Crusades Essay, Research Paper

Crusades were military expeditions planned and carried out by western European

Christians. The crusades started around 1095. The purpose of these crusades was

to overtake and gain control of the Holy Land from the Muslims. The Holy Land

was Jerusalem and the Christians believed that gaining control of it was their

fate. The pope would gather the people together and incite them. The origin of

the crusades was a result of the expanding Turks in the middle east. These

Turkish forces invaded Byzantium, a Christian empire. The crusaders were a

militia, sent out to recover what they thought was theirs. The first crusades

were essentially started by Pope Urban II. On November 27, 1095, he gathered his

followers outside the French city of Clermont-Ferrand. He preached to these

people and told them that action needed to be taken. In response, the people

cheered and planned their attack. Urban II brought together all of the bishops

and urged them to talk to their friends and fellow villagers and to encourage

them to participate in the crusades. Small groups started to form and each group

would be self- directing. All the groups planned their own ways to the

Constantinople, where they would meet and regroup. They would attack the Turkish

forces in Constantinople and hope to regain control of the city. The large

Christian armies talked to Alexius I Comnenus, the Byzantium emperor, and agreed

to return any of his old land that was recaptured. The armies were skeptical of

this demand but agreed anyway. The first attack by the crusaders was on

Anatolian, the Turkish capital. Meanwhile the Byzantians were also trying to

recapture Anatolian, and later that year, the city surrendered to the Byzantians

instead of the crusaders. The Byzantians were using the crusaders as pawns to

achieve their own goals. The crusaders again met and crushed the Turkish army.

The crusaders scored a great victory and boosted the troops’ moral. The

crusaders captured Antioch and also held off relief forces sent to help the

Turks. The crusaders then moved on to their main goal-Jerusalem. The city was

under Egyptian control and was heavily guarded. The crusaders set up siege

machines and called for reinforcements, finally forcing the Egyptians to

surrender. Everyone in the city was massacred in the belief that the blood of

the former holders purified it. The crusaders kept control of the city for the

next generation or so and brought in people to inhabit the Holy Land. Slowly the

Muslim forces started to rebuild and soon came back to take the Holy Land. After

the defeat of the Egyptians in Jerusalem, the crusaders started to colonize. The

Latin colonists set up four states: Tripoli, which was on the Syrian coast,

Antioch, centered near the Orontes Valley, Edessa, a far east state which held

most of the Christians, and the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, the most powerful

and centered between the other three states. The crusaders’ strategy during the

first crusade was to isolate the Muslims and Egyptians, and to cut off any

supplies or reinforcements from strengthening their status. Once the original

generation of crusaders died, their children were not as determined. They forgot

about the Muslims that had escaped, and because of that, the Muslims had a new

leader and were regaining power. Under their leader, Imad ad-Din, the Muslims

regrouped and planned their attack against the colonies. After the passing of

Imad ad-Din, a new radical leader emerged-Zangi. Zangi led his troops to a

victory against the crusaders and their colonies by capturing the state of

Edessa. The Muslims destroyed the Christians churches, buildings, and killed the

crusaders. Back home, the Pope saw what was happening and declared a second

crusade to recapture the territory that had been lost. King Louis VII, from

France, set out to meet Conrad III army. The Holy Roman Emperor, Conrad III, set

out from Germany and soon met up with Louis’ men. With their armies, they left

from their homeland to meet in Jerusalem. Conrad’s army began their voyage, only

to be ambushed. Afterwards, their supplies and cavalry were drastically

depleted. The better half of the French army reached Jerusalem and met up with

the small remains of the Germans and the old crusaders. Together they ventured

to Damascus, but failed to take the city and were badly defeated. The French

army and king had had enough and returned home. The small remnants of the

Germans stayed with the colonies, along with the old crusaders. Slowly but

surely, the states the crusaders had set up were systematically being destroyed.

The failure of the second crusade brought on the third crusade. The Muslims had

named a new leader, Nur ad-Din, who regrouped the Muslims and motivated them to

take back what believed was theirs. Their leader died a few years later, and was

succeeded by their military leader, Saladin. In 1187, Saladintook his now

revived and recuperated army to recapture Jerusalem. In July, he crushed the

crusaders front line army in Galilee. Saladin then led his troops throughout the

area of Jerusalem and finally took Jerusalem in early October. This led to Pope

Gregory VIII starting a third crusade. The people in the west knew that their

time had come to defeat the Muslims onceand for all. Included in the ranks of

men going on the crusade were Fre*censored* I, the Roman emperor; Philip II, the

French king; and Richard I, of England. These forces were thought to be one of

the most powerful armies assembled during the middle ages. Again, this crusade

suffered misfortune. On his journey to Jerusalem, the Roman emperor died, and

his army accompanied the body back home for burial. Even with the size of

Richard’s and Frederick’s remaining armies, they were not able to recapture

Jerusalem. When the armies left Jerusalem and its surrounding areas to return

home, they accomplished none of their goals. Since none of the following

crusades were successful or even important, not much is known about them. The

later crusades also provided almost nothing for the Christians therefore much

time and money was wasted on them.