The Crusades: The penniless man’s path to eternal greatness

These wars have been glorified for years throughout the media, with films such as ‘Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade’ (1989) and Monty Python’s ‘Crusade’ (1995). Yet were they truly as magnificent as we are told - battles for the greater good of the country, benefitting rich and poor alike and bringing a new world of economic and social growth - or were they really just an excuse for the mass genocide of an opposing religion that could have potentially destroyed the fragile reputation of the Catholic Church? 

What were the Crusades? A brief history 

The crusades were a series of religious wars, spanning over two hundred years (1095-1291), killing an estimate of one million to three million soldiers.  

In 1077, the Holy land - a Middle Eastern region in modern day Israel and Palestine - was taken over by the Muslim Seljuk Turks due to its association with biblical events. This made it more difficult for Christians who would participate in pilgrimages to this area, sparking initial conflicts. As the Muslims struggled for power internally, Christian interference was seen as a threat, leading to heavy taxation and rumoured mistreatment in an attempt to dissuade them from visiting the area. However, this worried the Byzantine emperor Alexis, who began to fear the spread of Seljuk rule and its interference in his own political power. After sending an appeal to Pope Urban II, it was promised that a crusade would rid him of these problems, as well as providing European knights who fought the battles eternal forgiveness of their previous sins.  

Though the endorsement of the church may have been completely innocent, it is widely believed that this was due to several ulterior motives that would benefit their own wealth and economic growth. This includes: reclaiming land and stopping the spread of Islamic kingdoms which may have been deemed a threat to the Christian countries that Urban guided, a belief that the wars would help unite Christian countries in Europe and increase international affairs, and the financial benefit the church would receive by collecting tithes from the Middle Eastern peoples whose land they hoped to gain. Many medieval men from poor backgrounds agreed to these military campaigns in hopes of a better life, not realising that the church they were devoted to was fully taking advantage of their unwavering religious beliefs. 

The first major crusade from 1096-1099 aimed to recapture Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslim control. Large armies of both peasants and nobles travelled East, besieging key cities like Nicaea, Antioch, and after a brutal and bloody siege, Jerusalem. This was seen as a major success for the Crusaders, rewarding both the people and the Church. Four major Christian states were established in the Levant: the County of Edessa, the Principality of Antioch, the County of Tripoli and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. However, this did not stop the Crusades, only acting as a catalyst for future disagreements over Middle Eastern territories.  

In fact, the second major crusade from 1147-1149 aimed to retrieve the County of Edessa after it fell to Muslim forces in 1144. This was led by King Louis VII of France and Emperor Conrad III of Germany. These armies suffered heavy losses marching through the city of Anatolia, easily defeated by the Seljuk Turks. Another ill-advised and badly planned attack of the allied Muslim city of Damascus was a complete failure, all leading to a decisive failure in recapturing the East- only further inspiring Muslim unity and independence. Could this be due to the deeply rooted eurocentrism spread through time by the indoctrination of the Catholic church, or simply a lack of knowledge and careless ignorance throughout modernised generations? 

The third and final major crusade, spanning from 1189-1192 was in response to the loss of Jerusalem after t was recaptured by unified Muslim forces under Sultan Saladin two years prior. It was led by three powerful European monarchs: Frederick I Barbarossa of Germany, King Philip II Augustus of France, and- arguably the most renowned through British media- King Richard I of England. Unfortunately, Frederick drowned en route, and Philip returned to France after helping capture the city of Acre, yet Richard I achieved significant victories against Saladin’s forces at the battles of Arsuf and Jadda. The Crusaders were able to re-establish a chain of coastal cities and signed a Treaty of Jaffa with Saladin, allowing unarmed Christian pilgrims and merchants safe access to Jerusalem’s holy sites, yet how culturally important were these ventures in modern day society the city itself remained under Muslim control. 

The importance of the Crusades 

Though some are more favoured than others, every kind of conflict is historically important, allowing us to compare our modern privileges to the harsh necessities of Medieval Britain and giving us a view into differences of opinion that still exist today. The mutually beneficial agreement ended the Crusades- and with it, the deaths of millions of soldiers who hoped for a better world.  

However, it could also be argued that though the past allows us to understand dangerous disagreements, it does not always end them. In the modern-day Middle East, Christians are still facing severe persecution and threat of extinction due to the actions of large extremist groups, targeting the religion with genocidal masses, forced conversions and destruction of places of worship, displacing the Christian population and forcing many to flee in fear of their lives. Similar incidents of extreme violence towards both religions take place in Nigeria between Muslim Fulani herders and mostly Christian farmers, driven by disputes over land and resources.  

In conclusion, modern day xenophobia reflects the importance of the Crusades- not as a direct historical continuity- but through the manipulation and selective invocation of a crude clash of civilisations, justifying contemporary prejudice and conflict. Though history acts as a harrowing reminder of the bloodthirsty nature of the human race, it can also be selectively distorted and used as a powerful, symbolic tool by extremists and polemicists to validate contemporary fears and religious divisions. 

Amelia Warwick 

Photo: The Crusades Pictures | Download Free Images on Unsplash 

Sources:  

Crusades | Definition, History, Map, Significance, & Legacy | Britannica 

Timeline of the Crusades - Historic UK 

Death Estimates for the Crusades | Andrew Holt, Ph.D. 

What were the Crusades? - The Crusades - KS3 History - BBC Bitesize 

Muslim, Jews and Christians - relations and interactions | The Institute of Ismaili Studies 

1,400 Years of Christian/Islamic Struggle: An Analysis | CBN