The Crusades
The crusading movement was a momentous event in the history of medieval Europe. The Crusades were a series of wars which began in 1095 and ended in the late 13th century. In a broad sense the Crusades were an expression of militant Christianity and European expansion. They combined religious interests with secular and military enterprises. The main objective of the First Crusade was for the Western European Christians to recapture from the Muslims the city of Jerusalem, which was sacred to Christians as the site of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The First Crusade was successful in its explicit aim of freeing the Holy Land. Although the primary cause of success of the First Crusade was the political divisions and fragmentation within Islam, recognition should be bestowed upon the crusaders themselves. Overall, the way in which Urban motivated and prepared the crusaders was ingenious in itself. Papal encouragement, the hope of eternal merit, and the offer of indulgences motivated thousands to the cause. It was the mass of crusaders, whose faith lay in the relics and the visions, who marched around the walls of Jerusalem. For them this was, despite the atrocities that were committed, a holy pilgrimag
Urban declared this warfare irreproachable in the eyes of God. For the first time in many years, the popes were now able to effectively unite European popular support behind them. His words manifested in the Christians a religious fervor and pride which enabled the crusaders to endure hardships and recover Jerusalem. Their altruistic motives are demonstrated by the fact that scarcely a month after the capture of Jerusalem, most crusaders were on their journey home. The motivations of the Muslims were inspired by greed and a desire to expand Muslim power. They were also motivated somewhat by their faith and religious ideals, however their main objective seemed to be territorial conquest. Nearly all classes and nationalities of Europeans responded in a movement far greater and more varied than Urban may have expected. The motivations of the participants of the First Crusade were many and complex, but prevailing religious beliefs were clearly of major importance. [and] they circumcise Christians" (Robert, 27). After having painted this grim, somber picture, the Pope was prepared to make his appeal. Not only did these events motivate the masses to join this pilgrimage of war, it fueled the Christians hatred of the Muslims as well. These messages from God were employed later in the Crusade by way of relics and celestial visions. The power of religious fervor gave the bulk of the crusaders the stubbornness and persistence to endure the hardships on route to the Holy Land and was their prime motivating force.
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