Crusades Essays

The Crusades were a number of religious wars between Christians and Muslims. They were started because both groups wanted to keep a site that is considered sacred or holy to them. The Crusades took place between 1096 and 1291. These gory, dangerous, and ruthless battles brought up the status of European Christians, making them large influences in the fight for land in the Middle East. There were eight major Crusade expeditions that took place. The first Crusade was made up...

The medieval crusades are a series of religiously motivated military activities that took place mainly between 1095 - 1291BC, in an attempt for authority in the middle east to be restored to the Catholic Church and the papacy. The first crusade is widely agreed to have been initiated on the 27th November 1095 following Pope Urban II’s speech at Clermont, and although continuing in some capacity up until the late 16th century crusading momentum was lost by the end of...

Historians suggest that The Black Death was a deadly epidemic that hit millions of people spread by the disease known as the bubonic plague. This all happened during medieval Europe, fleas and rats were the cause of to spread of the disease to other people and the bubonic plague did not stop, it was so contagious that it almost killed half of Europe’s population at the time. As the people suffered during this epidemic, they kept thinking as to what...

“Ahi! Amours” “Ahi! Amours” was written sometime between 1189 and 1192 by the French trouvère Conon de Béthune. His distant relation to the First French Emperor of Constantinople, Baudouin IX, allowed him to play an important role in the political and military affairs of the Empire after the Fourth Crusade, in which he served as a spokesperson and negotiator, though the chanson “Ahi, amours” indicates that he prepared for the Third Crusade as well. “Ahi, amours” also reveals how the...

Introduction In November of 1095 for 10 days pope Urban II held the council of Clermont at Auvergne which culminated in the pope calling onto the Frankish knights for armed expedition into the Levant with the aim of freeing Jerusalem and the tomb of Christ from the grasps of Islamic rule, when the pope finished his speech the representative of the expedition Adhemar of Monteil was the first to carry the cross to the sound of the crowd shouting Deus...

In history since 1096 until 1254 (Stewart, 1968), there was seven crusades and there were several different reasons for the crusades. In some cases, the reason for the crusade was similar whether it was religious, economical and also political motives. The crusades happen because of the Holy land and it was between the Christian and the Muslims. The first crusade which was in between 1096-1099 and it was called for the reason of the pilgrims’ problems and it was between...

Billions of people around the world closely follow a religion. Many individuals have such a deep sense of connection with their religion that they will go to great lengths to follow their beliefs. In a way, this was the case during the Medieval Period. During this time the Roman Church dominated the religious sphere and even held some authority over the European kingdoms. The Church was a uniting symbol for the Medieval people. For many the Church was their only...

Introduction In every generation, the struggle for power has been a controversial issue. Our generation has no escape to this. International territorial claims between Philippines and the super power China have been a concern for decades. Even in the realm Christian church faces such struggle. All of these, if we will connect the dots, will lead us to one thing: The sin of self-motivated desire. This desire crawls into the hearts and mind of every believer including Pastors. Many Christians...

The Gothic Cathedral of Notre Dame was built between 1163-1235. Between 1170-1270 more than 500 Gothic Churches were built in France. The reason for the high ceilings and slender columns in the churches was to make it seem as if you were being stretched or flying towards heaven. Some cathedrals were as tall as 30-40 stories, though they eventually fell down. Over time the pope gained complete control of Europe. Nothing happened in the church, let alone the world, without...

Christianity has come far in setting an example of imposing religious world peace far and wide. The church cannot deny it’s past of promoting dogmatism throughout the globe. All the violence for the sake of salvation and cruelty in the rigid religious battle of the Crusades. The Crusades began in the eleventh century in order to recapture the Holy Land from the Muslims. However, the way things were acquired were not favorable by no means. Western Christian Europe was starting...

The Catholic Church has a long and sordid history behind it. While Christianity as a whole is meant to spread the good word of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God, the Catholic Church, while having good intentions, had its flaws and was just as vulnerable to corruption and extremism as any other institution. Sometimes, the Church turned to extreme measures, such as the Inquisition and the Crusades, to pursue its agenda. These acts, while having relatively simple end-goals in...

What happened when the seljuk turks invaded the Byzantine Empire? In this essay I will give a detailed description of the 1st and 3rd crusades, also I will explain the political,economic and religious impacts of the crusades, last I will give my opinion of if the world is still affected by the crusades today. The People crusades started when the Seljuk Turks migrated from central Asia into the Middle East, The seljuk turks also extend their power over the Holy...

Apocalyptic thought was an important part of religious reform among Christians in early medieval times. Apocalypse in the Middle Ages made a distinctive impact of ideas about time, power, and evil in church and society. Radical preaching, crusading, and prophetic traditions expressed apocalyptic ideas through class in the Middle Ages. The endtime framed a crucial part of the medieval mental landscape. (Baumgartner 56) “The true Church consisted of those who followed the apostolic life, in poverty and simplicity; love of...

The Crusades did not happen all of a sudden. Right from the advent of Christianity, numerous religious campaigns had been initiated by the royalty as well as the Roman Catholic Church to protect Christianity from perceived threats, particularly from the belligerence of the Muslims. This essay will explore the events that led to the momentous speech of Pope Urban II that eventually triggered the Crusades. The required information for this paper has been drawn from two seminal texts on the...

To understand how the papacy was able to persuade thousands upon thousands of nobility and peasantry alike to unite under one cause and venture east towards Jerusalem, one must be aware of the political environment of 11th and 12th century Europe in regard to the papacy. The range and influence of Islamist forces was rapidly increasing, and the strength of the Byzantine Empire was declining. The Byzantines acted as a buffer against the Islamist threat and Pope Urban knew that...

There is a common misconception that the Middle Ages were a wholly Christian phenomenon, and focus often remains on the west, though it is important to recognise that other religions were present across the world during this time. To properly evaluate how tolerant various religions were, it should be considered how they interacted with each other. Christian tolerance was evident, though Christian-Jewish relations were often violent. Both Islam and Christianity can be seen to be tolerant when they interact with...

The Holy Wars, also known as the Crusades have been long debated amongst historians as to what the pure motivation is to be. The commencement of the Crusades began with Pope Urban II calling the people to arms with his sermon at Clermont. The motives with the speech pointed towards the Holy Land, where many had found refuge over the years. There is a preconceived notion that the Crusades were enacted to obtain the Holy Land and to protect the...