The Crusades
From Medieval Wiki
By Cyrus Robins and Conor Ezarik
Contents |
First Crusade
The First Crusade started when Muslims captured the city of Jerusalem. Constantinople, modern day Turkey was the city where the first crusaders gathered. In Constantinople, Pope Urban II said that they had to wage war against the Muslims to take back Jerusalem. This was a fight over the holy land so it was considered a holy war[1](This is a website with a holy war RPG). As a sign of being a crusader all 10,000 soldiers (Knights with swords [2] (like these), a coat of arms [3] (like this) and in preparation for battle cut out red crosses and sewed them on their tunics. They did not control any ports in the Middle East squires, East so the had to go by land. The route by land was not easy, they were plagued with disease, fatigue and heat stroke. Once they got to the Middle East they went to Nicea, a town near the top of modern day Israel. That city fell with some ease but the next city Anitoch was a problem. There was a seven month siege of the city which finally fell. The next and final stop was Jerusalem, They were at siege for a couple of months until the crusaders got over the walls using siege engines to make an opening. Once over it is said that they slaughtered 70,000 people including women and children. This quote is describing the fight:
"These men who were fighting for God were reduced to pillaging* and plunder* in order to get food." -Odo of Deuil
This was not enough, after some time The Second Crusade started, these Christians wanted to exterminate all the Muslims in the Middle East.
Second Crusade
The Second Crusade began when Muslim forces joined together and in 1144 they captured the city and later the county of Edessa and slaughtered Edessa's population. This got the Western world in a frenzy because they were strong and they started moving closer to Jerusalem. The apostle* of the second crusade was the abbot of Clairvaux, St. Bernard. The mood was like when the first crusade was starting again. St. Bernard was the second Peter the Hermit because he got everyone into the crusade. Knights, citizens, barons, emperors and kings, everyone who was Christian wanted a piece of the second crusade. Louis the seventh of France and Conrad the third of Germany were big contributors. The second crusade came to an abrupt end when the crusaders were annihilated in Asia Minor by the Turks who only left a couple thousand alive.
Saladin, the new leader of the Muslims retakes Jerusalem, giving a reason for the Third crusade to begin.
Third Crusade
Saladin the new leader of the Saracens, and a strict follower of the religion of Islam in The Islamic World, recaptured Jerusalem in 1187 after a battle near the lake of Galilee where Saladin's forces annihilated the crusaders. After a few more battles Saladin reclaimed almost all of what the crusaders had gotten from the first two crusades. The need for another crusade was a relevant issue. King Phillip Augustus of France, King Richard the Lionhart of England and Fredrick Barbossa of Germany all mounted an army and headed for Jerusalem. After Fredrick Barbossa drowned and the French were defeated, the English were the only ones left fighting for Jerusalem. The crusader's gain was a port city called Acre but it seemed that it was for naught because soon after King Richard and Saladin made a peace treaty that allowed Christians to enter Jerusalem but not to pray to any God. This brought an end to the third crusade.
A new pope, Pope Innocent the third again tried to unite the forces of Christianity against Islam, sparking the start of the fourth crusade.
Fourth Crusade
The leader of the Fourth Crusade was the famous pope, Innocent III. He said: "Christians, hasten to help your brothers in the East, for they are being attacked. Arm for the rescue of Jerusalem under your captain Christ. Wear his cross as your badge. If you are killed your sins will be pardoned."
He sought once more to unite the forces of Christendom against Islam. None of the Crusades, after the Third, effected much in the Holy Land; either their force was spent before reaching it, or they were diverted from their purpose by different objects and ambitions. The crusaders of the Fourth expedition captured Constantinople instead of Jerusalem. The leaders of the crusade decided to make Egypt their objective point, since this country was then the center of the Muslim power. The crusaders first seized Zara on the eastern coast of the Adriatic. Zara was a Christian city, but the Venetians were rivals of them and that was the only agreement that would allow them to use their ports. The crusaders, took Constantinople by storm. No "infidels" could have been treated in a worse way. They burned down a great part of it; they slaughtered the inhabitants;They tore down the monuments. They changed everything to the way they needed it to try to move on to Jerusalem. Constantinople, after the Fourth Crusade, declined in strength and could no longer cope with the barbarians menacing it. Two centuries later the city fell an easy victim to the Turks. The responsibility for the disaster which gave the Turks a foothold in Europe rests on the heads of the Venetians and the French nobles.
