The Road to Salvation starts With Death: Analytic Book Review of the First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading The middle ages was marked by a shocking poverty, a sporadic decrease in the birth rate, and a high mortality rate due to famine and disease. However this did not stop the fervor that gripped the heart of Europe which was the crusading mentality.
Crusading can arguably be seen as the “hip hop” culture of the medieval ages, other than devotion through Monasteries, Crusading was the best way to show your loyalty to God in the Middle ages. With Christianity deep in European hearts, it was only a matter of time before soldiers of Medieval Europe laid their eyes upon the birthplace and death of the Christianity’s forefront figure (Jesus Christ), the holy land. The first Crusade was initiated when Pope Urban called the armies of Europe to defend Byzantine lands and regain the holy land after it was conquered by Saracens from the Egyptian Caliphate.
However we don’t exactly have much information, but Jonathan Riley Smith provides a detailed amount of information that allows us to draw a picture in our mind about what the Crusades were really like. Of course, Riley examines crusade culture and how it is had a profound effect on the Social Classes but he emphasizes the importance of the Crusades which was to free the churches from “pillaging Muslim armies” and to protect Eastern Christians so to ensure that they are free to pray to their Christian god.
The Essay on Crusades Western Europe
... on to say that the crusades brought Europe out of the provincialism of the Dark Ages. Though many scholars no longer ... years, scholars were certain the Crusades made Western Europe much more sophisticated. They believed the crusades brought about higher standards in ... religious crusades consisted of a series of wars by Western European Christians. Their primary goal was to recapture the Holy Land ( ...
From a different perspective, Pope Urban realized the potential of adding the holy land into European Christendom, which also momentarily united all of Europe and made the Christian faith dominant in Jerusalem by driving the various Arabic and Turkish ethnicities out thereby giving the people of Christendom a path to salvation, and how it effected the typical people that went on either the Pigrimage or the Crusade of the Crusader Heyday, however we should also examine the ulterior motives of the leading figureheads of these Social classes in terms of financial and Political gain from the results of the crusade.
Modern day Israel and the surrounding areas such as Jordan or Syria were known as the holy land or even in some cases, the Kingdom of Heaven but ironically the first Crusade made it into the most bloodiest site of its day creating a tension between the Eastern and Western peoples that even last Pg. 2 to to the modern era. It is imperative to know why the Crusades started, and one of the main reasons was to free the churches of Eastern Christendom and to make sure that the Holy land will not fall to Turkish and Saracen armies as it did before the time the First Crusade was launched.
Riley says “So one aim was the liberation of the people, the baptized members of the churches, the other was the liberation of a place” (pg. 20), this of course is the underlying cause of the Crusade that Pope Urban had so openly advocated for, the crusade by the Pontificate was not only viewed as a “liberation” of Christianity in the Holy land alone but liberation of all other Christian areas predominated by Islamic rulers such as the Moors who were firmly encroached in Spain until the Spanish Reconquest.
However not only Urban’s message motivated people to engage in the Crusades, it was also the spiritual rewards that laid in the end such as the Heaven and the glory to fight for god. Within the Crusading Culture, many Latin terms were invented such as the “Exercitus Domini” or “militia christi” which mean army of god and knights of Christ respectively which shows that they were not fighting for Europe or even the church including its pilgrims but ultimately, the Christian God and his son, Jesus Christ.
The Term Paper on First Crusade Crusades Land Holy
... appealed to the material desires of the people as well, for a holy crusade would provide land to th conquering armies, which would ... days the Byzantine army, which had previously fled, drove the crusaders from their grand city. The Christian States in Palestine ... simple terms. Nelson, John Russell. How Did the Roman Catholic Church Influence the Middle Ages. Whitehead Test Publications. San Antonio, ...
People were so caught up the web of a illusion cast by the Church that waging a crusade was to fight for God even though many atrocities were committed and the prevalence of a high death in the Holy land became the norm of the land. However, people vehemently believed that they can open up the path to Heaven for them by crusading or the very least, commit to a Pilgrimage to Jerusalem which shows the strong conviction amongst the average peasant soldier which they thought killing a Muslim especially in the Holy land would grant eternal salvation for their souls.
The perpetrators of the first Crusade had ulterior motives for starting it which is not a shocker in those days, however they were not visible to the public who were disillusioned with the thought of crusading as a means of escape. Pope Urban, is one of the main figures responsible for starting the war, of course it is not certain whether he vehemently believed that the conquering the holy land in almost genocidal like warfare against the Jewish and Islamic population would free the Eastern Churches from
Pg. 3 oppression and bring further salvation to any person involved in them, however it becomes clear that he united all of Europe whereas a century or two earlier, they were nothing more than political entities that squabbled with one another especially the Germanic Principalities which a constant state of Warfare existed.
