The Crusades: History and Facts

The Crusades: History and Facts

The European Christians fought a series of wars known as the Crusades in an effort to wrest back control of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslims during the Middle Ages.

 

The Crusades: History and Facts

Why did they want to control Jerusalem?

Throughout the Middle Ages, Jerusalem was significant to many different religions. Given that King Solomon erected the first temple to God there, it held special significance for the Jewish people. Because Muslims believe Muhammad ascended to heaven there, it was significant to them. Since Christians believe that is where Christ was crucified and rose from the dead, it was significant to them.

Who fought in the Crusades?

The Crusades pitted the Arabs in charge of Jerusalem against the forces of Europe, primarily the Holy Roman Empire. Europe fought the Seljuk Turks during the first Crusade.
Approximately thirty thousand European soldiers, comprising knights, peasants, and other commoners, participated in the first Crusade. While some viewed the army as a means of achieving wealth and testing their combat prowess, others saw it as a path to paradise.

How they got started

When the Seljuk Turks seized control of the Holy Land, the first Crusade got underway. The land had been ruled by the Arabs until now. Nonetheless, Christians were permitted to travel to Jerusalem on pilgrimages by the Arabs. Following their conquest in 1070, the Turks started to bar Christian pilgrims from entering the region.

In order to keep the Turks out of the Holy Land and to protect his realm against them, Byzantine Emperor Alexius I sent a request to the Pope for assistance. The Holy Roman Empire and the Franks were the main sources of assistance for the Pope in organizing an army.

Timeline of the Crusades

There were a number of Crusades that took place over the course of 200 years starting in 1095:

• The First Crusade (1095–999): The First Crusade was the most successful. Armies from Europe drove out the Turks and took control of Jerusalem.
• The Second Crusade (1147–1149): In 1146 the city of Edessa was conquered by the Turks. The entire population was killed or sold into slavery. Then a second Crusade was launched, but was unsuccessful.
• The Third Crusade (1187–1192): In 1187, Saladin, the sultan of Egypt, recaptured the city of Jerusalem from the Christians. A third Crusade was launched led by Emperor Barbarossa of Germany, King Philip Augustus of France, and King Richard the Lionheart of England. Richard the Lionheart fought Saladin for several years. In the end he could not conquer Jerusalem, but he did win the right for pilgrims to visit the holy city once again.
• The Fourth Crusade (1202-1204): The Fourth Crusade was formed by Pope Innocent III with the hope of taking back the Holy Land. However, the Crusaders got sidetracked and greedy and ended up conquering and plundering Constantinople instead.
• Children’s Crusade (1212): Started by a French child named Stephen of Cloyes and a German kid named Nicholas, tens of thousands of children gathered to march to the Holy Land. This ended in total disaster. None of the children made it to the Holy Land and many were never seen again. They were likely sold into slavery.
• Crusades Five through Nine (1217–1272): Over the next several years there would be 5 more Crusades. None of them would be very successful in terms of gaining control of the Holy Land.

Facts about the Crusades

• “Deus vult!”, meaning “God wills it” was the battle cry of the Crusaders. It came from a speech the Pope gave while gathering support for the First Crusade.
• The symbol of the Crusaders was a red cross. Soldiers wore it on their clothing and armor. It was also used on flags and banners.
• Between the second and the third Crusades, the Teutonic Knights and the Templars were formed to help defend Christendom. These were famous groups of Holy Knights.

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