What were the Crusades and when did they start?
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period.The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were intended to recover Jerusalem and its surrounding area from Islamic rule.
What years did the Crusades start and end?
The First Crusade lasted from 1096 to 1099. The Second Crusade began in 1147 and ended in 1149. The Third Crusade started in 1189 and was concluded in 1192. The Fourth Crusade got underway in 1202 and ended in 1204. The Fifth Crusade lasted from 1217 until 1221. The Sixth Crusade occurred in 1228–29.
What was the real reason for the Crusades?
The Crusades were a sideshow on the 1400 years of conflict of Islam and Christendom. It was basically Christendom transferring the war on enemy territory. The real cause of the Crusades were Emperor Alexios I Komnenos’s Realpolitik and Western Christian Zionism - the desire to liberate the Holy Land from infidels. It all began at Yarmuk 636.
What is the true history of the Crusades?
The origin of the Crusades lies in the Holy city of Jerusalem, which was of mutual religious importance for Muslims, Christians, and Jews. The Seljuk Turks, one of the greatest Muslim fighters, attacked Byzantine which caused chaos among the empires and people. Emperor Alexius started gathering envoys and strengthening his army to win over control over the lost regions.
When did the crusades start?
1095 – 1291Crusades / Period
Was there a crusade in the 1300s?
Barons' Crusade (1239–1241) was also referred to as the Crusade of 1239, or the Crusade of Theobald I of Navarre and the Crusade of Richard of Cornwall. Called for in 1234 by Gregory IX in his papal bull Rachel suum videns. Successful expeditions to recaptured portions of the Holy Land. First treated by R.
Where did Crusades end?
In 1271, Sultan Baibars captured Montfort Castle (28.99. 1), and in 1291, the Crusader city of Acre fell, ending the era of Latin Crusader kingdoms. Calls for new crusades over the next centuries were increasingly ignored, despite the renown in which Crusaders and the Holy Land were held in legend (1993.65. 4; 23.21.
How long did the crusades last?
The crusades – the long series of wars fought between 1096 and 1492 under the direction of medieval popes against a wide range of enemies of many different faiths, including Sunni and Shia Muslims – have long been fascinating to the extreme right wing, both in the United States and elsewhere.
Who started the Crusades?
Pope Urban IIOn November 27, 1095, Pope Urban II makes perhaps the most influential speech of the Middle Ages, giving rise to the Crusades by calling all Christians in Europe to war against Muslims in order to reclaim the Holy Land, with a cry of “Deus vult!” or “God wills it!”
Who won the last Crusade?
Lord Edward's crusadeDate1271–1272LocationNear EastResultMamluk Victory Jerusalem remains under Muslim control Treaty of Caesarea Siege of Tripoli lifted Mamluk fleet destroyed Ten-year truce between Mamluks and Crusaders
Who Won the First Crusade?
Crusader victoryAfterwards the majority of the crusaders returned home. Four Crusader states were established in the Holy Land: the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the County of Edessa, the Principality of Antioch, and the County of Tripoli....First Crusade.Date15 August 1096 – 12 August 1099LocationThe Levant and AnatoliaResultCrusader victory1 more row
Who defeated the Crusaders?
SaladinSaladin is the Western name of Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, the Muslim sultan of Egypt and Syria who famously defeated a massive army of Crusaders in the Battle of Hattin and captured the city of Jerusalem in 1187.
Who defeated Saladin?
The battle of Montgisard is alluded to in the 2005 movie Kingdom of Heaven, as a battle where King Baldwin IV defeated Saladin when he was sixteen.
Why did the First Crusade happen?
Late in the century, Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comenus, also threatened by the Seljuk Turks, appealed to the West for aid. In 1095, Pope Urban II publicly called for a crusade to aid Eastern Christians and recover the holy lands. The response by Western Europeans was immediate.
Where is the Holy Lands?
The term "Holy Land" usually refers to a territory roughly corresponding to the modern State of Israel, the Palestinian territories, western Jordan, and parts of southern Lebanon and southwestern Syria. Jews, Christians, and Muslims regard it as holy.
What is Holy War in Christianity?
holy war, any war fought by divine command or for a religious purpose. The concept of holy war is found in the Bible (e.g., the Book of Joshua) and has played a role in many religions. See crusade; jihad. Key People: Osama bin Laden Related Topics: jihad religion. Templeton Prize.
Where did the First Crusade take place?
