Crusades

The Crusades were a series of military campaigns started by the papacy between 1095 and 1291. Western Christians fought in these wars to take back the Holy Land, especially the city of Jerusalem. The Crusades began when Pope Urban II asked Christians to fight to retake Jerusalem from Muslim control during the Council of Clermont in 1095. Those who joined were promised spiritual rewards.

These wars affected both Europe and the Middle East greatly. They led to the creation of small Christian states in the Levant, which needed protection. Over time, the idea of crusading grew to include fights against other groups, such as pagans and Christian dissidents. Although many of these campaigns were successful at first, they could not keep control of the Holy Land for long.

The Crusades changed the world in many ways. They brought more connections between Europe and the Middle East, shared new ideas and goods, and had lasting impacts on the Catholic Church and European societies. Even though they did not achieve all their goals, the Crusades are still very important events in medieval history.

Terminology

The Crusades were military campaigns by Western Christians to take back the Holy Land from Muslim control between the 11th and 13th centuries. They were started by the papacy and offered spiritual rewards to people who joined. Sometimes, people started their own unofficial campaigns, called popular crusades.

Early names for these campaigns talked about travel, like "journey" or "expedition," often mentioning their goal, such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Over time, the word "cross" became important, leading to names like "crusade." People who joined would sew a cross onto their clothes. The word "crusade" we use today was fixed by the year 1706.

Background

Further information: Early Middle Ages

Places connected to Jesus's ministry were important for Christian travelers in Roman Palestine. Leaders built churches there, like the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, to remember special moments in Jesus's life.

As time passed, the Roman Empire divided into two parts. The western part split into smaller kingdoms. The eastern part, called the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, kept going but lost some land to new Muslim rulers. By the 1100s, Western Europe changed with warmer weather and more trade along the Mediterranean.

First Crusade

Main article: First Crusade

The First Crusade was a big journey by many Christians from Europe to the Holy Land. It began in 1095 when Pope Urban II asked people to help protect the Holy Land from Muslim rulers. He said that anyone who joined would receive special rewards from God. Many people, both rich and poor, chose to join this journey.

The trip was very hard. Some groups got lost or faced danger. The main group of crusaders, led by important nobles, finally reached Jerusalem in 1099 after many battles. They worked together to take the city and then returned home, leaving a small group to guard the city.

Conquest, consolidation and defence

After the First Crusade, new states were created. These states asked Europe for help many times over the years. The growth of Muslim unity also affected the region's history.

In the early 1100s, leaders asked for help from the West only a few times. But between 1149 and 1186, they asked for help at least sixteen times.

The Italian merchant cities promised ships to help with the crusade but needed time to get ready. The fleet from Pisan arrived in 1099 under Archbishop Daimbert. Meanwhile, Tancred finished taking control of Galilee. After one leader died, another was invited to lead, and he captured more lands along the coast with help from Genoese ships.

Later, a new crusade began in 1101, called the "Crusade of the Faint-Hearted." Many people who had promised to join before but didn’t this time. They faced difficult battles and losses in Anatolia. Some reached the Holy Land, but the campaign did not succeed.

Efforts continued to make the Crusader states stronger and protect them from attacks. Leaders worked to gain more support from Europe and built alliances to guard their lands.

Fall and recovery

Main article: Third Crusade

After the failure of the Second Crusade, leaders in the West were not eager to start another trip to the Holy Land. Over time, a big problem in the East made people want to try again. The Byzantine Empire had trouble staying strong, and fights with Italian traders made it harder to get help. In 1185, Emperor Isaac II Angelos agreed with Saladin, who controlled much of Syria.

The Third Crusade started after Raynald of Châtillon hurt a Muslim group. This made Saladin angry, and he collected his army. The army in Jerusalem lost a big battle at the Battle of Hattin, and soon Jerusalem was taken by Saladin. But the city of Tyre stayed safe under Conrad of Montferrat. Pope Gregory VIII asked for a new crusade, and leaders like Richard I of England and Philip II of France got ready to help. Frederick I of Germany also wanted to join but sadly drowned on the way. The crusaders took back the city of Acre after a long time fighting and moved toward Jerusalem. In the end, they made a peace agreement with Saladin that let Christian visitors see holy places.

