Crusades Essay, Research Paper

Significance of the Crusades Throughout the history of man, there have been many notable wars. These wars have inflicted many deaths, as well as, permanently scarring history with their prescence. However, not many compare to the Crusades and the emotional effect these wars had on their respected time. The three Crusades that lasted from the eleventh to the end of the twelfth centuries were the most harsh in terms of death rate and destruction. These were holy wars fought between two different groups of people-the Catholics and the Muslims-over the lands of the Middle East. This land was sacred to both groups, and sparked these 3 main crusades which lasted about two hundred years. The Crusades were very ugly wars, which made a very profound impact upon history. In 1095, Pope Urban II convinced the knights of the Holy Roman Empire, along with the nobles of Western Europe, to support his cause in regaining control of the Holy Land. Soon, the world was overtaken with the Crusades. This led to the migration of many peasants and knights to the Seljuk Kingdom. No sooner were the peasants massacred by the Turks, sending a clear message to Europe. In response, many nobles constructed their armies into four major divisions: the Northern French Army, Lothgarians and the Flemings, men of Languedoc, and the Normans of Southern Italy. These armies headed east, arriving at Constantinople. Here the crusaders won two big battles at Dorylaeum and Antioch. These victories left the path to Jerusalem clear and obtainable. Soon, Jerusalem was taken, and with it, many Jewish and Muslim lives. This marked the end of the first major Crusade. After fifty years, the second main Crusade started in 1147. The crusaders only fought with half their armies, but still remained quite powerful. The goal of the two armies was to set out and capture the city of Damascus. This goal was a little far-fetched, and ended with the crusaders having to retreat. This loss of the crusaders gave the Muslims enough confidence to invade Jerusalem. They did this, taking away all previous efforts of the crusaders away. This loss of Jerusalem ended the second crusade, but also started the third.

The third crusade started in 1191 and at aimed at recapturing Jerusalem. But the crusaders were getting tired and ending up being defeated again. This Crusade was the biggest disappointment. It not only crushed the morale of many fighting Crusaders, but also only won a small portion of the land that was lost. The Crusades had ended on a bad note, and soon nobody wanted to do with them.This, so far, is the more European view. The Crusades, obviously, had other perspectives. The perspective of the Byzantines showed the Crusades as wars of great distrust. They felt invaded, since this was first their holy and respected Land. The crusaders were seen as violent thieves, who would had no problem killing people for something they wanted.The Crusades were a very sad and bloody part of our history. However, they did provide some positive economical aspects for regions of Europe and Asia. Businesses started over Western Europe, trade started to increase, and slowly the face of Western Europe began to change. There was also a higher demand for Asian spices and silk. This increased the exploration of new lands, and led to a higher standard of living for Europeans. In other areas of society, such as the church, the results were not so positive. This was a time were the Church seemed very confused, while focussing on everything but living a Christ-like life. Many lost faith in the Church, and the Crusades might be a foreshadowing of its future corruption. In regards to education, the standards definitely increased. There was a growing desire to learn more. This could have been an effect of the economic situation, or even trying to learn how to prevent such wars as the Crusades.The Crusades were definitely a time of confusion for all. And, for this confusion many lives were lost. There were many negative aspects of these wars, and also some positive. But one thing is certain-the Crusades will continue to impact history with its profound and confusing prescience.

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