Crusade
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A crusade is a religious war. It can also mean a political or religious cause that people believe in very strongly.
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[edit] The Crusades
The Crusades usually means a special group of religious wars. These wars were fought by Christians from Europe. They wanted to get control of the Holy Land and Constantinople. (Constantinople is the old name for Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey.)
When the Crusades happened, Muslims controlled the Holy Land. The Holy Land is a place that is very important for the three major monotheistic religions: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. There are many important religious sites in the Holy Land. This is the land now called Israel or Palestine.
Muslims got control of Nazareth, Bethlehem and other religious sites during the Caliphate of Omar (634-44). (A Caliph is a kind of religious and political leader in an Islamic state.)
[edit] Many Crusades
There were many different crusades. The most important and biggest Crusades happened from the 11th century to the 13th century. There were 9 major Crusades in this time. They are numbered 1 through 9. There were also many smaller Crusades. Some crusades were even within Europe (for example, in Spain and France). The smaller Crusades continued through the 16th century, until the Renaissance and Reformation.
The word "Crusade" is related to the word "Cross", and means a Christian holy war. There is also the Arabic word "Jihad", referring to a holy war fought by Muslims. All sides (Christians, Muslims, and Jews) believed very much in their religions. They also had political reasons for fighting. The strong belief made people less able to understand other people during times when there was no peace. The Crusades and Jihads caused very much loss of life and property for all sides. Much of the conflict between religions today is still partly from the Crusades and Jihads. The Crusades led to the bloodshed of many innocent people and it affected peoples views forever ( Dr. Omar Hajjar of Columbia).
[edit] First Crusade
When the Byzantine emperor Alexius I called for help to defend his empire against the Seljuk Turks, in 1095 Pope Urban II asked all Christians to join a war against the Turks. The Pope told the Christians that fighting the war would repay God for their sins. The Christian soldiers were called "crusaders". The armies marched to Jerusalem, attacking several cities on their way. In 1099, they won the battle for Jerusalem, and killed many. As a result of the First Crusade, several small countries, Crusader states, were created. One was named the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
[edit] Second Crusade
After some years of peace, a man named St Bernard of Clairvaux called for a new crusade when the town of Edessa was attacked by the Turks. French and German armies marched to Asia in 1147, but failed to win.
[edit] Third Crusade
In 1187, Saladin recaptured Jerusalem. Pope Gregory VIII started a new crusade, led by several of Europe's kings: Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor. Frederick drowned in Cilicia in 1190. Richard left in 1192 after agreeing to stop the fighting with Saladin. On Richard's way home, his ship was wrecked, leading him to Austria. In Austria his enemy Duke Leopold captured him, and Richard was held for money
[edit] Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was started by Pope Innocent III in 1202, with the idea to attack the Holy Land through Egypt. The Venetians changed this crusade, and went to the Christian city of Constantinople, where they attempted to place a Byzantine exile on the throne. After a series of misunderstandings and outbreaks of violence, the city was sacked in 1204.
[edit] Albigensian Crusade
The Albigensian Crusade was started in 1209 to eliminate the Cathars of southern France.
[edit] Children's Crusade
The Children's Crusade is a misinterpreted crusade of 1212. The story is that an outburst of the old popular enthusiasm led a gathering of children in France and Germany. They belied to got sold in Eygt for expensive prices before they ran away
[edit] Fifth Crusade
The Church tried another crusade to attack the Holy Land. A crusading force from Hungary, Austria, and Bavaria captured Damietta, a city in Egypt, in 1219. The crusaders had to surrender, due to a losing the battle for Cairo.
[edit] Sixth Crusade
In 1228, Emperor Frederick II set sail from Brindisi for Syria. He did this after the Pope excommunicated him. By talking to the Turks he had success, and Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem was given to the Crusaders for ten years without fighting. This was the first major crusade not initiated by the Papacy, a trend that was to continue for the rest of the century.
[edit] Seventh Crusade
The Templars argued with Egypt in 1243. In 1244, Egypt attacked Jerusalem. Louis IX of France started a crusade against Egypt from 1248 to 1254. It was a failure, and Louis spent much of the crusade living in Acre. In the midst of this crusade was the first Shepherds' Crusade in 1251.
[edit] Eighth Crusade
The eighth Crusade was organized by Louis IX in 1270, to help the Crusader states in Syria. However, the crusade was diverted to Tunis, where Louis spent only two months before dying.
[edit] Ninth Crusade
Before he was king, Edward I of England started a crusade in 1271. He retired the following year after a truce. The Crusader states lost everything after this.
[edit] External links
- Amin Maalouf, The Crusades Through Arab Eyes. 1983
- The Albigensian Crusade The Crusade against Cathars of the Languedoc in the South of France
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