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The Crusades Between the 11th and 15th century, Popes organized seven major Crusades, which were expeditions with the goal to take the Holy Lands away from the “unbelievers” or infidels. Any war against Mohammedans, pagans, heretics, and those against the Catholic Church were Crusades. But the actual purpose of the Crusades went much deeper than purely religious reasons. The Crusades can be traced back to desperate attempts to somehow unite the European states. The Crusades brought forth new discoveries, political change, lack of Catholic influence in European states, and war throughout the “known” world. With constant bickering and rivalry between the sovereigns in Europe, monarchy and religious leaders feared the talk of war, which would bring utter chaos and destruction. The Popes hoped that through the Crusades he would achieve union of all European sovereigns under the direction of the Pope. The ideas of the Crusades were spread solely through preachers who traveled throughout Europe. (Brehier 52-54) After taking a vow that swore he would live to protect and serve the Pope and Catholic Church’s will, the Pope presented each warrior a cross. Once the warrior was blessed, he was known as a soldier of the Church and granted many privileges and exceptions while serving the Church. Some of these exceptions were the right to kill Morehart 2 innocent people, for it was in the name of the Church. The title crusades comes from the cross the selected warriors were given. This cross was made from cloth and used as a badge on their outer garments, which gave them a title as servants to the Church (Riley-Smith, 68). In 1095, an unofficial Crusade was begun by a monk. There are many myths and stories about this radical monk, known as Peter the Hermit. With his moving speeches, he was able to build an army out of country folk and farmers from northern Germany and France. His crusade is known as the People’s Crusade. Since his Crusade was not funded or supported by the Church, Peter and his followers attacked people’s homes stealing food and other rations. The People’s Crusade never even left Europe, but it did do much damage. One incident of a massacre was in Bulgaria when Peter and his followers chased 150 people into a church, where they were burned alive. Much of the people’s anger and violence was aimed at the Jewish community. Before Peter’s movement, Jews had lived in relative peace with Christians. Even though they were looked down upon, they were never looked to as a threat until now. These persecutions were never condoned or supported by the Church. The Bishops who opposed the slaughtering of the Jews were attacked or forced out of their country. One of the Bishops who tried to protect Jews was the Bishop of Spier.
Approximate Word count = 1819
Approximate Pages = 7.3
(250 words per page double spaced)
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