. What happened during the Crusades? 3. What were the effects of the Crusades? **Key Terms and People** * Crusades * Holy Land * Pope Urban II * Saladin * Richard the Lion-Hearted **Disaster and Treachery** * **The Inside Story - Why did three powerful men fail to reach a common goal?** * In the late 1180s, three of the most powerful men in Europe set out on a mission to Jerusalem. They were King Richard the Lion-Hearted of England, King Philip Augustus of France, and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa of Germany. Their goal was to retake Jerusalem, a city sacred to Christians, Jews, and Muslims but at that time ruled by Muslims. The kings of Europe wanted to drive the Muslims out and make Jerusalem a Christian city. * Trouble began almost immediately. While crossing a river, Frederick drowned. The exact circumstances surrounding his death are unknown, but it is believed that he fell into the river and the weight of his armor pulled him down. Frederick's death broke the morale of the German army. * Arrogance also caused problems for the kings. Soon after they reached the vicinity of Jerusalem, Richard and Philip quarreled. Philip decided to return to France, and much of his army went with him. This departure left Richard, his army, and the few remaining French to fight the Muslims. Although Richard's army won several victories against the Muslims, personality conflicts continued to trouble the war effort. Richard alienated several of the nobles who fought at his side, leading to the breakdown of the army's discipline. Eventually, the English were forced to abandon some of the lands they had captured and head home. * On his way home, Richard was taken prisoner by one of the nobles he had alienated. What had begun as a common goal shared by Europe's most powerful men had ended in disaster and treachery. ## Launching the Crusades * During the Middle Ages, European Christians launched a series of religious wars called the Crusades. The goal of each Crusade was the same: to take Jerusalem away from the Muslims, who also considered it holy. Jerusalem was holy to Jews because of the Holy Temple, and for Christians, it was the place where Jesus was crucified and buried. Many Christians also believed that Christ would come again only once Christians held Jerusalem. Thus it was vital to Christians that they control the city. * **Muslims Control the Holy Land** By the late 1000s, the city of Jerusalem had fallen to North African Muslims called the Fatimids. Turkish Muslims had swept through south-west Asia, taking control of Persia and other lands. After the Turkish conquest, stories spread throughout Europe that the Turks were persecuting Christians visiting the region. * **Once in control of Persia, the Turks attacked the Byzantine Empire.** In 1071, they destroyed the Byzantine army in the Battle of Manzikert. With most of his army gone, the emperor feared that the Turks would soon destroy Constantinople. Desperate, he turned to Western Europe and Pope Urban II for help. * **The Council of Clermont** In response to the emperor, Urban called church leaders to a council in Clermont, France. There he described to them the dangers faced by the Byzantines. He called on all Christian warriors, including knights and nobles, to put aside their differences and fight against the Turks. Urban's call was effective. By the hundreds, people volunteered to take part in the Crusade. Calling out their slogan, "God Wills it!" they set out to meet their foes. ## Fighting the Crusades * The Crusaders inspired by Urban left France in 1096 in what is known as the First Crusade. All in all, nine organized Crusades set from Europe between 1096 and 1291. Though they had different leaders and met with varying degrees of success, each Crusade had the same goal-claiming or protecting the Holy Land. * **First Crusade** The Crusaders that set out in 1096 fell into two groups. The first group was made up of peasants who had answered the pope's call. Unskilled in war, these peasants did not fare well. * As they travelled through Germany, the peasant Crusaders passed several large Jewish communities. Eager to fight non-Christians in the Holy Land, some Crusaders decided to attack non-Christians in Europe as well. They slaughtered entire communities of Jews, in spite of protests by local officials and clergy. * Those peasants who did make it to Jerusalem fell quickly to the army of the Seljuk Turks. * The other group of Crusaders that set out from Clermont were trained knights. Somewhat better prepared than the peasants, the knights were still unprepared for the hardship of their journey. Food and water ran low, and many knights resorted to looting towns and farms to get needed supplies. * After almost three years of traveling, the Crusaders finally reached Jerusalem. Faced with a well-prepared Muslim army, the Crusaders nevertheless laid siege to several cities along the eastern Mediterranean. The siege of Jerusalem, while it was a victory for the Crusaders, involved terrible fighting and ended in disaster for the city's inhabitants. * **Second Crusade** Within a few years the Muslims began to recapture lands that they had lost in the First Crusade. In 1144, they took the city of Edessa, the capital of one of the Crusader states. Upon learning that Edessa had been lost, European leaders called for a second Crusade. Among the Crusaders were King Louis VII of France and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. * Launched in 1147, the Second Crusade was a failure. The Crusaders took no lands from the Muslims and were forced to return to Europe empty-handed. * **Third Crusade** About 30 years after the Second Crusade, a new leader arose in the Muslim world. His name was Salah ad-Din, but he was known to Europeans as Saladin. Saladin overthrew the Fatimids and took the title of sultan for himself. ## Crusader States * After the conquest of Jerusalem, the Crusaders created four states in the Holy Land. Centered on the cities of Jerusalem, Edessa, Antioch, and Tripoli, these states were intended to be Christian strongholds against future Muslim conquests in the region. ## Effects of the Crusades * Although the Crusades did not accomplish their main goal, they had long-lasting effects. They changed both Europe and the Holy Land economically, politically, and socially. * **Economic Changes** Historians know that Muslims, Byzantines, and western Europeans traded with one another before the Crusades. The Crusades enhanced existing trade as returning Crusaders brought even more goods, such as spices and textiles, to