Abstract

Crusades are recalled as a major incident in the history. This series of the holy war started in 1095 and continued till 1272. In general, reasons and motivational factors behind crusades are classified as subjective in nature. The goal of the Christian in this war was to liberate Jerusalem from Muslim possession and retook the control of the holy land. While, Muslims at the beginning of this war were on defensive side and failed to sustain their kingdom. However, after the third crusade, Saladin recaptured Jerusalem and included this state in his Kingdom of Egypt. This paper briefly describes the reasons and impacts of crusades which affected Europe in terms of politics, economy and social system and benefits.

Crusades

Introduction

The human history has seen numerous wars which have been fought to achieve the strategic goals of the states. Most of the wars reflect the intention of territorial expansion, acquiring additional resources of occupied land, settling down the political instability and to create balance or dominancy in terms of power in the region. However, history also witnesses to the fact that there are many wars that were fought on the name of religion. Crusades, among them, are generally referred as holy war or series of religious military actions to conquer the land of Jerusalem which has religious significance for major religions of the world including Christianity, Islam and Judaism. The crusades which occurred between the years of 1095 to 1272, actually, started as the result of Pope Urban II's sermon to Christians in the church of Clermont, France on 27 November 1095 when he loudly announced a war against Muslims and called upon all Christians to be united to liberate the holy land of Jerusalem. The pope's call of duty for crusades gathered the leaders of western European states of France, Germany and England at one-point agenda of retaking the control of the city of Jerusalem. And finally the Emperor Alexius I, the ruler of Constantinople, launched the first crusade in November 1095.

History of Crusades

The Pope Urban II, in November 1095, started preaching for crusades from top to bottom - nobles to peasants, military to civilians - with an aim of helping Christians in the East and other pilgrims who were being harassed while traveling to Jerusalem to perform their religious rituals. During his campaign for crusade, Pope promised for the forgiveness from sin and eternal glory for those who will volunteer themselves to fight in the name of God. People across the Western Europe responded in a great number. With the guidance and support of Pope Urban II and Alexuis I, a regular army was assembled and started marching towards Jerusalem. In June 1099, the Crusaders began a siege of Jerusalem which lasted for more than a month and resulted in the fall of the city. The purpose of crusade was fulfilled in July 1099 when crusaders retook the control of Jerusalem from Muslims whom they believe do not acknowledge their god. After this major achievement, the crusaders also took over many ...