The Crusades

Crusades

• Five crusades • Retake Holy Land• Spread Christianity• First of the five crusades very

successful• Latter four not so successful

Background

• 1095, Pope Urban II• Redirect violent energies

outsides of Europe• European Unity• Perceived enemy• Did succeed in driving

Muslims out of Europe

First Crusade

• 1095 1099 – Pope Urban II• Arrived in Jerusalem in 1099

and massacred Muslims• Several small crusade states

created ruled by Frankish overlords

• Some small attempts to expand

Challenges of Organizing Crusades

• Language barriers• Leadership• Fighting styles and

military backgrounds

1101

• Three separate waves that attempted to expand

• Crusade of the Faint-Hearted• Defeated by the Turks

Second Crusade

• 1147-1149• Called for by Germany and

France• Marched upon Jerusalem in

1147 • Did have more success in

Portugal• Huge amount of violence

against Jews and Muslims

Third Crusade

• 1187-1192• Sultan Saladin unites Muslim• Overwhelmed Christian holdings

in 1187• King Richard Lion-Heart of England • King Frederick of Germany • King Philip of France• Richard re-conquered minor

coastal cities

Saladin (Ghassan Massoud)

Fourth Crusade

• Venice supplied ships• Alexius III – Constantinople • Doomed Byzantine Empire• 1450, Turks overtook

Byzantine

Apologetics

• How does Christianity account for such violence

• Acknowledge the gruesome truth• Distinguish worldly Church from heavenly

Church (Augustine)• Alternatives (Other religions, atheism, etc.)