Crusades Dbq

The crusades were a series of eight holy wars fought by the Christian crusaders and the Muslim Turks. They began as a way to gain control of the sacred places that were important to each religious group, most notably the Holy City of Jerusalem. The Third Crusade was a three year long war between the Christians and Muslims under very prominent rulers like Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. It was arguably one of the more successful crusades, even though the main goal was not achieved. Even though the Holy City of Jerusalem was not taken back from the Muslims, the Third Crusade was successful to an extent because of the battles won, the strong leaders involved, and the outcomes of the various treaties as signed by the Christians and Muslim leaders

Philip II was the king of France for about ten years before the Third Crusade started. He was not a great military leader like Richard the Lionheart was, but he was an amazing strategist; he also did not wish to be showy or boast about himself. Philip fought alongside Richard the Lionheart, but they got into some quarrels relating to who owned areas of land in England and France (“Philip II Summary”). They went to war in 1194 after the Third Crusade had ended. Frederick Barbarossa was a German king and the Holy Roman Emperor. He was called to the Third Crusade along with Philip and Richard the Lionheart under the declaration of Pope Gregory VIII. He was a very talented ruler, known for his temperament and bright red beard. He died in 1190 during the Third Crusade by drowning while crossing a river to help the other kings. His death set back the crusaders for a while, but also gave the Christians a new factor to fuel their fight with the

The crusaders did, however, regain some land in the Levant that they had previously lost to Saladin. The Treaty of Jaffa as signed by Richard and Saladin in 1192 allowed Christians free access to the Holy City. This was a huge step forward for the crusaders; they had practically wiped out any of what Saladin and the Muslims had gained in 1187 at the Battle of Hattin and through conquest of cities like Ascalon, Sidon, and Beirut, and they were granted permission to come and pray in the Holy City. As far as accomplishments, it was not as successful as the First Crusade, because Jerusalem was not recovered, but it was able to keep Christianity in the Holy Land for the next few years until the Fourth