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The Crusades A Religious Journey (Pilgrimage) to freedom. The Myth. The crusades were wars of unprovoked aggression against a peaceful, enlightened Muslim world Crusaders were bloodthirsty villains, hungry for money, power and land. Key Figures of the First Crusade.
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The Myth • The crusades were wars of unprovoked aggression against a peaceful, enlightened Muslim world • Crusaders were bloodthirsty villains, hungry for money, power and land
Key Figures of the First Crusade • The first crusade was launched by Pope Urban II. He made the following speech: “God himself will lead them, for they will be doing His work. There will be absolution and remission of sins for all who die in the service of Christ. Here they are poor and miserable sinners; there they will be rich and happy. Let none hesitate; they must march next summer. God wills it!”
GOD WILLS IT! “Deus Vult” – or “God wills it!” became the battle cry of the Crusades!
Problems faced by the First Crusade: • No single leader • No chain of command • No supply lines • No detailed strategy
The Strategic Problem… To big chunk of Muslim empire The First Crusade avoided Aleppo and Damascus, missing the opportunity to cut the Muslim empire in half. In the long run this meant the Crusades were doomed. Syrian belt To Egypt To Mecca
What happened after the First Crusade? • County of Edessa fell to the Turks and Kurds in 1144. • Second Crusade, 1145–1149, French and German armies, failed miserably. • Battle of Hattin, 1187: Saladin’s unified army (100,000) met the combined armies of the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem (<20,000)
The March to Hattin • Crusader army was wiped out • Jerusalem surrendered not long after (Chapter 32)
Conclusion • The Crusades were not an example of Christian aggression. They were a series of just wars in response to Muslim conquest. • Crusaders weren't in it to get rich, or for a bit of sport, killing, robbing and pillaging in a faraway land. • The Sack of Jerusalem and the Sack of Constantinople were bad and can’t be excused (although there were atrocities the other way too). • Overall, the Crusading effort in the Holy Land was a failure. • By the 16th century, the battleground of the Crusades was Europe itself (e.g. Lepanto [Greece], Vienna), as Christian civilisation fought for survival. • Eventually, Christendom won, but it was more through economic development than military might.
The Kingdom of Heaven • Not just the thugs everyone thought! Chapter 21!