The Crusades1096---------- 1250

Survey of Church History ( CHIS 505 )

Dr . Trevor O’ Reggio

From Rickie Holmes

THE CRUSADES 1096 -- 1250

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THE CRUSADES OR HOLY WARS

The Crusades were Military encounters between the Christians and Muslins during the middle ages for the defense and expansion of Christianity .

What made Crusades distinct was that warriors were called to fight

and as a result , the Pope gave them spiritual merit or indulgence.

It was considered to be a Holy War and those who died were considered Martyrs

They were fighting to free the Holy Land

• The fighting lasted for over 200 years and millions were killed .

• For Christians they were called “ Holy Wars ’’

• For Islam they were called “ ji-had ’’ ( holy war )

• Muslims from Syria, Egypt, and Iraq fought to drive the Christians away from Jerusalem and other key locations

Heroes of the Crusades

• Richard the Lion Heart of England --- The Warrior King

Other Notable Leaders

• Louis ix Monarch of France – He fought in desperate battles .

• His men fought in the forest and deserts

• His men endured supply shortages and starvation

• Many died from sickness and disease

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Knights Templar

• Devout Medieval wealthy, powerful and mysterious men who also carried out military operations.

• Their mission was to protect European travelers visiting the Holy Land . ( Financial Genius )

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My Goal is to give a brief History and Summary of the CRUSADES .• History ( briefly )

• Islam was born in 610 when Muhammad ,an Arab of Mecca experienced a series of revelations from Allah. He wrote the Koran . Goal : convert or die

• In 638 the ever expanding Muslim empire conquered Jerusalem from the Greek Christians of Byzantium

• Response was delayed

• First Crusade – in Nov. 1095 , Pope Urban II , preached a sermon in Clermont (S. France ) that transform the history of Europe. He claimed that Christianity was being threatened.

• He asked the common people to go to war and take back Jerusalem. “ Soldiers of Christ”

The Call for help , Rescue and War

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The Appeal for Help from Emperor Alexius I

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The Eastern Church (Greek) No pope

The Western Church (Latin ) Pope

Eastern Church ---- Constantinople

Western Church ----- Rome

There was division and disagreement over theology and ecclesiastical order and worship

Greek Christian Emperor Alexius I

• Was facing lots of foreign enemies . Because of years of taxiation he had lots of money to fund a war.

• He was located in Constantinople and wanted to restore the authority of the Byzantine Church

• First order of business : retake Jerusalem form the Muslim Turks of Asia.

• He asked Urban to send a detachment of Latin troops to help repel the threat posed by Islam

• Over the centries millions responded

First Crusade of Four Note : there were many other smaller crusades • The first Crusade brought Latin Christianity control of Jerusalem.

• This Crusade was successful and they also controlled Antioch and Edessa. These are known as “ Crusader States ’’

• Even though this Crusade was successful the had under-estimated the fighting spirit of the Muslims.

• They did not understand how to hold onto conquered lands.

• The captured towns were poorly resourced .

• By 1100 the future of the crusader states were easily retaken by Islam

• There was lots of bloodshed and many were killed some desserted

War Strategies and Leadership

• The Roman way of fighting was toe to toe fight to the death

• The Enemy was more evasion , delay and indirect

• The use of drums , horns and Flags help the commanders to

Signal their well trained and disciplined soldiers

Note : fast drum beat meant advance, you have the advantage

gongs sounding meant retreat

Second Crusade 1147 – 1150

• This Crusade shifted to the Iberian Penisula, Lower Egypt, Anatolia, Levant, Palestine and Egypt

• The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa in 1144 to the forces of Zengi.

• It was the first Crusader State to be founded and the first to Fall

• The loss of Edessa was a painful psychological shock

Edessa captured by the. Infidels

• Leaders : Pope Eugenius ii , Bernard of Clairvaux

• Military from France and Germany

• King --- Louis vii and King --- Konrad iii

• In 1148 the Second Crusade reached the Holy Land

• They attacked at Demascus

The Islamic military defeated them shamefully in four days

The Second Crusade was over --- Europe humiliated

#3 May 11, 1189 – Sept 2, 1192

• Saladin the Kurd is considered to be the great hero of Moslem history

• He was a leader of men and a gifted statesman

• He represented the embodiment of Moslem virtues the ideal leader of the holy war against the infidel

• On October 2, 1187, after eighty-eight years of Christian domination, Jerusalem fell to Saladin

• On July 4, 1187 – the whole Crusade Army of 20,000 foot soilders and 1,200 knights were massacred or taken captive.

