Crusades

The Crusades

The Crusades were a series of wars fought between the 11^th and 13^th centuries. It was started by the Muslim Turks taking control of Jerusalem, in 1071. The Turks also started to harass visiting Christian pilgrims.

The Emperor of Constantinople, Emperor Alexius I called for help from Pope Urban II to help him fight the Muslim Turks.

The first Crusade was done in two expeditions.
The first expedition (more commonly known as the Peasants’ Crusade) was led by Walter the Penniless. It started with a murder of Jews in Germany. Unfortunately, this expedition did not succeed as it was poorly planned. Instead, it left a trail of destruction all the way to Constantinople. Therefore it: FAILED.
The second expedition was led by knights. They did manage to defeat all the Turks. Therefore it: SUCCEEDED.
However, their success was short lived, as less than 50 years later, the Turks conquered Jerusalem again.

The second Crusade began because the Turks took a town called Edessa. Unfortunately, the Turks defeated the Crusaders at Damascus. Therefore it: FAILED.

The third Crusade started because the Kurdish leader, Saladin, conquered Jerusalem. Because of the lack of unity among the Crusade leaders, they did not succeed. Therefore it: FAILED.
Although, the did succeed in taking Acre.

The fourth Crusade started out being against the Turks, but instead, they ended up stealing things and burning buildings in Christian cities – even in Constantinople. So instead of fighting for religious reasons (like the other crusades) they ended up fighting for personal gain. Therefore this Crusade: FAILED.

Another Crusade is the Children’s Crusade. This crusade is actually quite sad. Basically children from France and Germany tried to reach Jerusalem to see if they could conquer it. Unfortunately, many thousands of children died on the way there. They thought that God would protect them as they were children. Many of these children died from hunger and others froze to death. Therefore the Crusade: FAILED.

Many more Crusades happened over the period of the next 70 years. But they did not succeed.

PRO’s and CON’s of the Crusades
There are many PRO’s and CON’s about the Crusades. Here are a few:

PRO’s
– Wealth improved.
– It helped to break down the feudal system
– Fantastic trade routes were established
– Jobs were created
– The poor had better chances to get wealthier.

CON’s
– Plagues (Eg: the Black Plague)
– Corruption (the governments, Priests, Popes, Bishops, etc.)
– Turned against the church
– Many people were killed.

When and why did the crusades stop?
In 1291, the Crusades did eventually stop. The European Leaders lost interest. The ‘crusading enthusiasm’ died down and they lost faith in the movement. Western Europe never admitted defeat and its leaders basically just stopped asking for more crusades.

Lasting effects
The crusades had lasting effects on society. They opened up trade routes, and helped to weaken the feudal system. Because of the crusades, many small villages grew in population. And because of the population growth, more garbage and waste would have been built up – making the already disgusting living conditions even worse. That allowed plagues enter the villages. Major plagues, such as the Black Death, killed thousands, even a whole village!

By Grace Ong

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