Essential Questions
What were the main causes and goals of the Crusades?What role did Saladin play in the
Crusades?What were at least three results of
the Crusades?What were the Pope’s motives for
starting the Crusades?
The High (Late) Middle Ages
Crusades Notes
Causes
In 1093, the Byzantine emperor asked for help against the Muslim Turks who were attacking Constantinople.
Goals
To recover Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslim Turks.
Soldiers’ Motives
Promise of riches, a release from their sins, and a place in
Heaven if they died on CrusadeYounger sons were looking for land
and a position in society
Pope’s Motives
Get rid of knights were fought each other and threatened the
peace of the kingdomConquer land held by Byzantine
Empire
The First Crusade
1097: ill-prepared Crusaders gathered in Constantinople, they had no plan or information and argued constantly1099: they finally captured Jerusalem
after a month-long battleEstablished four states, each ruled by
a European noble1144: Edessa (one of the four) was reconquered by the Turks
The Second Crusade
Organized to recapture the city of Edessa but the armies
escaped back to Europe in defeat1187: Europeans were shocked to
learn Jerusalem itself had fallen to the Muslim leader Saladin
The Third Crusade
Led by Richard the Lion-Hearted, the English King1192: After many battles, Richard
and Saladin agreed to a truceJerusalem was still under Muslim
control, but Saladin promised that unarmed Christian pilgrims could freely visit the city’s holy places
The Fourth Crusade
1198: Pope Innocent III calls for another Crusade to capture JerusalemThe knights get caught up in Italian
and Byzantine politics on their way1204: They end up looting the city of Constantinople and end the Crusade
Crusade Notes
Impacts of the Crusades
Trade
Increased trade between Europe and Southwest AsiaGoods imported from S.W. Asia
included spices, fruits, cotton, and cloth
Church
Lessened the power of the Pope
Feudal Rulers
Weakened the feudal nobilityThousands of knights lost their lives and fortunesKings become stronger
Knowledge
European technology improves as Crusaders learn from MuslimsWindmills, Algebra, Medicine, and Arabic numbers are all brought over from the Muslims
Religious Views
Religious intolerance growsFor Muslims, the actions of Crusaders left behind feelings of bitterness and hatredFor Christians who remained in the
area after the fall of the Crusader states, relations with Muslims worsened
