The Crusades

The crusades were a major event during the middle ages. The crusades were military expeditions fought to get the Holy Land back from the Muslims. Since the Turks had conquered Jerusalem, it was hard for Christians to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem. A pilgrimage is a journey taken for a religious purpose.

The meeting in which the idea for the crusades came about was called the Council of Clermont. As a result of the crusades, Pope Urban II hoped for an increase in the power of the church. He had also hoped for a stop in feudal warfare as well as the joining of churches together. Pope Urban II also guaranteed knights eternal salvation if they died in battle.

There were 3 crusades to the Holy Land. The first crusade lasted from the year 1096 until about 1099. This crusade was a success for about 80 years. The second crusade lasted from about 1147 until 1149. This crusade failed to regain the Holy Land because of Saladin, the intelligent leader of the Turks, who defeated the Europeans. The third crusade lasted from the year 1189 until about 1192. This crusade was led by Richard the Lion Hearted (a.k.a.1st of England). The third crusade also failed to get the Holy Land back but it did get the rights for pilgrims.

There were many major results of the crusades. One major result was that it failed militarily. Christians did not get the Holy Land back and the religious hatred increased. Another result of the crusades was that feudalism weakened. Trade among manors increased and they were no longer self-sufficient. A final result is that many new ideas will be introduced. Some new ideas included different spices and medical advances such as the cesarean section (better known as the C-Section). These new ideas will later lead to the beginnings of the Renaissance.

The crusades resulted in both beneficial and harmful outcomes to both the social and economic life of the Europeans. The crusades were a major event during the Middle Ages.