Many of the ulterior motives of the Crusader lords and Knights was not surprisingly, monetary gain; many crusader knights became fabulously wealthy, either by selling food to the Crusaders on the march to their desired destination or the pure financial gain that was received through conquest of the many cities that the Crusaders stopped at before reaching their main target. Riley says “It would wrong to suppose all suffered equally. There was money to be made out of the misfortune of men desperate for anything to eat. There was also rich men who somehow managed to preserve their wealth” (pg. 9).
This shows that many Crusaders made money by taking up arms for the first Crusade, however if this source was to be a by product of the Crusaders goals or whether it was their overall target is still left up to dispute among historians. The Crusaders after conquering the Holy land, set up a new Kingdom with subjective dukedoms and counties under the rule of titular king (Baldwin) which increased the political acumen of these Crusader nobles since they would have holdings and titles left over from Europe and obtain new ranks within the kingdom of Jerusalem since they crusaded for it.
The Term Paper on The Crusades The Quest For Holy Land
... speech at Clermont spread through the west, people from all social classes and occupations joined the Crusade. As a result of Urban losing ... crusaders lost focus of their original objective, which was to promote christianity while regaining the holy land. In the end they not ... First Crusade was to help out the Christian churches in the east (Mayer 41). The new goal, became to free the Holy Land ...
This was another great “by product that was frequently available to the lords, even if he is a minor one within the new Kingdom. Other than the Pontificate and the Crusader lords, the lay people and the common folk that accompanied the knights as either pilgrims or regular soldiers, also had their own ulterior motives to engage in the Crusades, although their main concern in the Crusades was without a doubt to fight for God and to secure their Salvation, they also went on the Crusades to escape. 10th century Europe was exactly the Utopia of its time, it was marked by terrible famines and plague that can appear at the door step at any time.
Riley explains “It was easy to persuade the Western Franks to leave their farms. For Gaul had been afflicted for some years, sometimes by civil war, sometimes by famine, sometimes by excessive death rate. Finally a plague… had terrified the people to the point at which they despaired for Pg. 4 their lives… ” (pg 39), this shows the terror that gripped the average citizen in 10th century Europe especially in the Western parts such as France and England that people were flocking to join the crusades to hope to better their lives and ultimately to be closer to God where the prevalence of these Natural horrors was low.
When one thinks of Ulterior motives, one likely thinks of plotting and dishonesty, however the ulterior motives that the church, Crusaders, and common folk were not entirely bad. The church might have gained a supremacy by taking the authoritative responsibility for leading the Crusades, and even gaining money because of it (Riley says that all loot was divided among the lords, the poor, and the clergy most importantly).
The church also did unite Europe with its grand plan of Crusading and responded to the giant that was constantly making inroads into Christendom which were Islamic armies such as Turkey Minor, the Holy land, and Spain.
The Crusaders might have made a profit for themselves but nonetheless made sure that any loot gained from the conquest of the crusades would be divided up for the clergy and the poor, which of course applied to the Christian way of thinking in those days. As with the peasants and lay people, they firmly held on to the belief that by going on the pilgrimage, it will certainly bring them hope to get out of the Purgatory and into heaven for “giving yourself to god” but they did so to escape the grueling hardships that they would face if they did in fact stay their European homes instead of Committing to the Cause.
The Essay on Church Of God Speaking In Tongues
Church Of God. ORIGIN Most of the Pentecostal churches which bear the name 'Church of God' can be traced to a holiness revival in the mountains of northwest Georgia and eastern Tennessee. In 1884, R. G. Spurling, a Baptist minister in Monroe County, Tennessee, began to search the Scriptures for answers to the problems of modernism, formality, and spiritual dryness. An initial meeting of concerned ...
The mini culture that the crusades brought, especially with the first crusade shows the remarkable way that the Crusades were operated especially regarding the relationship between the clergy and the normal populace. Social classes became interdependent on another in the crusades for example the clergy and higher ups are the spiritual guides of the Crusades and on how to please God (for some, how to please themselves) for the lords and knights who act as the back bone of all Crusader armies who in turn direct any peasant who fights for them on the battlefield which indirectly protects Christian Pilgrims who were the Lay eople that journeyed from Europe.
This kind of culture that only lasted for a few centuries but created a system that made the Church and her priests the head of the Pg. 5 social food chain. In fact, it is astonishing how Pope Urban had directed massive support for the Crusades comparably to modern day elections in the U. S as each candidate would try to gain support in each American state. Riley explains on the case of support “He followed up on his tour of France, as we have seen, with embassies or letters to Genoa, Bologna, Pisa, and Milan, and the crusade was on the agenda of councils he held at Bari” (pg. 1).
This shows the way the Pope convinced the great masses and the various leaders that presided over them (kings, dukes, and lords) to enter a Crusading mentality thereby showing the amount control the Church exerted upon the peoples of Europe. It is also interesting to look at the economical positions of each social class as the Clergy tended to become the Wealthiest during the Crusades and each step lower the social class within the Medieval Social Pyramid, the more financially unstable they tend to be.
