Why did the Crusades happen when they did?

Answer 1

The Crusades happened when they did, because the Muslims had taken the holy city of Jerusalem in the seventh century. This was deeply troubling, but the Christian kings and lords could do nothing about it at the time. Western Europe at the time was plunged in the Dark Ages, and there was no sense of organization or real central government. Later, by the Eleventh century, Western Europe had developed its system of kings and nobles known as feudalism. Under feudalism, it was now possible for kings and lords to raise armies and conduct organised wars, such as the crusades. However, the crusades did not begin out of a desire for conquest or religious fanaticism. Ever since the seventh century, Islam had been steadily creeping in on the Christian world, conquering provinces and converting or killing the inhabitants. The Eastern Roman Empire, called the Byzantine Empire, was taking the brunt of these attacks. By the eleventh century, Islam had taken the Middle East and most of Anatolia from the Byzantines. In the west, they held Spain and Sicily. It looked as though the armies of Islam would wipe out Christendom altogether if nothing was done, if no one raised an army to fight back. Enter the Crusades. In 1095, the Byzantine Emperor Alexius I sent an urgent message to Pope Urban II in Rome. The Muslims were bearing in on his capital, and he needed help. If nothing was done, the Turks would overwhelm Greece and be in Europe. In response to this appeal, Pope Urban held a council at Clermont in 1095 to preach the Crusade. The Crusade was to be a war to defend the Byzantine Empire, and to take back Jerusalem which had been lost so many years earlier. The First Crusade, which left Europe in 1096, was lead by Raymond of Toulouse, Bohemond of Taretum, Tancred de Hauteville, and Robert of Normandy, among others. These crusaders came to the Byzantine Emperors aid, driving back the Turks and saving Greece. They then advanced south and recovered Antioch. In 1099, after three long years, the Crusaders recovered Jerusalem.

The Crusades resulted as a reaction of Muslim aggression against the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantines) as well as the Christians mistreatment of Muslim caravans. The Muslims were running constant aggressive conquest campaigns on Christian lands as part of their imperialistic expansion. In 638 the Muslims conquered Jerusalem - the holy land where Jews and Christians would pilgrimage to. The Christian pilgrims to there were persecuted by the Muslims greatly. Over 60 Christian pilgrims were crucified in one short period by the Muslims. A Muslim governor of Caesarea in the 8th Century often seized pilgrims, one large group from Iconium was seized and they were all executed as spies (except for some that chose to convert to Islam instead of facing the sword). Muslims would ransack the churches if the pilgrims didn't pay protection money. Christian iconography and crosses were banned by the Muslims so many churches were pillaged and defaced. Caliph Mansur (around the 8th Century) ordered that the hands of all Christians and Jews be stamped with a distinctive symbol which helped them be 'humiliated' and identified for paying of the Jizzya (tax for being Christian). Converts to Christianity were executed (such as the ex-Muslim monk in 789). Churches and monasteries conquered by the Muslims were plundered and monks and clergy were often murdered such as Saint Theodosius monastery in Bethlehem. By the start of the 9th Century most Christians fled from their hometown to Christian cities such as Constantinople that were still under the Byzantines. In 937 during Easter celebrations, specifically Palm Sunday, Muslims rampaged through Jerusalem against the Christians and destroyed their churches including Church of Calvary and the Church of the Resurrection. It wasn't until the 960's (up to 200 years later) than the Christians actually reacted to this violence and persecution. Cities taken by force such as Crete, Cilicia, Cyprus, Antioch and even parts of Syria were reconquered by the Christians.

In 974 the Muslims then launched an official offensive under Sunni Caliph Abbasid against the Byzantines. The campaign of Muslims against the Christians lasted for around 30 more years until a short ceasfire while the Muslims fought against themselves. Then at the beginning of the 11th Century the Muslims again started their offensive against the Christians under Abu 'Ali al-Mansur al-Hakim and this was taken out on the average Christian. Churches were burnt, church property was seized. Over the first 10 years of the 11th Century over 30,000 churches were destroyed by the Muslim aggressors.

They even destroyed the Church of the Holy Sepulcher - the traditional site marking were Christ was buried. The Caliph ordered the tomb be destroyed.

All the Christians and Jews of Jerusalem (and other Muslim territories) were forced to wear heavy crosses and wooden calves around their neck. It wasn't until 1021 that this persecution decreased.

In 1056 hundreds of Christians were expelled from Jerusalem and European Christians were blocked from the pilgrimage to the city. On entering Jerusalem in 1077 3000 Jews and Christians were murdered by the Muslim invaders.

Then we get to where the story you quoted began - in response to the calls for help by the Christians persecuted throughout the Middle East and former Byzantine Empire territories the Western Church sent help.

On the flip side, the people of Jerusalem welcomed the Muslims with open arms. Unlike the Christians, the Muslims actually allowed the Christians and Jews to continue to practice their religion as long as they paid a tax, unlike the Christians who continually persecuted each other, leading to the slaughter of many innocent people. The Christians and Jews were treated well because Muslims, Christians, and Jews are all considered people of the book.

Note: The overall trend of this article is biased towards the Christan point of view as well as portrays the Muslims in a very bad light. The paragraph above is intended to provide a different perspective of the Crusades and allow you to draw your own conclusions.