The origin of the Crusades
By the beginning of the 11th century, the people who inhabited Europe did not know much about the rest of the world. For them, the Mediterranean was the focus of all life on earth. In the center of this world, the Pope ruled as the head of Christianity.
The capital of the former Roman Empire, Rome and Constantinople, was located in the Mediterranean basin.
The ancient Roman Empire collapsed around 400 AD. into two parts, western and eastern. The Greek part, the Eastern Roman Empire, was called the Middle East or Orient. The Latin part, the Western Roman Empire, was named Occident. The Western Roman Empire ceased to exist by the end of the 10th century, while the Eastern Byzantine Empire still existed.
Both parts of the former great empire were located north of the Mediterranean. The northern coast of this elongated body of water was inhabited by Christians, the southern - by peoples professing Islam, Muslims, who even crossed the Mediterranean Sea and settled on the northern coast, in Italy, France and Spain. But now Christians are determined to oust them from there.
There was no unity in Christianity itself. Between Rome, the seat of the western head of the church, and Constantinople, the seat of the eastern, there have been very tense relations for a long time.
A few years after the death of Muhammad (632), the founder of Islam, the Arabs from the Arabian Peninsula moved north and took possession of vast territories of the Middle East. Now, in the 11th century, Turkic tribes from Central Asia have pulled in here, threatening the Middle East. In 1701, they defeated the Byzantine army at Manzikert, captured Jewish and Christian shrines not only in Jerusalem itself, but throughout Palestine, and proclaimed Nicaea as their capital. These conquerors were the Turkic-speaking tribes of the Seljuk, who converted to Islam just a few years ago.
At the end of the 11th century, a struggle for power between church and state flared up in Western Europe. Since March 1088, Urban II, French by birth, became Pope. He was going to reform the Roman Catholic Church to make it stronger. Through reforms, he wanted to strengthen his claim to be the only vicar of God on earth. At this time, the Byzantine emperor Alexei I asked the pope for help in the fight against the Seljuks, and Urban II immediately expressed his readiness to help him.
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In November 1095. not far from the French city of Clermont, Pope Urban II spoke to a huge crowd of gathered people - peasants, artisans, knights and monks. In a fiery speech, he urged everyone to take up arms and go to the East in order to win the Lord's tomb from the infidels and cleanse the holy land of them. The Pope promised all the participants of the campaign forgiveness of sins.
The news of the upcoming campaign to the Holy Land quickly spread throughout Western Europe. Priests in churches and holy fools in the streets called to take part in it. Under the influence of these sermons, as well as at the call of their hearts, thousands of poor people rose up on a holy campaign. In the spring of 1096, from France and Rhine Germany, they moved in discordant crowds along the roads, long known to pilgrims: along the Rhine, Danube and further - to Constantinople. They were poorly armed and suffered from food shortages. It was a rather wild procession, since on the way the crusaders mercilessly plundered the Bulgarians and Hungarians, through whose lands they passed: they took away livestock, horses, food, killed those who tried to protect their property. With grief in half, having put many in skirmishes with local residents, in the summer of 1096 the peasants reached Constantinople. The end of the peasant campaign was sad:in the fall of the same year, the Seljuk Turks met their army near the city of Nicaea and almost completely killed or, having captured, sold into slavery. From 25 thousand. Only about 3 thousand of the "armies of Christ" survived.
First crusade
In the summer of 1096. for the first time in history, a huge Christian army from representatives of many peoples set out on a campaign to the East. This army did not consist of noble knights; peasants inspired by the ideas of the cross and poorly armed townspeople, men and women, also participated in the campaign. In total, united in six large groups, from 50 to 70 thousand people made this trip, and most of them covered most of the way on foot.
From the beginning, separate detachments headed by Pusnynnik and the knight Walter, nicknamed Golyak, set out on the campaign. They numbered about 15 thousand people. The knight Golyak was followed primarily by the French.
As these peasant crowds marched through Hungary, they had to endure fierce battles with an angry population. Taught by bitter experience, the ruler of Hungary demanded hostages from the crusaders, which guaranteed a rather "decent" behavior of the knights in relation to the Hungarians. However, this was an isolated case. The Balkan Peninsula was plundered by the "Christ soldiers" who marched through it.
In December 1096 - January 1097. the crusaders arrived at Constantinople. The largest army was led by Raimund of Toulouse, and the papal legate Ademar was in his retinue. Bohemond of Tarentum, one of the most ambitious and cynical leaders of the First Crusade, set out with an army to the East across the Mediterranean. Robert of Flanders and Stefan Blauski reached the Bosphorus by the same sea route.
As early as 1095, the Byzantine Emperor Alexei I turned to Pope Urban II with an insistent request to help him in the fight against the Seljuks and Pechenegs. However, he had a slightly different idea of the help he asked for. He desired to have hired soldiers who were paid from his own treasury and obeyed him. Instead, along with the poor peasant militia, knightly detachments led by their princes approached the city.
It was not difficult to guess that the emperor's goals - the return of the lost Byzantine lands - did not coincide with the goals of the crusaders. Realizing the danger of such "guests", seeking to use their military zeal for his own purposes, Alexei, by cunning, bribery and flattery, obtained from the majority of the knights a vassal oath and the obligation to return the empire those lands that would be reclaimed from the Turks.
The first target of the knightly army was Nicaea, once the site of large church cathedrals, and now the capital of the Seljuk sultan Kilich-Arslan. October 21, 1096 the Seljuks have already utterly defeated the peasant army of the crusaders. Those of the peasants who did not fall in battle were sold into slavery. Walter Golyak was also among the dead.
