Pros And Cons Of The First Crusade

Benjamin, George W4A3

Professor Erin Morris

HIS2500/ Western Civilization I: Antiquity to the Renaissance

26 January 2015

The first crusade

What successes came out of the first crusade show were the crusades helpful, what was their intent, how did the world benefit?

The Crusades is defined as “a medieval military expedition, one made by Europeans to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims in the late 11th early 12th and 13th centuries” (dictionary.com. 2015). Often I pictured myself being cast in the events of the early crusaders, what would it be like? Hollywood romanticizes these times in movies and television shows but the fact of the matte is life was very difficult and the range of persecution of men everything from religion to personal

This was the site, the place where Jesus was said to have walked and lives most of his life. Noble causes by all accounts, the first (1st) crusade began with a call to Pope Urban in an effort to recapture the holy land of Jerusalem, by all accounts the venture was a successful one. The second (2nd) crusade saw the capture of the city of Edessa 1144A.D by Saladin the Sultan of Egypt, the leaders of this crusade attacked the city of Damascus with disastrous results, the Third Crusade 1189A.D Saladin captures Jerusalem said to be unsuccessful led by Phillip Ii of France, Richard I of England and the Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa of Germany was suspiciously drowned. This created a riff between the French and English armies. After making a truce with Saladin King Richard left for home but never made it, his ship wrecked and he was captured by Duke Leopold of Austria who imprisoned him. The Albigensian Crusade 1209 A.D was to eliminate the “heretical” Cathars in the South of France and took more than nine years to do so, the Children’s Crusade 1212 A.D was a uprising of children in France and Germany, the children were later sold into slavery or dying on the journey . The Fourth (4th) crusade in 1202A.D was calamities which saw Christians fighting against Orthodox Christians another unsuccessful effort. The fifth (5th) crusade 1217 A.D Led by Andrew II of

These wars were important to the expansion of Europe and the Roman Catholic Church. Scholars believe that Europe gained advancements in Building, Medicine and Learning. Trade routes opened the Italian landscape prospers as the idea of travel beyond the East seemed possible. A man named Christopher Columbus and another named Magellan could be said to have gained indirectly from the efforts of the crusades. The Muslim states boasted some of the best spices, silks and other exotic fruits. The crusades turned out to be a waste of time in the eyes of many and yet to others they brought ideals that otherwise may have gone undiscovered. The crusades in essence turned the relations with the Jewish and Muslim states back on its heels. The brutality and death left behind in the name of the holy Christ could not be seen. It was not all bad Europe experienced economic growth and increased trade. The first crusade could be termed a success by Christians at the time later crusades can be credited with finding food products such as ginger, dates apricots and household goods like cotton cloth carpets shawls new ideas such as water wheels and new irrigation techniques. Algebra, alchemy are muslim contributions to the west. Later expeditions to the East can boast numerous discoveries but good or bad the Crusades opened up a world otherwise unknown to the western world. If it were