Europe. The increase in trade following the Crusades added to the changing European economy of the Middle Ages. * **Political Changes** The Crusades led to the deaths of many knights and nobles. Those who did not return to their homes left their lands vulnerable. In some cases, kings took control of the lands left unoccupied. By controlling more land, the kings had more power in Europe. * **Social Changes** The Crusades brought knowledge of Muslim culture to Europe, which had a great impact on European society. Some European Christians who had participated in the Crusades grew to respect other cultures. Others, especially those who had not participated, became more intolerant. Many Europeans began to view all non-Christians as enemies. This led to an increase in the persecution of Jews in Europe. Jews and Muslims in the Holy Land, in turn, saw the Crusaders as invaders. After the Crusades, many people held on to these views of one another. ## Causes and Effects of the Crusades * **Causes** * Muslims controlled the Holy Land. * The Byzantine emperor feared Muslim Turks would destroy Constantinople. * Pope Urban II called for Christians to join a Crusade at the Council of Clermont. * **Effects** * Trade increased. * Kings gained more power. * Knowledge of Muslim culture spread throughout Europe. * Relations between Christians and Jews became increasingly trained. ## Reading like a Historian * **Recognizing Bias in Primary Sources** Primary sources often contain bias. Biased primary sources may not give us a complete and balanced understanding of a historical event, but they can help us to understand opinions and attitudes of the time. To recognize bias in this Crusader's description of the capture of Jerusalem, think about: * The source or occasion of the document * The writer's point of view * The writer's goal ## Fourth and Later Crusades * With Jerusalem still in Muslim hands, Europeans set out on the Fourth Crusade in 1201. But the Crusaders found that they could not afford to pay the Venetians who had arranged to take them to the Holy Land. In lieu of payment, the Crusaders agreed to attack the city of Zara, a port that had once belonged to Venice but was now held by the Christian kind if Hungary. Angry that the Crusaders had attacked a Christian city, the pope excommunicated them all. * Nevertheless, the Crusaders pushed on toward the Holy Land. When they reached the Christian city of Constantinople, though, they decided to attack it instead. The Crusaders ransacked the city and made one of their leaders the new emperor. Disorganization and a lack of strong leadership made the Fourth Crusade another failure. * Five other Crusades followed the sack of Constantinople, but none was successful. By 1291, the Muslims had once more driven the Christians completely out of the Holy Land. ## Reading like a Historian * **Point of View** What is the writer’s point of view? How do you know? * **Emotional Language** Why do you think the writer includes the details that he mentions? What does he hope to convey with these details? ## Saladin * Saladin set out to take back the Crusader states. He succeeded in his conquest and drove European Christians out of Jerusalem. Christians responded to this loss by launching the Third Crusade. As you read in the Inside Story, three kings set out from Europe on the Third Crusade, but only King Richard the Lion-Hearted of England fought in the Holy Land. * Richard and Saladin had great respect for each other even though they never met. Both were admired as military leaders and also for their knightly behavior. Stories spread about Saladin sending horses to Richard and offering the use of his doctor when Richard was ill. The two men also made proposals for peace- including a marriage alliance between Richard's sister and Saladin's brother, which never took place because of religious differences. * Despite their mutual admiration, Richard and Saladin fought fiercely for control of the Holy Land. Although Richard won several battles against the Muslims, he was not able to drive them out of the Holy Land or to take Jerusalem. In the end, he had to admit that the Crusade was a draw and return to England. ## The Effects of the Crusades * Although the Crusades did not accomplish their main goal, they had long-lasting effects. They changed both Europe and the Holy Land economically, politically, and socially. * **Economic Changes** Historians know that Muslims, Byzantines, and western Europeans traded with one another before the Crusades. The Crusades enhanced existing trade as returning Crusaders brought even more goods, such as spices and textiles, to Europe. The increase in trade following the Crusades added to the changing European economy of the Middle Ages. * **Political Changes** The Crusades led to the deaths of many knights and nobles. Those who did not return to their homes left their lands vulnerable. In some cases, kings took control of the lands left unoccupied. By controlling more land, the kings had more power in Europe. * **Social Changes** The Crusades brought knowledge of Muslim culture to Europe, which had a great impact on European society. Some European Christians who had participated in the Crusades grew to respect other cultures. Others, especially those who had not participated, became more intolerant. Many Europeans began to view all non-Christians as enemies. This led to an increase in the persecution of Jews in Europe. Jews and Muslims in the Holy Land, in turn, saw the Crusaders as invaders. After the Crusades, many people held on to these views of one another. ## Causes and Effects of the Crusades * **Causes** * Muslims controlled the Holy Land. * The Byzantine emperor feared Muslim Turks would destroy Constantinople. * Pope Urban II called for Christians to join a Crusade at the Council of Clermont. * **Effects** * Trade increased. * Kings gained more power. * Knowledge of Muslim culture spread throughout Europe. * Relations between Christians and Jews became increasingly strained. ## Critical Thinking * Draw a concept map like the one to the right. Use your notes from the section and the circles drawn for you to outline the courses of the Crusades. From each of the circles draw more circles containing details about the effects of the Crusades. ## Focus on Writing * Write a journal entry from the perspective of Richard the Lion-Hearted during the Crusades. Describe what the fighting is like and what you feel are the strengths and weaknesses of your army. You may also wish to discuss some of the emotions that a king in battle might be feeling.