In the brutal era of wars that tore Europe apart in the closing
days of the first millennium AD, no period was more confusing, or
more tragic, than the nearly two hundred years Europe spent locked
in bitter fighting in the Middle East. This era, known as the Age
of Crusades, would lead to some of the most atrocious acts and
miserable failures ever made in the name of religion. But what was
the point of these ceaseless wars, then, and how did they change
the course of history?
The story of the Crusades actually begins centuries before the
First Crusade was launched in AD 1096. When the centre of the Roman
Empire shifted East, to Constantinople, it began to grow a new
culture which would become known as Byzantium. However, the Church
had begun to develop with Rome as its centre, and the churches of
the East turned to Constantinople rather than the developing
Papalcy in Rome. The first Popes were warlike and power-hungry,
however, and they wanted all of the Christian world under their
control. Then, during the latter half of the first millennium AD,
the teachings of Islam began to spread throughout North Africa and
Asia Minor at an alarming pace. The Popes of Rome, fearful that
this new religion would displace them from their still-tenuous
position, needed a way to suppress this new, peaceful religion
coming out of the East.
Then, the final piece of the puzzle came into focus under the
Western concept of primogeniture. The younger sons of European
nobility, with no hope of ever ruling their family lands, became
unruly as they sought to establish themselves, and began
slaughtering each other. Rome, anxious to get these disruptive
young nobles out of Europe, saw their chance to solve three
problems at once. In AD 1096, Rome began preaching a Holy Crusade
to free the Holy City of Jerusalem from the clutches of heretics
and infidels. Rome preyed on the greed and pride of Europes young
knights with promises of indulgences in exchange for service, the
wealth of gold and lands available in the East, and honour and
glory to all those who took up the holy cause.
The plot worked better than Rome could ever have anticipated. Even
the common folk soon took up the call to arms. Starting in AD 1096,
Peter the Hermit and Walter the Penniless led a group of poor,
ill-armed peasants in an advance party which was destroyed either
during the trip East or by Muslims in Anatolia.
The real army eventually set out from France, led by Baldwin of
Flanders, Robert of Normandy, and several other nobles. This army
had many successes, including the capture of Antioch on June 3,
1098 and then, at last, the capture of the Holy City of Jerusalem a
year later, on July 15, 1099. Victorious, the Crusaders established
the four Crusader States of Edessa, Tripoli, Jerusalem, and
Antioch.
Uneasy peace reigned in the Holy Land until 1144, when Edessa fell
to the Muslims because Jerusalem refused to send aid after the
Franks of Edessa refused to accept a woman as their ruler, even as
a mere regent for two years.
Two years later, in 1146, Bernard of Clairvaux, Louis VII of
France, and Conrad III of Germany led armies to the Holy Land to
recapture Edessa. This Crusade was a disaster for Europe, but the
Crusaders did manage to retake Lisbon, Portugal from Muslim
hands.
After the disaster of the Second Crusade, there might never have
been another, had European greed not led to the breaking of a
sacred peace pact. After the Second Crusade ended in 1148, King
Baldwin of Jerusalem forged a truce with the Syrian Sultan,
Salah-al-Din, whom the Europeans called Saladin. That truce, called
the Truce of God, lasted until 1187, when Reynald of Chatillon
broke it by attacking a caravan bound for Saladins own sister.
Saladin responded to this insult at once, demanding Reynalds head,
which the foppish King of Jerusalem, Guy, refused, and war soon
broke out. In the end, Reynalds greed and Guys incompetence led to
the Arab conquest of Outremer, and the launching of yet another
Crusade from Europe.
The first European leader to set out for the East was the German
Emperor, Barbarossa, in May 1189. The German army, while under this
great Emperors command, had many Crusading victories along their
road to Outremer, re-opening many Arab-held overland routes. Then,
in early June of 1189, disaster struck when Barbarossa drowned
while fording a river. The German army, more dedicated to their
leader than to the Holy War, soon turned homeward again.
Kings Philip of France and Richard of England set out for Outremer
in July 1190, taking a mostly over water route. In the end, Richard
would be instrumental in the reclaiming of Cyprus, and much of
Outremer, though he would fall short of his goal, and Jerusalem
remained in Arab hands. The Third Crusade is often referred to as
either Richards Crusade, since it was the English King who gained
the most success, or The Gentlemens Crusade, since both Richard and
Saladin claimed to uphold the virtue of chivalry, and spent as much
time in a battle of manners as in actual battle itself.
A tournament, hosted by Theobald, Count of Champagne, was the
unlikely breeding ground for the Fourth Crusade. While the Counts
motives for Crusading were religious and chivalrous, since Outremer
had no King and Theobald was the nearest blood relation to the
female heir, others had no such chivalry in mind. They were merely
escaping the inevitable battling between King John of England and
Philip of France.
This ill-conceived Crusade ended up never even reaching Outremer.
Instead of attacking Egypt, as planned by Theobald, the Crusaders
ransacked Constantinople, capturing the already-Christian city in
AD 1203. After the Crusaders had moved on, there was a city-wide
revolt, causing the Crusaders to return and recapture the city
again in 1204.
The next Crusade undertaken by the knights of Christendom was
preceded by tragic events. In 1212, boy-preachers led an ill-fated
Childrens Crusade that would never reach Jerusalem, or even as far
as Outremer. Many of the children died of starvation or from
hardships and drowning before the rag-tag army was forced to turn
back. However, their Crusade did fuel the final decision to go to
war again in an effort to re-open overland passage to Outremer.
This was decided at the Council of Lateran in 1215.
Begun in 1217, the Fifth Crusade amounted to little more than a
series of raids until late in 1218, when attacks on the Sultanate
of Egypt began. In November 1219, after a siege of nearly sixteen
months, Crusaders captured the city of Damietta. Had the Crusaders
had a competent leader, they might even have captured Cairo.
Instead, their venture ended in failure, and Egypt remained largely
in Arab hands.
The last three Crusades were not high in either interest or
popularity in Europe. Warfare in the East was losing its appeal to
the nobility of Europe, and morale was at rock bottom in Outremer.
These half-hearted Crusades would gain and lose unimportant ground
repeatedly, resulting in complete failure. By 1291, the Kingdom of
Outremer was completely obliterated.
http://vt.essortment.com/crusadesholywa_rhvy.htm
http://www.medievalcrusades.com/
In the end, they cause more problems than good. I don't know why u
say forming an army tat attack on others is a good thing. Wat
happened when they succeed in capturing a city ? They plunder, rob,
torture and make lives more miserable than ever. Muslims and jews r
killed without mercy. All were killed in jerusalem. In Atioch,
every turk wre killed, and even include some christians. They even
prosecuted jews during their times which made them nothing more
like hitler. Historian have always say tat crusaders r a mistakes.
it is surpising someone will defend it