AnatoliaLevantNear EastFirst Crusade/Locations
When was the Second Crusade?
1147 – 1149Second Crusade / Period
When did the dark ages begin?
476 AD – 1000 ADEarly Middle Ages / Period
How many Crusades were there, and when did they take place?
There were at least eight Crusades. The First Crusade lasted from 1096 to 1099. The Second Crusade began in 1147 and ended in 1149. The Third Crusa...
What was the purpose of the Crusades?
The Crusades were organized by western European Christians after centuries of Muslim wars of expansion. Their primary objectives were to stop the e...
Who were the leaders of the Crusades?
The First Crusade was led by Raymond of Saint-Gilles, Godrey of Bouillon, Hugh of Vermandois, Bohemond of Otranto, and Robert of Flanders, and the...
Were the Crusades successful?
The First Crusade, called in response to a request for help from the Byzantine emperor Alexius Comnenus, was astonishingly successful. The Crusader...
Were there lasting results from the Crusades?
The Crusades slowed the advance of Islamic power and may have prevented western Europe from falling under Muslim suzerainty. The Crusader states ex...
What Were the Crusades?
By the end of the 11th century, Western Europe had emerged as a significant power in its own right, though it still lagged behind other Mediterranean civilizations, such as that of the Byzantine Empire (formerly the eastern half of the Roman Empire) and the Islamic Empire of the Middle East and North Africa.
What was the purpose of the Albigensian Crusade?
The Albigensian Crusade (1208-29) aimed to root out the heretical Cathari or Albigensian sect of Christianity in France, while the Baltic Crusades (1211-25) sought to subdue pagans in Transylvania. A so-called Children’s Crusade took place in 1212 when thousands of young children vowed to march to Jerusalem.
How many Crusaders were there?
Four armies of Crusaders were formed from troops of different Western European regions, led by Raymond of Saint-Gilles, Godfrey of Bouillon, Hugh of Vermandois and Bohemond of Taranto (with his nephew Tancred). These groups departed for Byzantium in August 1096.
What did the Crusades do to the Church?
Those who joined the armed pilgrimage wore a cross as a symbol of the Church. The Crusades set the stage for several religious knightly military orders, including the Knights Templar, the Teutonic Knights, and the Hospitallers. These groups defended the Holy Land and protected pilgrims traveling to and from the region.
Why were the Crusades important?
What Were the Crusades? The Crusades were a series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims started primarily to secure control of holy sites considered sacred by both groups.
What city was destroyed by the Muslim Mamluks?
In 1291, one of the only remaining Crusader cities, Acre, fell to the Muslim Mamluks. Many historians believe this defeat marked the end of the Crusader States and the Crusades themselves.
What was the first major clash between the Crusaders and Muslims?
In the first major clash between the Crusaders and Muslims, Turkish forces crushed the invading Europeans at Cibotus.
What was the first Crusade state?
The first of the Crusader states––Edessa––was also the first to fall, causing great consternation in Jerusalem and Western Europe and tampering the enthusiastic success of the First Crusade. Calls for a Second Crusade were immediate, and was the first led by European kings. The disastrous performance of this campaign in the Holy Land damaged the standing of the papacy, soured relations between the Christians of the kingdom and the West for many years, and encouraged the Muslims of Syria to even greater efforts to defeat the Franks. The dismal failures of this Crusade then set the stage for the fall of Jerusalem, leading to the Third Crusade. Concurrent campaigns as part of the Reconquista and Northern Crusades are also sometimes associated with this Crusade.
What were the Crusades in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries?
The military expeditions undertaken by European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from Muslims provided a template for warfare in other areas that also interested the Latin Church. These included the 12th and 13th century conquest of Muslim Al-Andalus by Spanish Christian kingdoms; 12th to 15th century German Northern Crusades expansion into the pagan Baltic region; the suppression of non-conformity, particularly in Languedoc during what has become called the Albigensian Crusade and for the Papacy's temporal advantage in Italy and Germany that are now known as political crusades. In the 13th and 14th centuries there were also unsanctioned, but related popular uprisings to recover Jerusalem known variously as Shepherds' or Children's crusades.
What were the causes of the decline of the Crusaders?
