Crusades

• The Crusades refers to a series of religious wars that were responsible for bringing out of the Dark Ages of the Medieval Europe to eventually the Modern Age.
• These wars were inflicted by the Catholic Europe against Muslims, pagans, heretics, and peoples under the ban of excommunication. The geographic spread of the Crusades included the today’s Eastern Europe, northern Africa and Mediterranean. They are most popularly associated with campaigns in the Church to establish control of religious sites but also cover other campaigns for different religious, economic, and political reasons such as the Albigensian Crusade, the Aragonese Crusade, the Reconquista and the Northern Crusades.
• The initial crusades were fought by northern European Christian lords and kings who were responding to a call from Pope Urban II (1088-1099) to drive the Muslims from the Holy Land. This was also a response to the Turkish activity of restricting the religious pilgrimages and persecution of the Christians.
• One attraction for the people to participate in the crusades was the promise of the Church of salvation for all who fought in these religious wars. Many of these lords went off to the Middle East to fight for God and glory.
• The Crusades continued for three centuries from 1095 AD onwards. Militarily, they were unsuccessful. Many of the soldiers seemed more interested in looting and fortune hunting. The Muslims proved to be formidable enemies.
• The most important implication of the Crusades was that they brought tremendous economic, social, and political changes. The first impact was seen on the trade, which gradually re-established. During the Crusades, soldiers brought back many of the products of the East including spices and textiles. When the Europeans became more and more needful to these luxuries, they began to expand their trade.

The Implication of the Crusades

• The most important implication of the Crusades was that they brought tremendous economic, social, and political changes. The first impact was seen on the trade, which gradually re-established. During the Crusades, soldiers brought back many of the products of the East including spices and textiles. When the Europeans became more and more needful to these luxuries, they began to expand their trade.