It is difficult to imagine the history of the Middle Ages without the Crusades, which in the XI – XIII centuries shook the entire Middle East. Representatives of the European nobility and commoners who tried to cleanse the earth of wicked Muslims took an active part in these mass invasions.
Crusaders. Who are they?
People who dignified themselves professed Christianity. Hence the name of the campaigns, as well as the warriors who were involved in them. Initiated by the blood they shed, ordinary peasants quickly became professional fighters. The crusader is a knight. Such warriors took up arms and went to the infidels for various reasons: some because of a thirst for adventure, others for the sake of material enrichment, still others were notorious religious fanatics. The participants of the first campaigns called themselves pilgrims, and their military raids - the sacred road or pilgrimage pleasing to God.
Knights dressed accordingly. The Crusader is a religious warrior who placed crosses on armor and outfits: before the campaign they were on his chest, after a successful return - on his back. The long journeys of the knights have always been shrouded in a halo of grandeur and romance. Despite heroism and valor, courage and courage, they were not able to complete the holy mission. Muslims continued to dominate the East, moreover, they became full rulers of Palestine.
First Crusades
It all started with Pope Urban, who in March 1095 clearly articulated the economic reason for the raids. He said: European countries cannot feed a population that is growing every year. Therefore, in order to save the life of honest Christians, it is necessary to capture the resource-rich eastern territories that are unjustly occupied by Muslims. As for the religious motive, it became an indisputable fact: the Holy Sepulcher, an important shrine of their faith, is kept by infidels, and this is fundamentally unacceptable.
The Crusader is a simple person, inspired by the calls of the pope. He, like his other siblings, without hesitation for a minute, threw his fields and went to the East. It was not difficult to gather the crowd: in those days Europe worshiped the church and was embraced by religious fanaticism. The first campaign, aimed at Constantinople, ended unsuccessfully. Most of the volunteers died on the way from illness, hunger and cold. The miserable bunch of tired people who got to their destination, the Turks destroyed.
results
Despite the defeat, the conquerors did not give up and gradually increased their strength. Within a few years, warriors broke into Asia. Then they destroyed the city and organized the local cross powers. They managed to capture Jerusalem and Byzantium, but the main goal, the Holy Sepulcher, remained in the hands of infidels. Someone made a false rumor that only children's hands were able to free him. As a result, an army was organized, the core of which was the young crusader knights. Their age did not exceed 14-15 years. The result was tragic. Half of the minors died, the other part was sold into slavery.
The Crusader is a person who was completely subordinate to the Church. Listening to the sermons of the priests, people justified the loss and sought new conquests. In total, eight Crusades were committed. Their results are mixed. Firstly, the
Catholic Church expanded the zone of influence, enriched with new lands. Secondly, tension between the West and the East intensified, a response threat from the infidels arose - jihad. In addition, Christianity itself was finally divided: into Orthodoxy and Catholicism.