FREE ESSAY ON THE CRUSADES

THE CRUSADES

The Crusades
The Crusades were military expeditions planned and carried out by western European
Christians. The crusades started around 1095. The purpose of these crusades was to
overtake and gain control of the Holy Land from the Muslims. The Holy Land was Jerusalem
and the Christians believed that gaining control of it was their fate. The pope would
gather the people
together and incite them. The origin of the crusades was a result of the expanding Turks
in the middle east. These Turkish forces invaded Byzantium, a Christian empire. The
crusaders were a militia, sent out to recover what they thought was theirs. 
The first crusades were essentially started by Pope Urban II. On November 27, 1095, he
gathered his followers outside the French city of Clermont-Ferrand. He preached to these
people and told them that action needed to be taken. In response, the people cheered and
planned their attack. Urban II brought together all of the bishops and urged them to talk
to their friends and fellow villagers and to encourage them to participate in the
crusades. Small groups started to form and each group would be self- directing. All the
groups planned their own ways to the Constantinople, where they would meet and regroup.
They would attack the Turkish forces in Constantinople and hope to regain control of the
city. 
The large Christian armies talked to Alexius I Comnenus, the Byzantium emperor, and
agreed to return any of his old land that was recaptured. The armies were skeptical of
this demand but agreed anyway. The first attack by the crusaders was on Anatolian, the
Turkish capital. Meanwhile the Byzantians were also trying to recapture Anatolian, and
later that year, the city surrendered to the Byzantians instead of the crusaders. The
Byzantians were using the crusaders as pawns to achieve their own goals. The crusaders
again met and crushed the Turkish army. The crusaders scored a great victory and boosted
the troops' moral. The crusaders captured Antioch and also held off relief forces sent to
help the Turks. The crusaders then moved on to their main goal-Jerusalem. 
The city was under Egyptian control and was heavily guarded. The crusaders set up siege
machines and called for reinforcements, finally forcing the Egyptians to surrender.
Everyone in the city was massacred in the belief that the blood of the former holders
purified it. The crusaders kept control of the city for the next generation or so and
brought in people to inhabit the Holy Land. Slowly the Muslim forces started to rebuild
and soon came back to take the Holy Land. 
After the defeat of the Egyptians in Jerusalem, the crusaders started to colonize. The
Latin colonists set up four states: Tripoli, which was on the Syrian coast, Antioch,
centered near the Orontes Valley, Edessa, a far east state which held most of the
Christians, and the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, the most powerful and centered between
the other three states. The crusaders' strategy during the first crusade was to isolate
the Muslims and Egyptians, and to cut off any supplies or reinforcements from
strengthening their status. Once the original generation of crusaders died, their
children were not as determined. They forgot about the Muslims that had escaped, and
because of that, the Muslims had a new leader and were
regaining power. Under their leader, Imad ad-Din, the Muslims regrouped and planned their
attack against the colonies. After the passing of Imad ad-Din, a new radical leader
emerged-Zangi. Zangi led his troops to a victory against the crusaders and their colonies
by capturing the state of Edessa. The Muslims destroyed the Christians churches,
buildings, and killed the
crusaders. Back home, the Pope saw what was happening and declared a second crusade to
recapture the territory that had been lost. King Louis VII, from France, set out to meet
Conrad III army. The Holy Roman Emperor, Conrad III, set out from Germany and soon met up
with Louis' men. With their armies, they left from their homeland to meet in Jerusalem.
Conrad's
army began their voyage, only to be ambushed. Afterwards, their supplies and cavalry were
drastically depleted. The better half of the French army reached Jerusalem and met up
with the small remains of the Germans and the old crusaders. Together they ventured to
Damascus, but failed to take the city and were badly defeated. The French army and king
had had enough
and returned home. The small remnants of the Germans stayed with the colonies, along with
the old crusaders. Slowly but surely, the states the crusaders had set up were
systematically being destroyed. The failure of the second crusade brought on the third
crusade. 
The Muslims had named a new leader, Nur ad-Din, who regrouped the Muslims and motivated
them to take back what believed was theirs. Their leader died a few years later, and was
succeeded by their military leader, Saladin. In 1187, Saladintook his now revived and
recuperated army to recapture Jerusalem. In July, he crushed the crusaders front line
army in Galilee. Saladin then led his troops throughout the area of Jerusalem and finally
took Jerusalem in early October. This led to Pope Gregory VIII starting a third crusade.
The people in the west knew that their time had come to defeat the Muslims onceand for
all. Included in the ranks of men going on the crusade were Fre*censored* I, the Roman
emperor; Philip II, the French king; and Richard I, of England. These forces were thought
to be one of the most powerful armies assembled during the middle ages. Again, this
crusade suffered misfortune. On his journey to Jerusalem, the Roman emperor died, and his
army accompanied the body back home for burial. Even with the size of Richard's and
Frederick's remaining armies, they were not able to recapture Jerusalem. When the armies
left Jerusalem and its surrounding areas to return home, they accomplished none of their
goals. 
Since none of the following crusades were successful or even important, not much is known
about them. The later crusades also provided almost nothing for the Christians therefore
much time and money was wasted on them. 
Done bye: Ben Weston
superstardome@hotmail.com