Main article: Crusade of 1197

After Saladin died, his empire became unstable. Emperor Henry VI planned another crusade but passed away before it could start. German soldiers went to the Holy Land but stopped their efforts after Henry’s death. During this time, Aimery of Cyprus and Leo I of Cilician Armenia became kings, and the Teutonic Knights started as a new group of soldiers.

Main articles: Fourth Crusade and Sack of Constantinople

Pope Innocent III announced a new crusade, but problems in Europe made it hard to start. The crusade finally turned to attack the Christian city of Zara and then went to Constantinople. The crusaders took over the city, which caused damage and split the Byzantine Empire among the crusaders. This made Christian efforts in the Holy Land weaker and created long-lasting divisions in Europe.

Main article: Fifth Crusade

Pope Innocent III started another crusade aimed at the Holy Land, using a new Muslim fort as a reason. People from Hungary, Austria, and other places joined together. They moved toward the Egyptian city of Damietta but had many problems. After taking Damietta, they tried to go to Cairo but had to turn back because of floods. They gave up Damietta to make a peace deal, ending the crusade in a disappointing way.

Main article: Sixth Crusade

Emperor Frederick II finally led a crusade after waiting for a long time. He talked with the Muslim leader al-Kamil and, through talking, got back control of Jerusalem without a big fight. Even though some people did not like his way of doing things, Frederick’s work helped Christian lands grow again.

Main article: Barons' Crusade

After Frederick II came back, more crusading trips happened. In Iberia, Christian groups took more land, and in the Baltic, the Teutonic Knights fought against tribes who had different beliefs. Pope Gregory IX asked for a new crusade to the Holy Land, but fights inside and outside made it hard. Some crusaders went to the Holy Land, but the trip did not win big victories, though they got some land through talking.

Fall of the Crusader states

The final part of the Crusades in the Holy Land had changes in leaders and new dangers from Muslim rulers and the Mongols. Before, the Mongols had gone into places like Hungary and Poland, but their leader died, and they left. This let Muslim leaders join together against the Crusaders.

The Crusaders had many problems from new leaders in Egypt and Syria. In one fight, a big group of Crusaders lost, making the towns left much weaker. Later, a French king, Louis IX, chose to lead a new crusade to help. He brought together an army and sailed to the Holy Land. But his group had trouble, with sickness and fights against the Muslim defenders. After many years of hard work, Louis had to leave the area.

As time went on, new leaders in Egypt, called the Mamluks, took charge. They were very sure they wanted to send the Crusaders away from the Holy Land. They attacked many Crusader towns and forts over the years. Finally, the last big Crusader town, Acre, was taken, ending the Crusader states in the Holy Land.

Aftermath

The loss of the Holy Land made many Christians in Europe sad. Leaders like Pope Nicholas IV wanted to start new crusades, but other wars, like the Gascon War, stopped these plans. Some writers talked about new ways to fight back.

Crusades were sometimes used for political reasons. Pope Boniface VIII even called crusades against his own enemies. Later, the Templar Knights were arrested and their group ended. Though some still wanted to fight for the Holy Land, new wars like the Hundred Years' War stopped these plans. In 1365, a group of crusaders attacked the Egyptian city of Alexandria but left after a week.

Crusading continued in other places. In 1396, a large army was defeated while fighting the Ottoman Empire. In Spain, the last Muslim state fell in 1492. In the Baltic Sea area, knights fought against people who did not follow Christianity until the 1400s. Later, some Catholic countries formed groups to fight against the Ottoman Empire.

Legacy

The Crusades had a big effect on history. They created stories about brave people and changed some place names. Today, some leaders talk about current events by comparing them to the Crusades. In different parts of the world, some groups use symbols from the Crusades to share their ideas about religious conflicts.

Historiography

Main article: Historiography of the Crusades

The study of the Crusades looks at how people have written about these events over time. There are three main types of sources. The first type includes writings from the time of the Crusades, such as letters and stories by people who were there. The second type started in the 1500s and includes books written later that use those early sources. The third type includes reference books like encyclopedias that gather information about the Crusades.

Primary sources for the Crusades come from many writers, including people who lived during the time. For example, the First Crusade was described in Latin by writers like William of Tyre. Other important works include accounts from both Christian and Muslim writers, offering different views of the same events. These sources help historians understand what happened during the Crusades.