The causes of the decline in crusading and the failure of the crusader states are multi-faceted. Historians have attempted to explain this in terms of Muslim reunification and jihadi enthusiasm but Thomas Asbridge, amongst others, considers this too simplistic. Muslim unity was sporadic and the desire for jihad ephemeral. The nature of crusades was unsuited to the conquest and defence of the Holy Land. Crusaders were on a personal pilgrimage and usually returned when it was completed. Although the philosophy of crusading changed over time, the crusades continued to be conducted by short-lived armies led by independently minded potentates, rather than with centralised leadership. What the crusader states needed were large standing armies. Religious fervour enabled significant feats of military endeavour but proved difficult to direct and control. Succession disputes and dynastic rivalries in Europe, failed harvests and heretical outbreaks, all contributed to reducing Latin Europe's concerns for Jerusalem. Ultimately, even though the fighting was also at the edge of the Islamic world, the huge distances made the mounting of crusades and the maintenance of communications insurmountably difficult. It enabled the Islamic world, under the charismatic leadership of Zengi, Nur al-Din, Saladin, the ruthless Baibars and others, to use the logistical advantages of proximity to victorious effect.
What was the first state to fall after the first siege of Edessa?
The first of the Crusader states––Edessa––was also the first to fall after the first siege of Edessa, arriving on 28 November 1144. Calls for a Second Crusade were immediate, and was the first led by European kings. The disastrous performance of this campaign in the Holy Land damaged the standing of the papacy, soured relations between the Christians of the kingdom and the West for many years, and encouraged the Muslims of Syria to even greater efforts to defeat the Franks. The dismal failures of this Crusade then set the stage for the fall of Jerusalem, leading to the Third Crusade. Concurrent campaigns as part of the Reconquista and Northern Crusades are also sometimes associated with this Crusade
What was the cross used for in the Crusades?
By the mid 13th century the cross became the major descriptor of the crusades with crux transmarina —"the cross overseas"—used for crusades in the eastern Mediterranean, and crux cismarina —"the cross this side of the sea"—for those in Europe.
How long did the Crusades last?
The Crusades to the Holy Land are the best known of the religious wars discussed here, beginning in 1095 and lasting some two centuries. Since the destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre early in the 11th century, the Holy Land was an increasingly hostile environment for both Christian pilgrims and inhabitants. These crusades began with the fervent desire to liberate the Holy Land from the Muslims, and ran through eight major numbered crusades and dozens of minor crusades over two centuries . Larger-than-life nobels such as Richard the Lionheart, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Saladin continue to dominate in popular culture, but lesser-known participants and a multitude of battles provide for a complex history that continues to be relevant today.
Why were the Crusades fought?
Through the 15th century, other church-sanctioned crusades were fought against heretical Christian sects, against the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, to combat paganism and heresy, and for political reasons. Unsanctioned by the church, Popular Crusades of ordinary citizens were also frequent.
What did the Crusaders achieve?
By occupying Constantinople, the capital of their Christian allies, in the Fourth Crusade, the Crusaders achieved what the Arabs had been trying to do from the early days of Islam.
What was the Crusade?
The Crusades. To Arab historians, the Crusaders were a minor irritant, their invasion of one more barbarian incursion, not nearly as serious a threat as the Mongols were to prove in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The First Crusade began in 1095 after the Byzantines – threatened by Seljuk power- appealed to Pope Urban II for military aid.
What was the greatest achievement of the Crusaders?
For the West, however, the Crusaders’ greatest achievement was the opening of the eastern Mediterranean to European shipping. The Venetians and Genoese established trading colonies in Egypt, and luxury goods of the East found their way to European markets.
What did Pope Urban want?
Pope Urban, hoping to divert the Christian kings and princes from their struggles with each other, and perhaps also seeing an opportunity to reunite the Eastern and Western churches, called for a “Truce of God” among the rulers of Europe and urged them to take the Holy Land from the Muslims.
How did the Crusades affect Western society?
Although the Crusades achieved no lasting results in terms of military conquest, they were important in the development of trade, and their long-range effects on Western society – on everything from feudalism to fashion – are inestimable.
What happened to Jerusalem in 1099?
After a long seige they captured Jerusalem in 1099. The attack was brutal, with thousands killed. A Christian source from the time claimed that The slaughter was so great that our men waded in blood up to their ankles. The loss of Jerusalem was a terrible blow to the Muslims.
Why was it harder for Christians to visit Constantinople?
It became harder for Christian pilgrims to visit as various Muslim groups struggled for power. Rumours of mistreatment of local Christians and pilgrims spread. The Byzantine Emperor, Alexius, fearing the spread of Seljuk rule towards his own lands and a threat to the Christian city of Constantinople, appealed to the Pope for help.