The Children's Crusade
In between the fourth and fifth crusades, a farm boy named Stephen tried to start another crusade. He was from a town called Cloyes and he went to the king and brought a letter that he said Christ had given to him in person. King Phillip was not amused and sent him out, but that didn't stop Stephen. Stephen began to preach about children starting another crusade right in front of the abbey of Saint-Denis. He spoke so well that it was said that thirty thousand children came to fight for Christianity. They went on foot and relied on charity for food. It was a very hot Summer which caused a drought and so they did not have water either. After a long time of marching, many deaths and starving children, the crusade reached a town named Marseilles. They bought some ships and set out for sea, that was the last anyone heard from them for the next eighteen years. They then heard it had failed and some decided to stay in Italian villages, some tried to return home, not many made it back to England.
Fifth Crusade
Pope Innocent the 3rd tried to start the 5th Crusade, but died and it was started by his successor, Honorius the 3rd in 1217 A.D. The crusaders sailed to Acre and decided to attack Egypt, the crusaders left on May 24, 1218. The first target was Damietta, which guarded the way to Cairo, the ultimate objective. The Sultan Lived in Cairo, capture it, and Egypt falls. While waiting for the siege of Damietta, the crusaders were delighted to know that the Sultan had died. The new Sultan was the commander in the field, al-Kamil. The crusaders sailed past Damietta and tried to attack, but a storm flooded the camp. The new leader, Cardinal Pelagius, came forth. The Egyptians lost the defensive Perimeter around Damietta. Al-Kamil offered a trade with Pelagius, he offered Jerusalem except for two castles and a thirty year truce, in exchange they leave Egypt immediately and do not attack for thirty years. The Crusaders were still trying to take Damietta. They sent a force to take Damietta from behind; they tried three times, they failed three times. Al-Kamil sent his offer again, but added the True Cross to finance the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls, as well as the release of many prisoners. It was refused. Damietta was desperate. The Crusaders cut off supplies and Egypt faced famine. The Crusaders found an empty tower. They sent a force into the deserted tower, opened the gate and stormed in. Only 3000 people were still in Damietta out of the original 80,000. Of these, only 100 were not sick. Pelagius was unable to lead because he had no direct command. The Crusaders were waiting for Emperor Frederick, a real commander. Frederick never came but sent an army of 5000 knights and 40,000 foot soldiers. They were trapped by natural barriers and had to retreat without fighting. Their supplies were burned, the river flooded and the Egyptians attacked. They reopened negotiations and settled terms. Both sides returned prisoners. Crusaders got the True Cross and left Egypt, thus ending the Fifth Crusade.
Sixth Crusade
Frederick II made a crusading vow in 1215, but had things to deal with at home and delayed reinforcements to the Fifth Crusade. He married the Queen-to-be of Jerusalem in 1225. The queen died after giving birth to Frederick's son, Conrad. As far as Frederick was concerned, it was a success; he had a son and was King of Jerusalem. He renewed his Crusader vow, but couldn't make the date. He renewed it again and left on time. En route he fell ill with malaria and was excommunicated by the Pope when he explained what happened. As soon as he recovered, he set out again and was excommunicated again for not finishing his sentence. He kept on going. With few forces to take with him, due to his excommunication, there would be no great battles. When Frederick arrived, the Sultan, Al-Kamil, was trying to capture Damascus. The Emperor and the Sultan came to terms in February 1229. The Christians received Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth and castles in Montfort and Toron. Frederick was given the ability to rebuild Jerusalem's walls. Muslims still possessed the Dome of the Rock and Mosque al-Aqsa and a 10-year truce. Both sides freed their prisoners. Frederick II came into Jerusalem March 17, 1229. On Sunday he went to church and found there was no priest, so he crowned himself Jerusalem's king. This made him hated by the Palestinian Barons. This is how the Sixth Crusade came to pass.
