Wednesday, March 17, 2021

The History of the Crusades(From Timeless History of the Church by Steve Weidenkopf,Prof.at Christendom college)

                                The History  of the Crusades
             
The crusaders were pilgrims who took a vow before God.They were marked by the wearing of a cloth cross on their garments.Because Mohamed's teachings to organize jihads to extend their community,the Christians in in the Middle East were harassed.
11th c –Egypt came under Caliph Al- Hakins who started persecuting Christians(1021).
The arrival of Seljuk Turks –they consolidated themselves in Bagdad.They destroyed churches in the Holy Land; killed a group of 12999 pilgrims from Germany in the Holy Land.
The imperial army of the Byzantines –defeated by the Turks in 1071.
The new Emperor Alexius I (1081-1118)wanted Western help—sent ambassadors to the pope.
Pope Urban  II(1086-1099)
He inaugurated the crusader movement. The Pope's speech stressed three main themes—the liberation of the Holy city of Jerusalem,the prevention of violent activities of the Turks and an exhortation to Western warriors to take up arms.
The liberation of Jerusalem was more important.The holy city was considered the center of the world. The occupation of Jerusalem  by Moslems was distasteful to Christians.
He gave a graphic description of the persecution of Christians.
Pope Urban offered spiritual incentives—plenary indulgences for warriors. He announced the first crusade on the feast of the Assumption—Aug 15,1096.Pope urban went on a preaching tour of 2000 miles through France.
Why did they go? Their faith.Faith,love of God and  of  the neighbor were the main reasons. Also for glory,adventure but mainly for salvation and to give witness to their love of God.
The first Crusade(1096-1102):

