Preview

The First Christian Crusade: Four Accounts

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1806 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The First Christian Crusade: Four Accounts
Christopher Roe
Dr. Jennifer Davis
Medieval History
October 11th, 2013 The Crusades: Motivation behind the Movement. Patrick Geary’s “Readings in Medieval History” contains four accounts of the invasion of the Middle East by the Europeans in 1095 A.D. These accounts all cite different motives for the first crusade, and all the accounts are from the perspective of different sides of the war. The accounts all serve to widen our perspective, we hear from the Christian and Middle Eastern side of the conflict. Fulcher of Chartres claims, Pope Urban the Second urged all Christians to intervene in the “East” at the council of Claremont, saying it was a sign of “Strength of good will”. (Readings in Medieval History, Geary, page 396). Solomon Bar Simson, a member of the Jewish community in Mainz, had a much different look upon the reasons behind the Christian invasion, saying the main reason was to banish the Ishmaelite’s and take over in the East for their own greedy needs. ( Readings in Medieval History, Geary, page 407) My paper is meant to go through each account and explain each person’s feeling for why the first crusade took place. The first account is from Fulcher of Chartres, a priest and servant of King Baldwin I. His account for the motivation for a Christian invasion of the Middle East cites that Pope Urban the II felt that the East was a threat to Christianity. The Pope uses the example of Turks invading Romania as a sign of eastern people’s attempts to disrupt Christianity. Urban II feels so strongly on this issue that he goes on to say “If you allow them to continue much longer they will conquer Gods faithful people” (Readings in Medieval History, Geary, page 396). The bishops and all the men present are extremely moved by this Roe2
Call to arms by the Pope, and vow to do just as Urban II has asked. Pope Urban II goes on to say this isn’t what he wants, rather it’s what God wants and anyone who follows through on this crusade is to

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    [ 13 ]. Ekkehard of Aurach: On the Opening of the First Crusade found in James Harvey Robinson, ed., Readings in European History: Vol. I: (Boston:: Ginn and co., 1904), pp.316-318…

    • 2243 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    One of the most significant and remarkable incidents of the Middle Ages was the series of conflicts known collectively as the Crusades. Generally these conflicts were militant pilgrimages to the Levant (though sometimes elsewhere) undertaken by medieval Europeans in the name of Christendom. Though there were many political and social issues involved in the whole affair, the primary theme, however superficial, was religious. The adversaries in these “wars” were non-Christians, namely Muslims, who were widely seen as the oppressors of Eastern Christians. Those engaged in the Crusades, especially the authorities preaching and administering them, believed that the Saracens (Turks, Arabs, etc) were intruding on lands that were inherently Christian. Two important primary source texts which explain this justification for war are Robert of Rheims’ account of Urban’s Speech at Clermont and La Chanson d’Antioche (The Song of Antioch) by Graindor de Douai. Though they are very different types of sources, written at different times and for different purposes, they both illustrate the reasons why Crusaders felt they were fighting for land that was rightfully theirs.…

    • 2423 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    While reading a version of the speech given by Urban II at Clermont in 1095, I wondered why a pope would want to start a war. So I did some research found a few reliable sources on the internet about the same speech and including my textbook. My objective in this paper is to find out why would any Christian be willing to go to war for a piece of property and or did the pope have an ulterior motive?…

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Christianity has played a crucial role in world history since the death of Christ. From its humble beginnings along the Sea of Galilee until its solidified spread amongst Western European nations, the religion has had its fair share of conflict. Most notable would be the Crusades. An in depth look at the motivation, conflicts, and outcomes of the Crusades can be perfectly associated with the History of Jerusalem, Siege of Constantinople, and letters from Pope Innocent III. The Crusaders began as a religious mission, originally for the reinstatement of Christian presence in the Holy Land. However, as time waged on and soldiers returned glorified and rich, the intentions of future Crusaders desired wealth, not just the preservation of Roman Catholicism in the Levant. These accounts share the Western perspective directly involved with the Crusades and their missions, illustrating the struggles, as well as the successes of Christianity at that time.…

    • 1605 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The period between 950 and 1350 saw a great expansion of Western Christendom: the Iberian Peninsula, the coast of the Eastern Mediterranean, parts of Eastern Europe, and the Crusader States saw the extent to which Christianity’s influence could be spread across the known world. No better was this driving force of expansionism expressed than in the Crusades. Shortly after the first Crusade, the contemporary writer and abbot Guibert of Nogent coined the phrase “Holy Christendom’s new Colonies” for the recently conquered areas of Syria and Palestine ; similarly, the true nature of the societies created by the Crusades has been debated fiercely over the past two centuries. The question of whether the Frankish settlements in the Levant were created…

