The purpose of the Third Crusade. 3rd Crusade Objectives and Results

In 2011, Pope Benedict Sixteenth apologized for the Crusades. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine something more unnatural than the war in the name of Christ, which is based on the principle of non-resistance to evil by violence. However, as historians note, religious motives were far from being the main among a number of reasons that made, for example, the four powerful European monarchs set off to conquer Jerusalem from the Arabs in 1189. So what were the objectives of the Third Crusade? What and when did it end?

Previous events

In 1183, one of the greatest leaders of the Muslim world of that time - Saladin - conquered the strategically important cities of Aleppo and Mosul. This meant that a powerful force appeared in the Middle East that posed a huge threat to Christian states. However, the rulers of the crusader principalities were engaged in internecine conflicts and intrigues and did not notice that they were surrounded on all sides by a single, and therefore very strong enemy with a huge army. At the same time, they did not stop making hostile attacks on Muslims. In particular, once the knight Renault de Chatillon, who was engaged in the robbery of caravans traveling from Egypt, personally insulted Saladin, raped his sister, who went to his fiance. For this crime, he did not suffer worthy punishment from the King of Jerusalem, Baldwin the Fourth, which gave rise to Muslims to start a war, the most important battle of which - the battle of Khatinn - took place in 1187 and ended in the defeat of Christians. Moreover, their main military organizations - the orders of the Templars and Hospitallers - were destroyed by the Saracens, and there was simply no one to defend Jerusalem. As a result, in September 1187, the city was turned over by residents to the mercy of Saladin, who, however, showed unprecedented humanism at the time, releasing all the townspeople, including soldiers, for a small ransom.

Preparation and goal 3 of the crusade (briefly)

News of these events reached Europe only a few months later. The pope simply could not help but call “the army of Christ” to arms, and soon declared to the Catholics of the whole world the goal of the Third Crusade, which was to return Jerusalem and punish the Saracens.

However, each of the three monarchs who expressed a desire to go to battle “for the glory of Christ” had their own motives. So, the main goal of the 3rd crusade was seen by Richard the Lionheart, who had recently ascended to the English throne, as an opportunity to glorify himself with heroic deeds and gain the glory of a great warrior. As for the King of France, Philip II and the German Emperor Frederick the First, they hoped in this way to consolidate their power within their own states, getting rid of unwanted knights, and also strengthen their influence in the world political arena. Thus, there was no unity between the Christian leaders, and each of them preferred to act independently. Therefore, telling about the course and purpose of the Third Crusade (1189-1192), one should consider the maneuvers of the British, German and French troops, as well as the actions of their commanders separately.

Speech by Richard the Lionheart and Philip II

Before sending to Palestine, the British managed to raise significantly more funds than the rest of the participating countries combined. The fact is that many English moneylenders believed that the purpose of the Third Crusade was to quickly enrich the king at the expense of values ​​that could be taken away if Muslims and Jews won, and therefore they gladly supplied Richard with money, taking the royal land. When an order was issued to speak, the troops were loaded onto ships and set sail for the Holy Land. The king himself went to Italy, meeting on the way with the French monarch. Since Richard's retinue and Philip's army moved quite slowly, they arrived in Sicily only in the autumn, and the crusader army had to stand in their apartments and wait for spring. During a forced downtime, the English king managed to quarrel in absentia with the German emperor, and the French left for Palestine in March without allies, as he was informed that the situation of local Christians had worsened even more.

Capture Cyprus

King Richard went camping in April 1191. However, on the way he had to capture Cyprus, as the local ruler captured his bride Berengaria of Navarre. The British did not have enough strength to hold the island for a long time. In addition, the purpose of the Third Crusade was completely different, so they sold it on time to Guy de Lusignan who appeared. The latter at that time was considered the titular king of Jerusalem, captured by Saladin, and he thus managed not only to get such a tidbit as Cyprus for possession of ridiculous money, but also to persuade Richard to take part in the siege of Acre, where Philip's troops were already located. This did not meet the true purpose of the Third Crusade, but it was personally beneficial to Lusignan.

Speech by Friedrich Barbarossa

Historians believe that the goals of the Third Crusade, whose members were torn apart by internal contradictions, would have been achieved if they had been led by a German emperor. The fact is that Frederick Barbarossa at that time was older and more experienced than the other two monarchs. He thoroughly prepared for his speech by concluding an agreement with the Byzantine emperor, which even indicated such details as the delivery of food to the German crusaders at predetermined prices. At the same time, Frederick began a double game and began to negotiate with the Serbs and Bulgarians, ready to rebel against Byzantium and recognize his power in exchange for some privileges. Thus, although the purpose of the Third Crusade was originally designated as the liberation of Jerusalem, the German emperor even doubted for a while whether to start a war with Byzantium for domination in the Balkans.

The death of Barbarossa

Be that as it may, at the end of March 1191 the crossing of the German troops through the Bosphorus began. Further, their path passed through the territories of Asia Minor, occupied by the Seljuk Turks, who often attacked and weakened the crusader army. To punish them, a battle was given near the city of Iconium, after which the German army received a large contribution of food and fodder. Finally, the German army entered the territory of the Cilician Armenian kingdom, which was traditionally friendly to the crusaders. However, on June 9, while crossing the turbulent river Kalikadn (Selif), the elderly emperor fell from his horse into the water in heavy armor and drowned. The news of this event unspeakably pleased Saladin, who understood that now the goal of the 3rd Crusade by Christians is unlikely to be achieved. After the death of Frederick, most of his troops returned home, and a small detachment went to Acre, where, however, did not prove himself.

The siege of Acre and the battle of Arsuf

As most historians agree, there can be only one answer to the question of what was the original purpose of the Third Crusade - the siege of Jerusalem. However, it is difficult for modern man to understand why, instead of going to the Holy City, the troops of Christian kings besieged Acre for three long years, which has no strategic importance. Moreover, during this time they quarreled thoroughly, and after the capture of the city in Syria, there remained only the English king Richard with an army, several influential dukes from different countries with their troops, as well as knights Templars and hospitals. These remnants of the crusader army made the transition to Arsuf and on September 7 defeated the Saracen army. Then they went to Jerusalem, and Richard felt that he was not ready to continue the war, and asked Saladin for a truce. However, the lord of the Muslims refused him, realizing that the goal of the Third Crusade would never be achieved, 1096-1099 could not be returned to Christians, and they would not be able to revive the kingdom of Jerusalem founded then .

End of war

Returning to France, King Philip began to take revenge on Richard for all the insults that he inflicted on him during the campaign. Feeling that the throne under him could stagger, the English monarch made a humiliating peace on the conditions of Saladin and went home, leaving Jerusalem in the hands of Muslims.

Was the goal of the Third Crusade achieved (table of events by year)?

Thus, all the efforts of the Christian world to return to the holy land were in vain, and huge human sacrifices did not lead to anything. Below is a table by which you can track the main points of the events we are considering.

So, to the question of what was the purpose of the Third Crusade, the answer is: the capture of Jerusalem. In addition, you now know some facts explaining why it was not achieved.