The vast majority came from France.Reached the city of Constantinople—the Byzantines  were shocked to see such a large number of troops from Western Europe.
Emperor Alexius (1081-1118) was reluctant to support the crusaders because their failure would put him in opposition to the Seljuk Turks.
The Emperor gave them transportation after getting their oath of allegiance.
The Crusaders decided to liberate Nicea(the site of two ecumenical councils of 325 &787).The Emperor through an agreement with the Turks got the city under his control.
The Crusaders then left for Jerusalem in 1097.They were attacked on the way.some died of starvation.But they persevered and conquered the attackers.
Reached Antioch –but running short of food stock—they died.Succeeded in conquering Antioch.After months of suffering and attacks,they continued their march to Jerusalem. Now only 12000 from the original army of 60,000.Finally,they entered the city of Jerusalem, conquering the opposing forces inside the city.
Godfrey, one of the warriors ,was selected to be the king—but he took the title ' the defender of the sepulcher' and not king.
Many returned to their homeland.
Second crusade (1147-1149)(out of seven crusades in total)
Moslem ruler of Mosul and Aleppo attacked Edessa, the weakest of the crusader states.killed, raped and plundered 6000 christian men ,women and children.Its fall was a great blow as it guarded the approach to Antioch. Edessa demanded a new response. New soldiers—were asked to save it.
Pope Eugenius 11191145-1153)--Eugenius asked the soldiers of France to take the cross to recover Edessa.
Bernard of Clairvaux(Memorare) (1090-1153)--the great preacher of the period—was asked by the Pope to preach the crusade.The king of the Germans,Conrad lll(1132-1152) and French king ,Louis Vll agreed to go.
The German army –around 30-35000 reached Constantinople .But the Emperor Manuel –afraid that the crusaders  would take his empire-So he entered  into a conspiracy with the Turks .Conrad's army was attacked and depleted.Conrad was wounded.He returned to Constantinople  to recover.
The French army that came later under Louis also experienced the same disastrous end.The combined army then attacked Damascus and forgot about their goal of rescuing Edessa.They failed and returned to Jerusalem.The second crusade was a failure.
Now a unified Islamic attack began to take shape 30 years after under Saladin to push Christians out of the Holy Land.
Saladin came to power in Egypt in 1187 –He tried to recapture the holy city.The king of Jerusalem at that time was Baldwin who contracted leprosy.He  died while 24 years old.His sister ,Sybella, was crowned the  queen.
Saladin defeated the army  and later captured Jerusalem.Most of the churches were turned into mosques.
After the triumph of the first crusade, the Holy City remained in Christian hands only for 88years.They also lost the relic of the cross to Saladin's forces.
All this grieved Pope Urban 111(1185-1187).His successor  was Gregory Vlll (1187).
Three monarchs—Frederic Barbarossa, the Holy Roman Emperor, Philip 1 the augustus of France, and Richard 1, the lion- hearted of England.
Saladin was outmaneuvered by Richard.Richard entered  into a three year truce with Saladin—known as the treaty of Jaffa—which allowed the Moslem control of Jerusalem,permitting Christian access to the Holy City.
Pope Innocent( 1198-1216),becoming Pope at the age of 37—the first Pope with a university degree from Bbologna. Innocent called a new crusade on August 15,1198 to liberate Jerusalem.but it was a politically unsuitable time as there was a dispute  for the crown of the Holy Roman Empire in Germany.
The Crusade leaders got into all kinds of problems  to get money for the trip.
First they attacked the Christian city of Zara to pay off their debt to Venice who supplied them with vessels.Then, they joined sides with a rebel prince from the Byzantine empire  to restore him to the throne for the promise that he would help them.All this was  against the prohibition from Pope Innocent.The Crusaders attacked Constantinople  and after great disasters and burnings succeeded in restoring the former emperor ,the father of the rebel prince to power.The rebel prince was appointed co-emperor ,Alexius lV.He could not pay the money he promised.He sold sacred icons, ornaments etc.People got angry with him.They forced the senate and the clergy in 1204 to elect a new emperor.But Alexius IV sought the help of a friend of his—he later made a coup and arrested the emperor and made himself Alexius V  Killed Alexius IV.The crusaders got angry for not getting the money promised to them.The crusaders entered the city and sacked it.Alexius V fled.(p.249)The sack of consntinople—people killed, Byzantine women, including nuns were raped—bronze statues were melted down,Innocent III got the news---was shocked and angry.
The fifth crusade(1218-1221)A decade after the 4th.Again initiated by innocent lll—He was preaching the fifth and more kings decided to participate in it—passed away suddenly in 1216 at the age of 55.The crusade effort continued under two cardinals—one died and the other Pelagius was in control.
They arrived in Egypt,laid siege.The king of Egypt offered a compromise solution of freeing the Holy city for the removal of the siege but the Cardinal refused.(p.252)
It was during this time that St.Francis came to their midst.Cardinal Pelagius dissuaded him from meeting the Caliph of Egypt.But he insisted on going.Taken a prisoner and brought before the Caliph.The  Caliph told him that he would not convert.
Another city was conquered by the Crusaders.The Caliph again offered a diplomatic solution.But the Cardinal refused.But later the Cardinal went for a diplomatic solution and left Egypt for an eight year no war truce.
The Sixth Crusade(1228-1229)
Frederick ll—the German emperor studied in Sicily and was very much influenced by Islam.He knew Arabic and after his second wife's death , he instituted a harem.
The new Pope Gregory lX(1227-1241)--Gregory excommunicated him when he withdrew from the Crusade because of his sickness.But later he went to Jerusalem and had a diplomatic negotiation with the Caliph. Got control over Jerusalem by a truce for 8 years.
p.256--Emperor Frederick's truce with Kamil expired in 1239.Several years later an Egyptian Moslem army conquered Jerusalem.
p.256—The saintly king of France—King Louis lX(1226-1270)He too failed in his Crusade although he went and lived in Jerusalem.
p.260-A new ruler of Egypt.Wanted to rid the Holy Land of Christians.He destroyed Christian cities.Christians sent appeals to Europe.Antioch was captured and Christians were killed.the Moslem leader was Baybar

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