Turning Point - Crusades

Turning Points in History

Timeline Event

The Crusades

When

1096 - 1272

Where

Holy Land / Jerusalem

Participants (Who) | }}

{{ #if: Pope Urban II | *Pope Urban II| }} {{ #if: Saladin - Muslin ruler | *Saladin - Muslin ruler| }} {{ #if: Richard the Lionheart - King of England | *Richard the Lionheart - King of England| }} {{ #if: | *| }} {{ #if: | *| }} {{ #if: | *| }} {{ #if: | *| }}

What Happened | }}

The Crusades were a series of Holy Wars launched by the Christian states of Europe against the Muslims who controlled the Holy Land and Jerusalem.

Causes/Why Happened | }}

Pope Urban II gave a sermon that called for the Kings of Europe to launch a Holy War against the Muslims to take back Jerusalem and protect its holy sites.

Results/Outcomes | }}

Eventually the crusades failed to take back the Holy Land but an arrangement was made for Christians to have access to the Holy sites and Jerusalem. The crusades because they had contact with the Byzantine Empire, and the Islamic Empire, spurred trade back to Europe from the Middle East and Asia, causing the Commercial Revolution and the Renaissance. Vocabulary

Vocabulary Listing

What were the Crusades?

The Crusades were a series of Holy Wars launched by the Christian states of Europe against the Saracens. The term 'Saracen' was the word used to describe a Muslim during the time of the Crusades. The Crusades started in 1095 when Pope Urban II preached the First Crusade at the Council of Claremont. The Pope's preaching led to thousands immediately affixing the cross to their garments - the name Crusade given to the Holy Wars came from old French word 'crois' meaning 'cross'. The Crusades were great military expeditions undertaken by the Christian nations of Europe for the purpose of rescuing the holy places of Palestine from the hands of the Mohammedans. They were eight in number, the first four being sometimes called the Principal Crusades, and the remaining four the Minor Crusades.

Crusades Video

What was the Cause for the Crusades?

The reason for the crusades was a war between Christians and Muslims which centered around the city of Jerusalem. The City of Jerusalem held a Holy significance to the Christian religion. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem commemorated the hill of crucifixion and the tomb of Christ's burial and was visited by Pilgrims. In 1065 Jerusalem was taken by the Turks and 3000 Christians were massacred starting a chain of events which contributed to the cause of the crusades.

What were the Objectives of the Crusades?

The Objectives of the crusades was at first to release the Holy Land, in particular Jerusalem, from the Saracens, but in time was extended to seizing Spain from the Moors, the Slavs and Pagans from eastern Europe, and the islands of the Mediterranean.

The Fall of Jerusalem and Acre - the Last Crusades

The kingdom of Jerusalem was gradually lost until the last Christian city, Acre, fell in 1291. The dream of returning to the Holy Land nonetheless proved popular; the Kings of France and England frequently made such plans, though in nearly every case the crusades were redirected or derailed by regional tensions.

Results of the Crusades

Revival of European Trade - European interest in goods from the east was stimulated by returning Crusaders who brought back many things. As the Crusades ended, ships that were once used to carry soldiers to the Middle East, now carried trade goods. Merchants from rich Italian city states, such as Venice and Florence, dominated this trade. Goods from the Middle East would arrive in Venice, before following newly established trade routes to the rest of Europe. Along these new trade routes, trade fairs were established in towns with larger populations, or at major crossroads. Over time, merchants and craftsman settled in these towns, and some grew to be cities of several thousand people. This fundamentally altered the way people lived in Europe, and marked the beginning of the end of feudalism and the Middle Ages.

---

---