The+Crusades+-+Jennifer+Clark

= The Crusades =
 * by Jennifer Clark **

Cause and effect is a universal concept. It applies to everything from flowers blossoming to the beginning of the Milky Way. Without a cause, you cannot have an effect. Conflict is an effect, so it must have a cause. There are several causes of conflict, including greed, worry, and irrational decisions. Those three just listed are huge causes of the Crusades. Seljuk Turks were greedy for land, Pope Urban II was worried about the Byzantine Empire, and many rulers weren’t thinking rationally. This is the background, some causal factors, effects on Jews, and how the Crusades could have been avoided.

Jews, Christians, and Muslims were all involved in the Crusades. The Crusades was what happened, with sub-events such as the First Crusade, the Children’s Crusade, the Reconquista, etc. The Crusades took place from late 1095 to 1291 (about 195-196 years). The Crusades involved many places around Europe, the Middle East, and some parts of North Africa, especially Jerusalem.

Pope Urban II was one of the causal factors leading to the Crusades. In fact, he actually started the first Crusade. In his 1095 speech calling for a crusade, he said:
 * You have seen for a long time the great disorder in the world caused by these crimes. It is so bad in some of your provinces, I am told, and you are so weak in the administration of justice, that one can hardly go along the road by day or night without being attacked by robbers; and whether at home or abroad one is in danger of being despoiled either by force or fraud. Therefore it is necessary to reenact the truce, as it is commonly called, which was proclaimed a long time ago by our holy fathers. (Fulcher of Chartres) [1]

Schism, which was the separation of the Christian Church, forming the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, was another reason the Crusades took place. Pope Urban II was concerned for the people living in Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, because of the Seljuk Turks’ advance in towards them. Also in his speech, he stated,
 * The noble race of Franks must come to the aid their fellow Christians in the East. The infidel Turks are advancing into the heart of Eastern Christendom; Christians are being oppressed and attacked; churches and holy places are being defiled. (Dr. E.L. Skip Knox) [2]

Jerusalem, the capital of Palestine at the time, was a very important factor in the Crusades because the Christian Church may have believed that Jerusalem was theirs to rule. [3] At the time, the Muslims had control over Jerusalem, and it was usually peaceful. But then the Christians invaded and had control over Jerusalem during most of the time in which the Crusades took place.

The most important factor towards the beginning of the Crusades was Jerusalem. It was, and still is, a sacred city for Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Jerusalem is important to Jews because that was where their former Kind David built a temple devoted wholly to God. It is holy to Muslims because this was where the Qur’an says Muhammad took his famed Night Journey. For Christians, it is sacred because Jesus was crucified on a cross there. As a result, all three religions wanted control. A big part of the Crusades was fighting over Jerusalem.

The Jews were very impacted by the Crusades. Typically, they were a very peaceful people. Unfortunately, the Jews living in Palestine, mainly Jerusalem, were caught in the middle of the Christians invading and attacking the city and the Muslims defending it. Many Jews were forced to convert to Christianity or Muslim, or they would be put to death. Others killed themselves and their families so that they wouldn’t have to convert. A long tradition of organized violence against Jews, called Anti-Semitism, began with the Crusades. [4]

Eliezer ben Nathan was a Jew that lived during the First Crusade; in fact, he was a Rabbi, which is a Jewish priest and teacher. His writings during that time described how he felt about the First Crusade. He hated Christian Crusaders. He wondered why God would let so many of His chosen people be killed. In his writings, he also describes the persecution of Jewish communities that were settled along the Rhine River. [5]

The Crusades probably could have been avoided, though I assume that different series’ of wars would eventually have broken out. However, if the place Jesus was crucified, the city King David built a temple at, and the setting of Muhammad’s Night Journey were all different, the Crusades may have been avoided. Another way the Crusades may have been evaded is if the Seljuk Turks hadn’t won the battle of Manzikert. This advance towards Constantinople alarmed Pope Urban II, prompting him to call for a crusade. In conclusion, there were several causal factors of the Crusades, many people were affected by them, and they might have been avoided.

[1]: Halsall, Paul. “Speech at Council of Clermont, 1095, five versions of the Speech.” [|www.fordham.edu]. December 1997. Fordham University. Accessed February 24, 2010. []

[2]: “The Christian Crusades.” [|www.gbgm-umc.org]. Global Ministries; The United Methodist Church. Accessed February 25, 2010. []

[3]: Talmadge, Justin. In-school discussion. Snoqualmie Middle School, Causes of Conflict discussion, Room 701. Snoqualmie, Washington. February 25, 2010.

[4]: “Crusades.” [|www.wikipedia.org]. Last Modified February 27, 2010. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed February 25, 2010. []

[5]: “Eliezer ben Nathan.” [|www.wikipedia.org]. Last Modified February 21, 2010. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed March 1, 2010. []