The First Crusade Essay -- essays research papers

The first off Crusade     As the year 1000A.D. was approaching the strong point of delivery boyianity inWestern atomic number 63 was growing on with its population. The newly improve andorganized perform began to gain great power. A new Europe was being born withthe Catholic Church as a lodge in every area of life.     In Christian beliefs, the savior, Jesus Christ was to return to earthand bring judgment on its people. Many clergy members along with lay peoplebelieved this would take place in the year 1000A.D. . clear-sighted this, the peopleof Europe awaited the return of Christ and feared the Wrath of God. sacredpeople wanted to make up for their sins and avoid the horrors of eternaldamnation. Clergy members were oftentimes consulted to figure out what would be asuitable penance. " The Church itself stock- as yet frequently imposed journeys as apenance" (Campbell p.14). A pilgrimage to the Holy Land was not an easy task tosay the least. The highroad to Jerusalem was jagged. On the way to Jerusalem,pilgrims were often murdered by thieves. They were raw and often didnot return. Some pilgrims did return from the Holy Land. They came back withtales that pose the seeds for a Crusade.     "The pilgrims that returned from the Holy City of Jerusalem recountedtales, often grossly exaggerated, of the alarming pollution of the sacred placesat the hands of the Turks" (Campbell p23). Other stories of the destruction ofthe Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the burial place of Jesus, by the Turkssurfaced in the early eleventh century. The news of the destruction of theSepulcher was mourned in every Christian country. The nations looked to capital of Italyfor a solution to this most serious of Problems.     The Byzantine emperor asked for the encourage of the Pope to help him with hisTurk problem. To the Pope, it would be a strategic move to forethought the Byzanti neemperor. The Pope realized that this offered the opportunity to re- seducethe universal Church and establish the supremacy of Rome. In 1095, at theCouncil of Clermont in southern France, "Urban II challenged Christians to takeup their weapons against the infidels and participate in a holy contend andrecapture the Holy Land" (Spielvogel,p344). Pope Urban II turn to the Frenchtelling them of the horrors im... ...m the clutches of non-Christianrulers. They successfully carried out the wishes of the Pope and , moreimportantly, what they believed to be the " Will of God ." The crusadingknights gained new powers through the conquest along with salvation.Economically, the First Crusade was a success for Western Europe. New ports onthe Mediterranean were in the hands of Western lords, opening new gate fortrade.     On the other hand, the First Crusade could be seen to be a failure inmany ways. Relations with the Byzantine Empire grew furthest more distant. ThePopes dream of unifying the eastern and western churches could not be achieved.The gruesome display of barbarism on behalf of the Crusaders could also be seenas a failure in morals. It seemed that the Crusaders, for the most part, losttheir way. Their goals switched from religious to materialistic.     The First Crusade was the first installment in a series that retire their" holiness" and become less successful. Militarily, the First Crusade was anutter success. It started a hatred for the West by the Near and Middle Easternpeoples that still is strong today.