What is the third most holy city in the world?
Christian pilgrims had come to the city for centuries. To Muslims, Jerusalem is the third most holy city, as Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven from there. Arab Muslims conquered the Holy Land in 638. The Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque are sites of pilgrimage for Muslims.
How long did the Crusades last?
The Crusades lasted centuries. From 1095, European Christians invaded the Middle East on several occasions. Despite bringing back a vast amount of knowledge to Europe, thousands of lives were lost.
Where did the Crusades begin?
How did the Crusades begin? In the Middle Ages, the Muslim world stretched from India to Spain, including Jerusalem and the Holy Land. For Jews, Christians and Muslims, Jerusalem was and still is a holy city.
What did Pope Urban II promise to the Knights of Europe?
Therefore in 1095, Pope Urban II promised the knights of Europe forgiveness of their sins if they went on a Crusade to win back Jerusalem for Christianity. Many responded by taking the cross and showed this act by cutting out red crosses before sewing them into their tunics.
Where did the first Crusade take place?
The First Crusade began in 1096. Christians, known as the Franks, from France, Germany and Italy set out on the long journey to the Holy Land, led by nobles and knights. Around 10,000 people gathered at Constantinople, before taking control of Edessa and Antioch.
What was the Seventh Crusade?
The previous year, Jerusalem had fallen back into Muslim hands and this was the principal prompt for what turned out to be the greatest crusade expedition of the century (known as the Seventh Crusade) led by King (later Saint) Louis IX of France. Simon Lloyd outlines Louis's crusading career. Well financed and carefully prepared and with an early victory at Damietta, this campaign appeared to be set fair only for a reckless charge by Louis's brother at the Battle of Mansourah to weaken the crusaders' forces. This, coupled with hardening Muslim resistance, brought the expedition to a halt and, starving and sick, they were forced to surrender. Louis remained in the Holy Land for a further four years – a sign of his guilt at the failure of the campaign, but also a remarkable commitment for a European monarch to be absent from his home for a total of six years – trying to bolster the defences of the Latin kingdom. By this time, with the Latins largely confined to the coastal strip the settlers relied more and more on massive fortifications and it was during the 13th century that mighty castles such as Krak des Chevaliers, Saphet and Chastel Pelerin, as well as the immense urban fortifications of Acre, took shape.
What was the most infamous event of the Crusade?
The most infamous episode of the age was the Fourth Crusade (1202-04) which saw another effort to recover Jerusalem end up sacking Constantinople, the greatest Christian city in the world. Jonathan Phillips describes this episode. The reasons for this were a combination of long-standing tensions between the Latin (Catholic) Church and the Greek Orthodox; the need for the crusaders to fulfil the terms of a wildly over-optimistic contract for transportation to the Levant with the Venetians and the offer to pay this off by a claimant to the Byzantine throne. This combination of circumstances brought the crusaders to the walls of Constantinople and when their young candidate was murdered and the locals turned definitively against them they attacked and stormed the city. At first Innocent was delighted that Constantinople was under Latin authority but as he learned of the violence and looting that had accompanied the conquest he was horrified and castigated the crusaders for 'the perversion of their pilgrimage'.
Why did the Franks capture Ascalon?
They captured Ascalon in 1153 to complete their control of the Levantine coast, an important advance for the security of trade and pilgrim traffic in terms of reducing harassment by Muslim shipping. The following year, however, Nur ad-Din took power in Damascus to mark the first time that the cities had been joined with Aleppo under the rule of the same man during the crusader period, something that greatly increased the threat to the Franks. Nur ad-Din's considerable personal piety, his encouragement of madrasas (teaching colleges) and the composition of jihad poetry and texts extolling the virtues of Jerusalem created a bond between the religious and the ruling classes that had been conspicuously lacking since the crusaders arrived in the East. During the 1160s Nur ad-Din, acting as the champion of Sunni orthodoxy, seized control of Shi'ite Egypt, dramatically raising the strategic pressure on the Franks and at the same time enhancing the financial resources at his disposal through the fertility of the Nile Delta and the vital port of Alexandria.
What city did the Franks cling to?
The Franks in the Levant had managed to cling onto the city of Tyre and then besieged the most important port on the coast, Acre. This provided a target for western forces and it was here in the summer of 1190 that Philip Augustus and Richard the Lionheart landed.
What battle did the Franks win?