#3 continue

• A great new Crusade was preached all over Europe – in response: It took almost 2 years for the Crusaders to arrive in the Holy Land

• Lead by almost seventy : Emperor Frederick – Germany, Richard the Lion hearted of England, Augustus the great of France ; and members of the highest European nobility traveled east.

• After a great loss of man-power and depleted wealth there was peace

#3 Peace Treaty

• Saladin had held off the Crusaders

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Jerusalem Divided

• A peace treaty was signed Sept . 1192

• Jerusalem was divided from Beirut to Joffa

• The goal of the Crusade to Conquer Jerusalem failed , it remained in Moslem hands.

• After analysis of the events Some began to ask whether the Crusades were divinely inspired

The fourth Crusade

• From beginning to the end the 4th Crusade has numerous mysteries

• The spiritual father was the famous medieval Pope – Innocent iii

• European leaders: Theobald of Champagne, Baldwin of Flanders, Philip of Swabia , Boniface of Montferrat .

• The goal was to directly attack Egypt

• However, by 1201 after years pf preparation they gathered in the port of Venice and a year later attacked the Christian city of Constantinople

Confusion in the Camp

• The accusations and counter – accusations began immediately after the capture of the Byzantine capital and continue until today .

• Some Say The cause was :

• The Germans

• The Greed of the Northern Barons

• A Byzantine pretender or spy

• The port city of Venice ---- Who Knows ???

4th Crusade April 1202 -- 1204

• The Crusaders landed in Constantinople

• Alexius iv Angelus became the first ruler of the Empire July 1203

•

• When he refused to pay renumeration he was replaced

New Leader in Constantinople

• April 1204

• Baldwin of Flanders became the first emperor of the new state

• A Venetian became it’s first Latin Patriarch

Baldwin of Flanders

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Other Crusades

• Children ‘s Crusade of 1212

• The children found their way to the lands of Islam and were sold as slaves

• The Crusade of 1215 preached by Innocent iii

• finally got started after his death in1217 , the intended to win back Egypt.

Brief Observations about the Crusades

• Europe changed in many ways

• Europe was united against a common enemy

• The banking system and check writing and cashing was invented

• New kinds of trade routes and new foods

• The Arabs taught Europe more about : Science, Medicine, Mathematics and Europeans began to see the world differently

• However, a Church SPLIT occurred

Christianity Split into two branches

• In 1054 the Roman Catholic Church ( St. Peter ), and the Eastern Orthodox Church ( St. Paul ) split apart

WHY : As a result of an old unresolved conflict

In 800 Pope Leo iii crowned Charlemagne – King of the Franks -- as the Holy Roman Emperor

King and Emperor Charlemagne

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Other Facts Relevant to Crusade History

• The fall of the city Constantinople ( Instanbul , Turkey ) was May 29, 1453 by Sultan Mehamed ii of the Otterman Empire ( Muslim )

• This former city was founded in 324 by Constantine the Great as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire

• Islam is the largest religion in Turkey 97.8 % Muslim

Continue

• The Eastern ( Greek ) Orthodox Church is the 2nd largest Christian Church.

• They do not follow the Catholic Pope

• The Bishop Of Instanbul is first among equals

• They follow the Nicene Creed as statement of Faith

• Membership 200 to 260 million baptized members

• 50% of their members live in Russia

• They still do not share communion with the Roman Catholic Church

This has been a brief overview of Crusades

• Many facts and names of very important key leaders were omitted

• This overview is design to help us understand there is a difference between Christian History and Church History

• The Christian God says : FOR WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED

• Romans 10: 13 KJV

A Glorious Future for all who Accept Jesus

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