The Crusades were a series of religious wars, led by the Latin Catholic Church in the Middle
Ages.
Most famously, they refer to eight major Christian conquests against Islamic expansion to secure
control of holy sites especially Jerusalem between 1095 and 1291.
To provide some context, one must introduce The Seljuk Turks: Nomadic tribes from Russia
and Central Asia that converted to Islam.
Their empire expanded rapidly unifying an otherwise fragmented Islamic world.
A few years following their victory against the Christian Orthodox Byzantine Empire at
the battle of Manzikert in 1071, they defeated the Arab dynasty of Fatimids and were able
to seize Jerusalem , a holy city for both Christians and Muslims.
Unlike the Fatimids however, the Seljuks were not as tolerant of Christian rights to pilgrimage
to Jerusalem.
In the meantime, their expansion and subsequent settlements in Anatolia caused the Byzantines
to call on their fellow Western Christians, yet Catholics, for aid.
Though relations between Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholic Christians had long been
fractious, the Byzantines’ request came at a time when the situation was improving.
Also, the Catholic Church under the Pope was powerful and wealthy; this combined with a
booming population and economic growth meant Western Europe was in a strong position to
muster armies for a common cause.
These different factors led Pope Urban II to call for the First Crusade at the council
of Clermont, to regain Christian territories.
This call was met with a tremendous popular response across all social classes in western
Europe.
Four armies of different regions were formed and departed for Byzantium in 1096, totaling
about 100,000 Crusaders.
Over the course of the next two centuries and in a series of 8 Crusades, Christians
and Muslims would fight for territory in the Middle East: On the way to Jerusalem, the
Crusaders also indulged in wide-ranging anti-Jewish activities, including the Rhineland massacres.
During the First Crusade, after the initial defeat of the poorly organized People’s
Crusade by the Seljuks, the Prince’s Crusade eventually seized Jerusalem in 1099 after
multiple fights including the Battle of Dorylaeum, the decisive and bloody siege of Antioch and
the siege of Jerusalem, which the Fatimids had controlled back from the Seljuks.
The crusaders, who became known as the Franks relegated on their promise of safe passage
of Muslims in Jerusalem, massacring them instead.
They established four crusader sts: Edessa, Antioch, Jerusalem and Tripoli and much of
the following Crusades revolved around the possession of these territories.
The Second Crusade, for example, began due to the fall of Edessa, Crusader attempts to
regain it from Muslim control failed.
When the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, Saladin, used his tremendous forces to seize Jerusalem
in an unprecedented siege, he prompted the Third Crusade, which was led by the great
kings of Europe, including Philip II of France, Frederick Barbarossa of Germany, and the legendary
Richard I of England.
Although they regained much territory, they ultimately failed to recapture Jerusalem and
instead made peace with Saladin.
The crusaders would continue to fight, mostly unsuccessfully for the Holy City throughout
the subsequent Crusades.
Not all crusades were centered around Jerusalem however: The Fourth Crusade occurred due to
power struggles in Byzantium.
The Catholic crusaders declared war on Orthodox Byzantium, ultimately sacking it in 1204.
Constantinople became part of a new Latin empire until the Byzantines recovered it in
1261.
Other crusades also happened elsewhere, such as the Reconquista, which ousted the Muslims
in the Iberian Peninsula, and then also the Baltic Crusades, which succeeded in converting
pagans to Christianity in Transylvania.
Not all crusades involved fighting either: In the Sixth Crusade, the Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II negotiated peacefully for control of Jerusalem - however it did not last, since
the peace treaty was only for ten years, after which the Ayyubid dynasty regained control.
The crusades attracted a huge number of Christian participants from all social classes for many
years, for a variety of reasons.
Religion was a big factor: In the west, the church used heavy and often racist propaganda
to encourage religious zeal, and promised entry to Heaven for anyone who went on crusade.
Many people went seeking wealth from plunder, while others went to accompany their lords.
In Europe, a romantic literary culture also developed around the crusades, making it a
glorious and noble endeavour.
Muslims on the other hand fought for the promotion and expansion of Islam and of their territory.
The final crusade of 1271 was a failure, led by Edward I of England, who was forced to
return home due to unrest in his other territories.
By this time, crusader morale was low, after a series of failed expeditions, and fewer
people were participating.
Twenty years later the crusader city of Acre fell to the Muslim Mamluks.
This marked the end of the crusader presence in the East, and of the crusades themselves.
The crusades expanded the reach and influence of both Christianity and Islam, opened up
new trade routes, and heightened interest in travel, literature and learning.
However they also caused a deep animosity between the Christian and Muslim faiths, and
weakened the Byzantine Empire, which helped lead to its ultimate fall to the Ottoman Empire
in 1453.
The crusades left a deep mark on history, and their glorious leaders and dramatic events
continue to inspire films and books today.