Norman Housely expertly relates this period in his 1987 article. In 1177, however, the Franks triumphed at the Battle of Montgisard, a victory that was widely reported in western Europe and did little to convince people of the settlers' very real need for help.
How did the Vizier of Egypt view the Crusaders advance?
The vizier of Egypt had viewed the crusaders' advance with a mixture of emotions. As the guardian of the Shi'ite caliphate in Cairo he had a profound dislike of the Sunni Muslims of Syria, but equally he did not want a new power to establish itself in the region.
What was the spear that pierced Christ's side?
In Antioch, meanwhile, the crusaders had been inspired by the 'discovery' of a relic of the Holy Lance, the spear that had pierced Christ's side as he was on the cross. A vision told a cleric in Raymond of St Gilles' army where to dig and, sure enough, there the object was found.
What was the Pope's call for the Crusades?
Later that year, at the momentous Council of Clermont, the Pope officially made the call for a Crusade to take over the Holy Land. The rest, as they say, is history – with the proclamation resulting in the People’s Crusades followed by the First Crusade.
Why did the Sixth Crusade fail?
The Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Crusades (all taking place in the 13th century), although not diversionary in their scopes, ultimately failed in their military objectives due to a combination of factors intrinsic to crusading efforts, like lack of clear goals, logistical limitations, political interferences, and the ‘revived’ power of the Muslim foes. Among these campaigns, the Sixth Crusade is noteworthy because it actually allowed the namesake Kingdom of Jerusalem to retain control of significant parts of Jerusalem for 15 years through diplomatic efforts, as opposed to military successes. The Eighth Crusade (circa 1270 AD) was once again diverted to Tunisia, and it tragically ended with the death of King Louis IX of France and much of his army through diseases like dysentery.
What was the impact of the Crusades on Europe?
However, beyond the veneer of religion, the Crusades can be seen as the geopolitical extension of Europe’s emergence from the proverbial chaos after the fall of the Carolingian Empire. The 11th century did see an economic revival of sorts for many a Western European realm. Furthermore, the earlier 9th century Carolingian Frankish interlude also served as a catalyst for cultural influence shared between Europeans and Eastern powers – so much so that many Western elements began to serve as mercenaries in the ‘exotic’ frontier armies of the Eastern Romans (thereby also becoming familiar with ‘Islamic’ style of warfare).
What was the first Crusade?
For example, the First Crusade itself was often referred to as the iter (journey) or peregrinatio (pilgrimage), thus possibly reflecting how the campaign was contemporarily viewed as a manifestation of religious duty as opposed to just religious warfare. In any case, the historical affair was kickstarted at the Council of Piacenza (circa 1095 AD) when the Eastern Roman emperor Alexios I Komnenos requested military aid from Pope Urban II, probably in the form of mercenaries who would fight against the encroaching Seljuk Turks. Later that year, at the momentous Council of Clermont, the Pope officially made the call for a Crusade to take over the Holy Land.
How many people were in the First Crusade?
In terms of numbers, the host of the First Crusade possibly started out with around 30,000 infantry and around 4,500 horsemen – and they were led by cultured and experienced military men like Raymond IV (from southern France), Godfrey of Bouillon and his Baldwin I (heading an army from Lorraine and Germany), and Bohemond of Taranto and his nephew Tancred (the Italo-Normans; both of whom were versed in Arabic).
What was the Crusades' subject matter?
Introduction –. The Crusades of the medieval times have rather proved to be a contentious subject matter, especially given its association to religious fanaticism. But beneath this veneer of political analogy (that tends to be exaggerated), we must understand that Crusades, while embodying a clash of cultures, also resulted in various spheres ...
How many expeditions were there during the First Crusade?
Image Source: Scout.com. While it may come as a surprise to some, but the First Crusade was actually preceded by at least four expeditions (with coinciding campaigns) – all of which failed in their objective of even reaching the Holy Land in the Levant. These expeditions are commonly known as the Peasants’ Crusades.
What happened after Muhammad's death?
After Muhammad’s death two years later, crusades against Christian s continued. In 635, Muslim Crusaders besiege and conquer Damascus. James Arlandson lists nearly 70 incidents of major acts of aggression against Christians by Muslims from 630 to 1094—just prior to the First Christian Crusade against Muslims.
Why did the Crusades happen?
The Christian Crusades were attempts by Christians to save other Christian nations from the sword and dominance of Islam. It is a historical fact that sometimes Christian crusaders became opportunistic and even pillaged other Christians, but the original intent of the Crusades was to take back what Islam had taken from Christianity. The following is a brief summary of the Muslim and Christian Crusades.
