Social Studies Project Guide

Europe in the Middle Ages The Crusades 5.3

I. Causes of the Crusades

Span: Lasted 200 years

What? Four wars to capture Palestine (map) – Four Crusades

Who? Crusaders (knights to peasants) battled against the Seljuk Turks

A. The Rise of the Turks

The Seljuks (Turkish ethnic groups)

From: Central Asia

To: Southwest Asia (became Muslin)

By 1071 invaded and captured most of Byzantine Empire, including Jerusalem

Byzantine Emperor asked Pope Urban II for help to fight

B. Attacks on Pilgrims

Pilgrims – Christians traveling to Jerusalem (a sacred land)

Turks turned pilgrims away, attacked, and murdered

This gave the pope the reason to “call Christians to action” and attack

C. Land, Trade, and Wealth

Alternative reasons –

•Europeans wanted control of the key trade routes •The church had its eye on the Byzantine Empire

II. A Series of Crusades

A. Peter the Hermit and the People’s Crusade

Before the first crusade –

•Peter gathered an army of common people

Peter had no experience in organizing a large group =

•Scarce food

•looted towns

•Local groups fought back – killed many of Peter’s men

•Taken prisoner

Byzantine Emperor told peter to wait for help from the army, he agreed, but his army rebelled. They fought Turks and were easily defeated.

The Knights arrive – The First Crusade

•Treated the Byzantines badly – looted and killed

•Killed 10,000 Muslims by the time they captured Jerusalem in 1099

B. Later Crusades

•Christians set-up four kingdoms in Palestine

•Muslims made repeated attacks = three more crusades

Saladin •Strong Muslim leader

•By 1187 Sadalin had retaken Jerusalem

•Refused to relinquish the holy city, but agreed to reopen the city to Christian pilgrims

III. Results of the Crusades

•Made money more common

•Previously, exchanged land for services

•Crusading nobles that needed money sold their land = weakened feudalism

•During the Crusades, Ships carried armies and supplies across the Mediterranean. They came back with rugs, jewelry, glass, and spices. = helped trade grow