Crusades

The Crusades were undertaken by Western European Christians from 1095 to 1291. Their goal was to liberate the Holy Land (Palestine) from Muslims. Crusades are considered the most important historical stage of the Middle Ages.

In the events of that time involved commoners, and kings, and servants, and knights, and the clergy, and feudal nobility. Thus, the Crusades united all the layers of society that existed in the Middle Ages.

People who took the vow had different motives. Someone wanted to enrich themselves, someone craved adventures, many moved exclusively religious feelings.

Going to the Crusades, the Crusaders dressed in red crosses on their chests, returning from them - on their backs.

Legends surrounded this historical epoch with a halo of romanticism, courage, chivalrous spirit and greatness. However, in many ways the stories are too exaggerated. In addition, there is the fact that, despite the heroism, the appeals of the popes and the unshakable faith in their endeavor, Christians have not been able to liberate the Holy Land. On the contrary, their campaigns led to the fact that Muslims were even more firmly established in the position of the undisputed rulers of Palestine.

Causes of the Crusades.

The beginning was laid by the Roman popes. They were considered the leaders of all such events. The popes and other inspirers promised earthly and heavenly rewards to those who are ready to put themselves at risk for the sake of this holy enterprise. Involvement of volunteers took place against the backdrop of the then prevailing religious zeal in Europe. Despite the motives that guided the volunteers, they were all confident that they were fighting for the cause of the right.

The immediate cause of the Crusaders' campaigns began was the growing power of the state of the Seljuk Turks. In the 1070s, this power conquered the lands of Asia Minor and the Middle East. After these people from Central Asia began to expand the boundaries of their territory. The Muslims threatened the Byzantine Empire, which forced their ruler to turn to Western Christians for help.

The conquests of the Seljuk Turks took place against a background of a common religious West European revival in the 10th and 11th centuries.

In the 11th century, the number of pilgrims to the Holy Land increased significantly. "The Wrong Turks" was portrayed as a defiler of ancient shrines, a pagan barbarian.

Many barons and kings saw the world of the widest opportunities in the Middle East. They assumed that they would be rewarded with power, income, lands for the liberation of the Holy Land. In addition, the practice of inheritance in accordance with the primogeniture was expanded in many states. Thus, many younger sons, in particular, in the north of France, did not expect to participate in the division of the land of the fathers-feudal lords. Participation in the Crusade gave them hope for the acquisition of land, and with it the position in society.

The crusade for the peasant was an opportunity to get rid of life-long dependence. Becoming cooks and servants, they formed convoys of troops of the Crusaders.

The history of the Crusades began in 1095. Pope Urban 2 proclaimed the first movement at the Clermont cathedral.

In total there were eight campaigns. According to some testimonies in 1212 the Crusade was carried out even by teenagers. Their leader was the shepherd Etienne of Clois. According to legend, they assumed that their faith and innocence would do what they could not do with armed adults. According to one source, after ships with children reached the shores of Egypt, shipowners sold teenagers into slavery. Different sources tell about this Crusade differently.

The campaigns of Christians ceased in 1291 after the capture of Muslims by Aqrah.

Despite the fact that the crusaders were unable to achieve the goals set at the beginning of military expeditions, their campaigns made a whole historical epoch, influencing various aspects of European life.