Matthew+Griffin

toc 1. Introduction--Describe a general cause or causes of the conflict.
The crusades were a series of twelve wars fought by three different religions, with the main goal being capturing Jerusalem. Some causes of this conflict were the seljuk turks advancing on Europe and overall greed for control of the holy land.

2. Background--Describe who, what, when, and where.

 * The Muslims, Jews, Mongols, Christians, and some important individuals like Richard I, Anna Comnena, Saladin, Eleazar Ben Judah, and Eliezer Ben Nathan.
 * The conflict was the fact that everyone wanted control of the city Jerusalem. Also, all of the people were of different religions.
 * The Crusades lasted from 1096 to 1291.
 * The Crusades were fought in the holy Land, or the middle east. Other fronts included Asia Minor, and Sothern Spain.

=3. Causal Factors--Describe three factors that led to The Crusades.=
 * One of the biggest factors that led to the Crusades was the factor of being able to own Jerusalem, which had its advantages.
 * Greed was another factor that led to the Crusades.
 * The last main causal factor was the oppurtunity to pillage and loot other cities which was an economic factor.

4. Most Important Factor--Explain how one factor was more important than the others.
The most important factor that led to the Crusades was the oppurtunity to control Jerusalem because of all the benefits you would acquire, whether they would be geographic or economical, Jerusalem would provide them all. For instance, you could toll peoples of other faiths to allow them to worship in the city of Jerusalem. A geographical benefit is the fact that it is in the holy land and is one of the most important cities there. In other words, people wanted to control Jerusalem because it was just about the godliest land on earth, it didn't matter if you were muslim, jewish, or christian, because Jerusalem was holy to all of them.

5. Impacts--Explain how one religious group and an individual within that group were impacted by The Crusades.
I will explain the impact the crusades had on the Jews. The impact of the Crusades on the Jews was horrifying, so horrifying, that some people are questioning if the Crusades were focused on being anti-semitical! During the Crusades, not one out of any Jewish village was spared. Numerous people were killed, others sold into slavery, and some were left scarred for life. Eliezer Ben Nathan was impacted by this because his family was killed during one of the Crusaders' loots, "How can god allow so many Jews to be Massacred?"(Wikipedia.org).

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6. Conclusion--Explain how The Crusades could have been avoided.
The Crusades could have been avoided if the pope had not felt threatened by the Seljuk Turks advancing on Constantinople. Another way the Crusades could have been avoided is if the three religions could have just divided Jerusalem into 3 for each of them. Also, if the seljuk turks hadn't come close to invading Europe, the crusades could have been averted.

7. Works Cited--List your sources in MLA format.

 * 1) Wikipedia contributors. "History of antisemitism." //Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia//. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 1 Mar. 2010. Web. 2 Mar. 2010.