Crusades Weapons

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The Crusades were a series of religious wars fought from 1095 to 1487. The first of the crusades began in 1095 when the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire, Alexios I, sent someone to request Pope Urban II to assist them with military support against the Turks. Pope Urban II quickly asked Catholic soldiers to join the first crusade. The first goal was to give the pilgrims access to areas in the Holy Land that Muslims were controlling. A more long-term goal would be to have the Eastern and Western parts of Christendom reunite. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over came to join the crusades. Even peasants joined the crusades. Pope Urban II claimed that if you were part of the crusades, you would be forgiven of your sins. Crusaders usually …show more content…

They used swords, daggers, lances, maces, war hammers, axes, and crossbows. Swords were personalized according to who owned the sword. Rich men had extra things like jewels added. A dagger was used when a knight breaks/loses his sword. The lance was used in 2 different ways. A team of people would gather to block the cavalry. The other thing they did with the lance was to throw it. A mace was used to produce huge, deadly blows to enemies. Maces were popular because it was easier to get through the armor than it was with swords or daggers. A war hammer had the same use as a mace. The axe had a point on the top of it so soldiers could pierce enemies. The crossbow had great range. The crossbow would be used on horseback or used by an infantryman. The crusades originally began with the Christians and the Muslims. The Christians were there because they wanted to retake the land of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was lost from the Byzantine Empire when the Turks invaded and took it. Jerusalem was important to the Christians because it was known as the Holy Land. It was know as the Holy Land because it was holding Jesus’ tomb and it was where Jesus was said to be crucified. The Turks took Jerusalem for more land. The Turks were Muslim so they didn’t want the Christians in the city. The Turks began persecuting the