Online Guide to the Crusades

The crusades represent a series of “holy wars” that took place for about 200 years in Europe from 1095 AD to the end of the 13^th century. The build up to the war was the result of increasing tensions between Muslims and Christians and revolved around the holy cities of Jerusalem and Palestine. The holy cities were important to Christian religious beliefs and Muslims were tolerant of these visits since they had a positive impact on the local economy.

In the 11^th century, however, Turkish forces invaded the area. Tensions between Christians and Islamic forces became high with reports that pilgrims were not being allowed to travel in the region and were even being murdered. When the Turks threatened the Byzantine Empire and the city of Constantinople, Emperor Alexius appealed to Pope Urban II for help. Urban decided to offer aid for a number of reasons including a desire to reclaim the holy lands, consolidate his power, and to deal with internal strife between knights back at home. Several crusades would be undertaken which would take many lives and forever change the culture of Europe.

General Resources & Background

• Background Of The Crusades: A quick background primer discusses the reasons behind the crusades, the tactics used, and how they changed the culture of the world.
• Crusade Propaganda: Preaching in support of the crusades helped shaped the public's perception of the campaign and united those of Christian fate.
• Mixed Reasons For & Mixed Results Of Warfare: There was no one reason for why the crusades occurred. The campaign had economic and religious causes and individuals who joined in had various reasons for doing so including the thrill of adventure, new trade opportunities, and a sincere belief in rescuing the land for God.
• Outremer: History, timeline, and pictures discuss the crusades and the use of the name Outremer to identify the captured states in the Middle East. Information on kings and the formations of orders is also reviewed.
• The Crusades From Background To Legacy: A look at the political and military history of the crusades along with the elements that started the religious war.
• Understanding The Crusades: The crusades had a lot of underlying causes including political changes in the Middle East as well as chivalry and the changing roles of knights.

First Crusade

• Count Stephen of Blois & Chartres Letter To His Wife, Adele (1098): Eyewitness accounts of the crusades have been preserved, these first-person accounts mainly come from high ranking military officials.
• Kings of Jerusalem: The crusaders used siege machines and religion to breach the walls of the city of Jerusalem. This article looks at how they achieved this feat and what actions they took to the Jews and Muslims within.
• The First Contact Of Crusaders & Turks: This background of the first crusade looks at the division of Islam and disharmony in the region that helped the Christians win the battle. 
• The First Crusade (1095 - 1099 AD): A brief look at the journey actually taken to get to the holy land.
• Treatment Of Jews During The Crusades: Jews were persecuted and put to death in England and other countries during the first crusade. Additional legal restrictions and violent mobs also targeted those of Jewish ancestry.
• Urban II: Speech For The First Crusade, 1095: The actual speech given by Pope Urban II that called for a crusade to take back the Holy Land.

The Kingdom of Jerusalem

• Between East & West: The Jews In The Latin Kingdom Of Jerusalem 1099 - 1291: Before the establishment of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, Jews in the area had adopted much of the culture of the Arab world including its languages. Contact with Europe, however, changed and redefined Jews living in this area.   
• History Of The Kingdom Of Jerusalem: After the Kingdom of Jerusalem was established it was ruled by a number of different kings, this narrative explores the crusaders presence in the Near East 
• The Crusaders Capture Jerusalem, 1099: The Christian capture of Jerusalem and an anonymous, eye-witness account of what occurred is included here.
• The Fall Of The Kingdom Of Jerusalem: The holy city of Jerusalem is important to Christians and Muslims. Although Muslims lost the city in the first crusade, they spent decades fighting for the city before eventually reclaiming it.
• The High Middle Ages: 1100 - 1300: This curriculum looks at the broadness of the crusades and covers the culture of the high middle ages and the medieval era. The reformation of the church, the church’s power, and the impact of the major crusades are also discussed.
• The Taxes Of The Kingdom Of Jerusalem: A look at the taxes imposed on the Kingdom of Jerusalem after the first crusade.

The Crusader Orders

• Knights Of Saint Thomas: Often called the Hospitallers, this religious military order was created during the third crusade and worked towards caring for and burying the dead.
• Muslim Perspectives On The Military Orders During The Crusades: This guide examines how Muslim monasticism affected their treatment of prisoners and those in military orders.
• Templars and Hospitallers As Professed Religious In The Holy Land: History, traditions, and an overview is given for the two earliest military orders of the Roman Catholic Church.
• Teutonic Knights: This order was specifically created to care for wounded German crusaders but also carried out military functions during the crusades.
• The Knights Templar: The Knights Templar came into existence in 1118 when nine crusaders vowed to protect the newly conquered city of Jerusalem.

The Second Crusade and Aftermath

• Failure Of The Second Crusade: Historian William Tyre provides a look at why the second crusade was unsuccessful including corruption and a waning of public faith.

• History Of The Second Crusade: The second crusades occurred after the County of Edessa fell; the resulting war would not be a success for the crusaders, however. By the time the war was over, the crusaders would also lose Jerusalem.
• Militia & Malitia: The Bernardine Vision Of Chivalry: Bernard of Clairvaux was a popular abbot who preached on the need for a second crusade, his views of knighthood and chivalry are also discussed here. 
The Third & Fourth Crusade
• The Baltic Crusade: The Northern crusades involved the Christian kings and were undertaken to encourage expansion east of the Baltic Sea. These crusades started around the time of the fourth crusade and extended from 1208 to 1300.
• Third Crusade (1189 - 1194 AD): Although reinvigorated by their defeats during the second crusade, the crusaders were unable to recapture Jerusalem during the third crusade. Information on Saladin, Egypt’s sultan and military leader are discussed here.
• The Sack Of Constantinople By The Crusaders: Text from the time of the fourth crusade in 1204 attempts to justify capturing and looting the Christian city of Constantinople.
• Innocent's Corrupted Crusade: The fourth crusade saw Pope Innocent III losing control of his own crusade when Constantinople was attacked, a move that would further deteriorate relations between the East and West.

The Fifth and Later Crusades

• Children's Crusade: Occurring during 1212, this crusade involved 30,000 children who thought to conquer the holy land through faith alone. According to myth and legend, these children ended up shipped off to slavery. 
• The Last Crusade (1095 - 1303 AD): A look at the fifth, sixth, and seventh crusades and their failings to capture Cairo or recapture Jerusalem even when offered the city in negotiations with the sultan of Egypt.
• The Memoirs Of The Lord of Joinville: Jean de Joinville provides a historical account of the seventh crusade undertaken by Saint Louis.
• The Sixth Crusade: Treaty Of Frederick II With The Saracens: Unlike previous crusades, the sixth crusade accomplished much with a nonviolent approach.

The Effects of the Crusade Ideal in the West

• Crusades: Aftermath And Heritage Of The Crusades: A concise examination of the lasting impact of the crusades including frequent war with the Turks and creation of architecture in the Moslem world are explored here.
• Crusades & The Rise Of Towns: Participation in the crusades, expansion, and trade changed the makeup of Europe, leading to the rise of a new middle class and the eventual end of serfdom. 
• How Could Christians Crusade: The crusades raised a lot of questions and forced christens to examine their doctrine. After the crusades, the idea of justified violence against enemies no longer held the same appeal.
• The Crusades & Medieval Christianity: This resource shows the affects of religious zealotry started during the crusades that continue to effect Middle East tensions today.
• The Crusades & Western Cultural Imagination: This online pamphlet examines the meaning of the word crusade, provides a timeline of key dates during the campaign, and discusses the ideology behind it.
• The Holy Crusades: This lecture series examines positive and negative impacts of the crusades including encouraging economic growth and the destruction of the Byzantine Empire.