What was the destruction of Constantinople?
The wanton destruction of the Christian capitol of Constantinople by the Muslims is but one of many untold horrors of Islam's long crusade against Christianity. In recent years, many pundits of the media have attempted to hold Christianity up to ridicule because of the Church's Crusades against Islam, [1] but the prejudiced pundit never publicly acknowledges the many crusades of Muslims against Christians and their lands, 458 years before one Chr Read more...
What is often forgotten about the Christian Crusades?
What is often forgotten is the fact that the Christian Crusades were in response to the Muslim Crusades against Christians. Muhammad initiated and endorsed these Crusades against Christians as demonstrated by his own example, beginning in 630. The facts concerning Muslim aggression have been forgotten and deliberately concealed from the public by liberal pundits. The historical reality is that Christians were forced to respond to the Muslim Crusades after centuries of being terrorized by the disciples of Muhammad:
What was the bloody campaign of Islam?
During the lifetime of Muhammad, Islam began a bloody campaign of conquest that has continued to the present era. A map of the progress of Islam will demonstrate the way in which Islam put to the sword Christian nation after Christian nation. The Christian Crusades were attempts by Christians to save other Christian nations from ...
What was the cause of the Crusades?
The fact that the originating cause of the Crusades was Muslim aggression against Christians can hardly be overstated. The Christian Crusades were attempts to retake lands stolen by the Muslim invaders centuries earlier.
What were the rules of the day for Christians in the Holy Land?
Brutal subordination and violence became the rules of the day for [or against] Christians in the Holy Land. In 772, the caliph al-Mansur ordered the hands of Christians and Jews in Jerusalem be stamped with a distinctive symbol. Conversions to Christianity were dealt with particularly harshly. In 789, Muslims beheaded a [Christian] monk who had converted from Islam and plundered the Bethlehem monastery of Saint Theodosius, killing many more monks. Other monasteries in the region suffered the same fate. Early in the ninth century, the persecutions grew so severe that large numbers of Christians fled to Constantinople [the eastern center of Christianity] and other Christian cities. More persecutions in 923 saw additional churches destroyed, and in 937, Muslims went on a Palm Sunday rampage in Jerusalem, plundering and destroying the Church of Calvary and the Church of the Resurrection. [4]
Overview
Crusades and the Holy Land, 1095–1291
The Crusades to the Holy Land are the best known of the religious wars associated with the term, beginning in 1095 and lasting some two centuries. These Crusades began with the fervent desire to wrest the Holy Land from the Muslims, and ran through eight major numbered crusades and dozens of minor crusades over the period.
Terminology
The term "crusade" first referred to military expeditions undertaken by European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to the Holy Land. The conflicts to which the term is applied have been extended to include other campaigns initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Roman Catholic Church against pagans and heretics, or for alleged religious ends. Crusades differed fro…
Other crusades
The military expeditions undertaken by European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from Muslims provided a template for warfare in other areas that also interested the Latin Church. These included the 12th and 13th century conquest of Muslim Al-Andalus by Spanish Christian kingdoms; 12th to 15th century German Northern Crusades expansion into the …
Crusading movement
The First Crusade was an unexpected event for contemporary chroniclers, but historical analysis demonstrates it had its roots in developments earlier in the 11th century. Clerics and laity increasingly recognised Jerusalem as worthy of penitential pilgrimage. The desire of Christians for a more effective church was evident in increased piety. Pilgrimage to the Holy Land expanded after safer ro…
Historiography
The historiography of the Crusades is concerned with their "history of the histories" during the Crusader period. The subject is a complex one, with overviews provided in Select Bibliography of the Crusades, Modern Historiography, and Crusades (Bibliography and Sources). The histories describing the Crusades are broadly of three types: (1) The primary sources of the Crusades, which include works written in the medieval period, generally by participants in the Crusade or written c…
See also
• Criticism of crusading
• History of Christianity
• History of the Knights Hospitaller in the Levant
• History of the Knights Templar
Bibliography
• Abulafia, David (1992). Frederick II: A Medieval Emperor. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780713990041.
• Asbridge, Thomas (2000). The Creation of the Principality of Antioch, 1098–1130. Boydell & Brewer. ISBN 9780851156613.
• Asbridge, Thomas (2004). The First Crusade: A New History. Oxford. ISBN 9780195178234.