The Essay on Historical Intro Of The Challenge To Social Classes
The historical introduction of the Challenge to Social Classes A journey through the twentieth century in America via the trials and tribulations as offered by American novelists depicts a common social evolution. Struggle, discontent, and the inherent obstacles in life are not particularly unique to the characters of the American novelist, however the experiences and the perseverance of each have ...
However in the Crusading Social class, the chain was the same but it was easier to break free of it and attain different position regardless of what Socioeconomic class you were born in since the Holy Land became a center of learning and commerce, surprisingly amidst the violent battles that were taking place. The Crusades allowed people of any social class to break free especially with the lower classes to attain financial stability. The Church however was still the dominant force that ruled these men since they were the authority since the Crusade was a Holy war which perfectly falls in their domain.
The relationship between the Church and the its underneath social classes is characterized as a subtle tyranny masked by the Church’s profound vigor to wage war for God, but the question still remains was it for them or God. The answer can go both ways but it can also be both since they achieved their dominant peak in the Timeline of European History. However the Church did not prepare these soldiers who were full of vigor to eradicate the vestiges of Islamic barbarianism since many of them died terribly in the War.
Wars are always bloody but the cruelty that ensued with the Crusades was unbelievable since many innocent people perished only on the basis of a different faith. Maybe the Crusaders had a justified point in invading the Holy Land but they committed many causalities that we today would Pg. 6 consider war crimes. The Crusaders killed thousands of Jews and Muslim people that were not soldiers but mere civilians, however it is not entirely the Crusader’s fault as much as it is the Church.
The Church and the prevalence of the thought that the Muslims were agents of the Devil and whatever they do, they leave a trail of destruction in their wake. Riley says “And two brothers stated that they were going to Jerusalem on the one hand for the grace of the pilgrimage and on the other, under the protection of God, to wipe out the defilement of the pagans and the immoderate madness through which innumerable Christians have already been oppressed, made captive and killed with barbaric fury” (pg. 7) which shows the outlook the Crusaders had upon Muslim and Jewish population, it was common for Crusaders to refer to those various populaces as “savages” or “Barbarians, which in turn didn’t hold them back from committing atrocities and genocide like exterminations (usually occurring when the Christian army conquers a city with Muslim defenders) upon them. However, the Church all but inflamed their devout followers against any non christian population and so the Crusaders were not all to blame.
The Essay on The Crusades Holy Land
Crusades Essay During the years 1095 to 1204, there was a series of campaigns led by the Christians to rid the Holy Land from the Muslims. The Holy Land was the area around Modern Day Jerusalem and Israel, which both Christians and Muslims considered to be rightfully theirs. Many battles and many lives were lost due to this terrible war. The Holy Land was supposed to be a place of worship and ...
Even though the Crusades, especially the first crusade in which massive Church propaganda help instigate the holy war. Yet the Crusaders and the Clergy still firmly believed that they were truly fighting for God and not for any other reason and the other great perks that came along with the Invasion of modern day Isreal were just mere by products. In conclusion, The crusades were the norm of the land, they were the greatest way considered by knights and common folk alike to show fealty to the Church and the a firm adherence to the Christian faith.
As each crusade came to pass, a mini crusading culture was put into Europe and the Jerusalem in which Social classes become more associated with the one another. These Crusades also offered the chance to escape and experience a physical as well as a Spiritual adventure. The chance also to see God and church also made people flock to the Holy Land and wage war up on the Muslim armies and people that lived in the various cities such as Tyre and Jaffa located in the Holy Land. The cause of Crusade was a defense of the Church and the liberation of the Eastern Christians, however there were Pg. 7 any ulterior motives that enabled the Crusade especially the first one to become very popular for example other than the Pope trying to help the Eastern Christians by waging a Crusade for their defense but his Ulterior motives were to unite Europe under strong Church leadership in which Kings and their governments showed homage and another valuable yet unimportant motive would be the defense of the Byzantine Empire and its Emperor, Alexios I Komnenos, who represented the last fading vestige of the once great Roman Empire and also the liberation of all Christians under Muslim rule such as Southern Spain in the Early Middle Ages.
However, the once popular notion of Crusading started to die out after the failure to recapture the Jerusalem failed and the later on crusades did not show as much as loyalty as the Crusaders of the first one since they were all about financial gain in fact one crusade sacked Constantinople on the way, something that Crusaders were supposed to protect, ironically.
There was also the Children’s crusade in which many children tried to capture Holy Land but before the majority of them reached their destination, they were sold of as slaves or quit the crusade settling in new lands or going back to Europe. The Crusades created however international trade and a sharing of information between the Eastern and Western philosophies which shows that the Crusades were not all bad, the crusades also allowed a increased hope of people living under the grueling poverty the Middle Ages.
All in all, the Crusades with its own mini culture, had massive impact on the Middle Ages and how they are defined, it is shocking that the word of one man could manage to unite an entire continent to wage a “Holy War” for land that was relatively new to them yet something they all regarded as the place where one can be closer to God. That word “Dues vult” (God wills it) reverberated an echo throughout the bulk of the Middle Ages.
