Post on 17-May-2015
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Rome falls, the East survives
Eastern Roman Empire
• When the Roman Empire fell, not all collapsed…the east survived as…– The Byzantine Empire -
Why does the East survive?1) Massive wealth: Egypt
and Greece extremely wealthy. Bribed barbarians.
2) Constantinople a mighty fortress
Constantinople’s defenses• City built on a peninsula• 40 foot walls, 50 foot
towers• Massive sea walls• Great iron chain to
protect harbor• Greek Fire: first secret
weapon. Byzantines shot it out of cannons from ships and from walls. Inextinguishable. Burns on water.
The Empire strikes back!
• West is gone in 476 C.E. to the Germans. For a time the East tries to conquer it back.
• 600s C.E. the Byzantines are struck by two disasters. Disease kills 1/3 of their people. Second the Arabs explode out of Arabia conquering the Holy Land and Egypt from them.
Jerusalem holy to Muslims too!
Can’t we all just get along?
• By 1000 C.E. Muslims ruled Jerusalem for 400 years
• Allowed Christians free passage to the holy sites in Jerusalem.
Byzantines lost Turkey to Muslim invasion in 1071 C.E. Desperately needed help.
Appeal to the Pope for help. Send Knights!
20 years later!• Pope Urban II – Pope who receives
the Byzantine plea for military aid to retake Turkey.
• Urban has his own issues…– battling kings over simony– previous Pope imprisoned– a second Pope claimed he was
false – Europe constantly at war– He has little influence
– Demagouges - leaders who use emotional issues to gain power.
Rome
Clermont
Hmmmm…we’ll call it a crusade…• 1095 in a field outside the
town of Clermont, France Urban calls for a…
• Crusade – “to take the cross” holy war to free Jerusalem from the heathen Muslims. – Circumcise Christians– Pee and poo on altars– Cut out intestines looking
for coins.– All lies.– Crowd cries out “Deus lo
Vult!” “God wills it”– Old and weak should not go.– If you go all sins forgiven
Your goal?• Church of the Holy
Sepulchre – church built on the site of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
• Considered holiest site in Christendom.
Yay! Let’s go kill people for Christ!
• Word of Crusade spreads through Europe like fire through a tissue factory.
• Peasant’s Crusade - villages are deserted as the peasants march off led by Peter the Hermit
Highlights of the P. Crusade
• Slaughter thousands of Jews before setting off.
• Peter and perhaps 40,000 peasants arrive in Constantinople. Soon shipped over to Turkey.
• Arrive and butcher a village.• It was a Christian village.• Muslim Turk force destroys the
peasants. Only 2,000 survive.
What the????• Muslims slaughter the
peasants.• Europe is shocked? Why
didn’t God help them?
• God punished the peasants for what they did to the Jews.
• Real crusade will not fail!• First Crusade – Crusade of
the lords. March to Constantinople. – Byzantines are stunned but
agree to help the crusaders after they conquer Turkey.
The plan
Antioch
Antioch
• Byzantines will join crusaders at the edge of the Holy Land in Antioch.– Antioch – great city, extinct
today. Twenty miles wall, 400 towers.• After nine months
crusaders take the city. Frightful suffering.
• Days later the crusaders are besieged by a huge Muslim force. No food or water.
Crusaders are dying• Weeks pass
– Crusaders drink the blood of their horses.
– Eat horses– Eat corpses from cemetery.
• Byzantines heard the crusaders were dead and have returned home.
• Who could help them?»God!
• Prayers answered? Crusaders find…– Holy Lance – spear that
pierced Christ’s side. Makes an army invincible.
• Three day fast and then the crusaders will attack.
• Battle of the Lance – with the lance the crusaders ride out to face the Muslim army. – Rusted armor– Most on foot– Some ride diseased cows
Battle of the Lance
Antioch
Crusaders on cows
Muslim Turks
On to Jerusalem• Crusaders slaughter the
Muslims. • Muslims believe Allah fights for
the Christians. • One year later, the crusaders
conquer Jerusalem… • Slaughter of Jerusalem:
crusader zeal explodes as they kill all within Jerusalem, Muslims, Christians, and Jews. – 40,000 estimated killed. Christian
and Muslim world shocked!– Can the crusaders keep Jerusalem?