Seventh Crusade
The Seventh Crusade was led by St. Louis (King Louis the 9th) in the year 1248 A.D., It was mostly fought by French crusaders but there were some Englishmen and Scots fighting. After crossing the seas and going through many complicated preparations King Louis arrived in Egypt which was his primary objective. His army had been separated and the other parts of his army were making their way towards him but in the meantime he had only about one fourth of his army with him. A large fight emerged on the beach where this king landed on and the Crusaders remained victorious. The Crusaders made their way to Damietta but when they arrived they found that it was empty and undefended. They took it easily and their hopes increased because the last time they captured Damietta the Sultan offered to trade it back for Jerusalem. This time they hoped to get more but ended not getting anything. Near Damietta there is a city called Mansourah that the Crusaders attacked but King Louis' brother was killed in an ambush. King Louis retreated after he learned of his brother's death. The entire Christian army was then captured by the Egyptians while the King was still among them and the force was so large the Egyptians had groups of three hundred executed each day for an entire week to get it down to a manageable size. The Egyptians used King Louis as a bargaining tool to get back Damietta. The Crusaders and Egyptians traded the King for the Land and King Louis went to Acre as he and many of his soldiers got ill. The Sultan (Egypt's Leader) was killed by the Mamluks, who were his allies, for they were being treated unfairly. Then the Mamluk leader Baibars, had a new puppet Sultan though he was really making all the calls. King Louis' forces and politics saved many Crusader and Crusader-states from disaster but then left home for France in 1254 A.D.
Eighth Crusade
The Eighth Crusade was an extremely short Crusade that had no fighting whatsoever. Louis IX and his army traveled from Southern France to Tunis in North Africa. Soon, disease struck the army and killed both Louis and his son John Tristan. The Sicilian fleet arrived to evacuate the remnants of the army. The crusade did absolutely nothing to help the trouble in the East.
Bibliography
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/cru2.htm
http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/the-second-crusade.htm
http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/the-third-crusade.htm
http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/the-fourth-crusade.htm
http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/children.html
Gravett, Christopher. Knight. New York City: Dorling Kindersely Limited, 1993
Wilkinson, Philip. Christianity. New York City: Dorling Kindersley limited, 2003.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04543c.htm
http://crusades.boisestate.edu/5th/
http://crusades.boisestate.edu/6th/
http://crusades.boisestate.edu/7th/
"Crusades." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 15 Dec. 2008 <http://www.search.eb.com/eb/article-235540>.
Vocabulary
Apostle-
1.any of the early followers of Jesus who carried the Christian message into the world.
2.(sometimes initial capital letter) any of the original 12 disciples called by Jesus to preach the gospel: Simon Peter, the brothers James and John, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas Iscariot.
3.the first or the best-known Christian missionary in any region or country.
4.Eastern Church. one of the 70 disciples of Jesus.
5.the title of the highest ecclesiastical official in certain Protestant sects.
6.(among the Jews of the Christian epoch) a title borne by persons sent on foreign missions.
7.one of the 12 administrative officials of the Mormon Church.
8.a pioneer of any reform movement.
9.Nautical. a knighthead, esp. one having its top projecting and used as a bitt or bollard.
Pillage-
1.to strip ruthlessly of money or goods by open violence, as in war; plunder: The barbarians pillaged every conquered city.
2.to take as booty.
3.to rob with open violence; take booty: Soldiers roamed the countryside, pillaging and killing.
4.the act of plundering, esp. in war.
5.booty or spoil.
Plunder-
1.to rob of goods or valuables by open force, as in war, hostile raids, brigandage, etc.: to plunder a town.
2.to rob, despoil, or fleece: to plunder the public treasury.
3.to take wrongfully, as by pillage, robbery, or fraud: to plunder a piece of property.
4.plundering, pillage, or spoliation.
5.that which is taken in plundering; loot.
6.anything taken by robbery, theft, or fraud.
Excommunication-
1. removed from all events with the church.
![[2]](http://img.alibaba.com/photo/11290751/Swords_Fancy_Medieval_Swords.jpg){kind=link}
![[3]](http://www.realmcollections.com/images/pcf/medieval-shields.jpg){kind=link}