    • 323 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Proof that religious motivation was a cause for the crusades is shown through many of these documents. First, document one contains such quotes as, "Christ commands it", "…concerns you and God", and "…preserve the right of church". All of these were said by Pope Urban II and clearly show this documents religious connotation. Document two also portrays religious motivation when Ekkehard says, "enemies of the cross of Christ" and "love of…

    • 353 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Crusades Dbq Essay

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages

    To understand the reason behind the attacks, one must know about each side's history. “The first of the Crusades began in 1095, when armies of Christians from Western Europe…

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The first crusade: a religious endeavor that became a turning point of history. It all began…

    • 1170 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    …."Although, O sons of God, you have promised more firmly than ever to keep the peace among yourselves and to preserve the rights of the church, there remains still an important work for you to do. Freshly quickened by the divine correction, you must apply the strength of your righteousness to another matter which concerns you as well as God. For your brethren {brothers} who live in the east are in urgent need of your help, and you must hasten to give them the aid which has often been promised them. For, as the most of you have heard, the Turks and Arabs have attacked them and have conquered the territory of Romania [the Greek empire] as far west as the shore of the Mediterranean and the Hellespont, which is called the Arm of St. George. They have occupied more and more of the lands of those Christians, and have overcome them in seven battles. They have killed and captured many, and have destroyed the churches and devastated the empire. If you permit them to continue thus for awhile with impurity {not pure}, the faithful of God will be much more widely attacked by them. On this account I, or rather the Lord, beseech you as Christ's heralds to publish this everywhere and to persuade all people of whatever rank, foot-soldiers and knights, poor and rich, to carry aid promptly to those Christians and to destroy that vile {disgusting} race from the lands of our friends... Moreover, Christ commands it.” All who die by the way, whether by land or…

    • 1546 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The ways religious people perceive the crusades in different religion differ from one another. For many Christian the crusades were a force of reconquering the “holy land”. However, for many other people such as Muslims and Jews the crusades were a catastrophic destruction of their beliefs. The crusades during the 11th and 16th for many people had different motives. For people, who were attacked by Christians the crusades meant something very different from the people, who were conquering and killing people on “the name of God”. During these times, people began to feel confuse because they did not know the “real” purpose of the actions of the Christians. On the other hand, Christian felt competent and glorious because they had the power to order and perform on the name of God. In the text by Fulcher of Chartres, one can see how what the crusades signified for the Christian population, and why they perform the way, they did. On the other hand, in text written by Solomon Bar Simson one can experience how the Jews community felt regarding the crusades. In addition, one can see how these texts have differences when describing the reasons behind and why the crusades happened.…

    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The crusades were a series of religious battles fought in the 11th century between Christians and the Muslims. The third crusade, fought between Saladin and Richard the lion hearted between June7 and July 15, was critical for the Muslims. It was the third crusade which was fought between two very influential political leaders, Saladin Ayubi and Richard the lion hearted. Saladin led a series of expeditions to bring, Jerusalem, the third holiest city back under the Muslim control. This would allow the Muslims to reconcile once again both religiously and politically.…

    • 324 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    First Crusade

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Council of Clermont led by Pope Urban II - "It is the will of God"…

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The First Crusades

    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages

    As I lay down, slowly bleeding to death, I know I did what any Christian soldier would do. Fighting for God and the Pope, this sacrifice will give me the right of passage to heaven for, I justify my deeds to save the holy land where Jesus, my savior, died for my sins. During the Middle Ages, religion was the way of life. With a strong heart full of faith, a conflict between the Christians and Muslims emerged, resulting in the Crusades: any of the military expeditions undertaken by the Christians of Europe in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries for the recovery of the Holy Land from the Muslims. However, the Crusades were ineffective overall by only creating more tension between the religions and the cause of unreasonable deaths.…

    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The First Crusades

    • 387 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Ernest Hemingway once said, “Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.” When groups of Christians responded to Pope Urban II’s plea to go to war against the harmonious Muslims, they were starting a series of wars that would destroy both sides. The First Crusade, which took place during the late eleventh century CE, was an “endeavor” which Christians set out on a religious pilgrimage led by Pope Urban II. This endeavor was supposedly backed by God, in which they made an attempt to exterminate all other religions, specifically Islam and Judaism. Although the Crusades started as a widespread pilgrimage, a commandment from God to the Catholic Church, it ended as a military expedition to take money, land,…

    • 387 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Viva La Vida Analysis

    • 1128 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Throughout history people have protested for many things such as human rights, equality, moral dilemmas, war and taxes. To publicize what they are protesting, they get their point across through many different mediums, such as, signs, literature, television shows and songs just to name a few. “Viva La Vida” which at the surface might not seem like a protest song but is rich with objections to religion. Chris Martin wrote “Viva La Vida” after a religious fallout in his life, in which he doubted the credibility of religion and he incorporated those thoughts into his song. The song later grew to become a huge hit but was sadly misinterpreted…

    • 1128 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Best Essays