The Early Crusades: Summary
The reason for the Crusades was said to be a holy war against the person who did no believe, also known as an infidel. This meant that the Christians targeted the Muslims directly. It all began when Alexius I asked pope Urban II if he could have some help fighting the Seljuk Turks. Pope Urban II decided this was a good opportunity to get the knights and warriors in Europe to free Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslims. Many of the Christians had been taking pilgrimages to Jerusalem, but it wasn't under Christian control. The pope also said that any warrior who fought in the Crusades would get all of his sins taken away. Many people responded radically to this, such as Peter the Hermit, who got a group of followers into a mob and convinced all of them that they were going to go on a Crusade to the east. This Crusade was known as the "Peasants' Crusade" and was made up of many poor peasants who went slowly through the Balkan mountains, and even attacked people there as they went through. They also decided to use some of their radicalism on the Jews, sadly killing a large number of Jews and torturing others. In order to prevent any more damage, Alexis had them moved to Asia Minor so that the Turks could take care of them.
The First Crusade
The Pope was wise enough not to let the peasants fight, but rather the noble knights. Many of these men were from France, and they were all united under one religious purpose. Some also wanted to go on an adventure, while others wanted the land and spoils that came with victory. This was a good situation for the pope because all of the knights were now fighting over against the Turks instead of among themselves, allowing for more peace in Europe. This also increased trade in the Islamic territories.
The First Crusade began in the year 1096, and there were 3 groups of men that left Europe ready to fight. There were a few thousand on horseback, and another 10,000 on foot. They took control of Antioch in 1098, and got to Jerusalem in 1099. They finally took over the city after five weeks and destroyed the population inside. Once they took over Jerusalem, the crusaders turned away from the ideas that the Byzantine emperor had and decided to make their own civilization with 4 states: Edessa, Antioch, Tripoli, and Jerusalem. They couldn't get resources from the Muslims, so Italian port cities became key players in trade, making them rich.
The First Crusade began in the year 1096, and there were 3 groups of men that left Europe ready to fight. There were a few thousand on horseback, and another 10,000 on foot. They took control of Antioch in 1098, and got to Jerusalem in 1099. They finally took over the city after five weeks and destroyed the population inside. Once they took over Jerusalem, the crusaders turned away from the ideas that the Byzantine emperor had and decided to make their own civilization with 4 states: Edessa, Antioch, Tripoli, and Jerusalem. They couldn't get resources from the Muslims, so Italian port cities became key players in trade, making them rich.
The Second Crusade
The Muslims still surrounded the Crusader states, and they began to attack in the 1120's. Edessa was the first to be taken in 1144. Because of this, St. Bernard of Clairvaux wanted the people to send more knights to fight in a second crusade. Even King Louis VII in France and the German emperor Conrad III went to fight. This crusade had no success, however.
The Third Crusade
The Muslim leader Saladin took over Jerusalem in 1187, which caused the need for a third crusade. This made all Christians anxious, and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, King Richard Coeur-de-lion and Philip II Augustus decided to lead this crusade. This was the same famous King Richard from the tale of Ivanhoe. In 1189, when the crusaders got to the Middle east, many problems came about. Emperor Frederick drowned, and the English and French had no luck once they got farther into the land. King Richard did make a deal with Saladin so that pilgrims were allowed to go to Jerusalem without being harmed by the Muslims.