Peter the Hermit had not yet left Constantinople by that time. Now, in May 1097, he joined the knights with the remnants of his army.
Sultan Kilich-Arslan hoped to defeat the newcomers in the same way, and therefore did not take seriously the approach of the enemy. But he was destined to be severely disappointed. His light cavalry and infantry, armed with bows and arrows, were defeated by Western cavalry in open battle. However, Nicaea was located so that it was not possible to take it without military support from the sea. Here the Byzantine fleet provided the necessary assistance to the crusaders, and the city was taken. The army of the crusaders moved on and on July 1, 1097.
the crusaders were able to defeat the Seljuks in the former Byzantine territory from Doriley (now Eskisehir, Turkey). A little further to the southeast, the army divided, most of it moved to Caesarea (now Kayseri, Turkey) towards the Syrian city of Antioch. On October 20, with battles, the crusaders made their way through the Iron Bridge on the Orontes River, and soon already stood under the walls of Antioch. In early July 1098, after a seven-month siege, the city surrendered. The Byzantines and Armenians helped to take the city.
Meanwhile, some French crusaders established themselves in Edessa (now Urfa, Turkey). Baldwin of Boulogne founded here his own state, stretching on both sides of the Euphrates. This was the first state of the crusaders in the East, to the south of it several more of the same arose later.
After the capture of Antioch, the crusaders moved south along the coast without any particular obstacles and took possession of several port cities along the way. June 6, 1098 Tancred, nephew of Bohemond of Tarentum, entered at last with his army into Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. The way to Jerusalem was opened before the knights.
Jerusalem was thoroughly prepared for the siege, food supplies were in abundance, and to leave the enemy without water, all the wells around the city were rendered useless. The crusaders lacked ladders, rams and siege machines to storm the city. They themselves had to mine timber in the vicinity of the city and build military equipment. It took a lot of time and only in July 1099. the crusaders managed to take Jerusalem.
They quickly scattered throughout the city, grabbing gold and silver, horses and mules, taking their homes. After that, sobbing with joy, the soldiers went to the tomb of the Savior Jesus Christ and made amends for their guilt before Him.
Soon after the capture of Jerusalem, the Crusaders took possession of most of the eastern Mediterranean coast. In the occupied territory at the beginning of the XII century. knights created four states: the kingdom of Jerusalem, the county of Tripoli, the principality of Antioch and the county of Edessa. Power in these states was built on the basis of a feudal hierarchy. It was headed by the King of Jerusalem, the other three rulers were considered his vassals, but in reality they were independent. The church had a huge influence in the states of the crusaders. She also owned large land holdings. On the lands of the crusaders in the XI century. the spiritual and knightly orders arose that became famous in the future: the Templars, the Hospitallers and the Teutons.
With the conquest of the Holy Sepulcher, the main goal of this crusade was achieved. After 1100. the crusaders continued to expand their possessions. Since May 1104. they owned Akcon, a major trade center on the Mediterranean. In July 1109. they captured Tripoli and thus rounded up their possessions. When the Crusader states reached their maximum size, their area stretched from Edessa in the north to the Gulf of Aqaba in the south.
The conquests in the first crusade did not mean the end of the struggle. This was only a temporary truce, as there were still more Muslims than Christians in the East.
Second crusade
The Crusader states were surrounded on all sides by the peoples whose territory they had conquered. Therefore, it is not surprising that the possessions of the invaders were repeatedly attacked by the Egyptians, Seljuks and Syrians.
However, Byzantium, at every opportunity, also participated in battles against Christian states in the East.
In 1137. Byzantine emperor John II attacked Antioch and conquered it. The Crusader states were so at odds with each other that they did not even help Antioch. At the end of 1143. the Muslim commander Imad-ad-din Zengi attacked the county of Edessa and snatched it from the crusaders. The loss of Edessa caused anger and chagrin in Europe as well, for there was a fear that now the Muslim states would act on a wide front against the invaders.
At the request of the King of Jerusalem, Pope Eugene III again called for a crusade. It was organized by the Abbot Bernard of Clairvaux. March 31, 1146 in front of the newly erected church of St. Magdalene in Wesel, in Burgundy, he in fiery speeches exhorted his listeners to take part in the crusade. Countless crowds followed his call.
Soon a whole army set out on a campaign. The German king Conrad III and the French king Louis VII took the lead in this army. In the spring of 1147. the crusaders left Regensbukg. The French preferred the route through the Mediterranean. German troops, however, passed through Hungary without any special incident and entered the Byzantine lands. When the army of the cross passed through Anatolia, they were attacked by the Seljuks at Doriley and suffered heavy losses. King Konrad managed to save and get into the Holy Land only thanks to the Byzantine fleet.
The French, too, were no better off than the Germans. In 1148. not far from Laodicea, they were fiercely attacked by the Muslims. The help of the Byzantine army turned out to be completely inadequate - apparently, the emperor Manuel, deep in his soul, wanted the defeat of the crusaders.
Meanwhile, Conrad III, Louis VII, the patriarch and king of Jerusalem held a secret council about the true goals of the crusade and decided to take possession of Damascus with all available forces, which promised them a rich booty.
But with such a decision, they only pushed the Syrian ruler into the arms of the Seljuk prince from Aleppo, who was advancing with a large army and with whom Syria's relations were previously hostile.
It soon became clear that the second crusade would not achieve its goal of reclaiming the lost Edessa. July 3, 1187 near the village of Hittin, west of Lake Genesaret, a fierce battle broke out. The Muslim army outnumbered the Christian forces. As a result, the crusaders suffered a crushing defeat.
Countless numbers of them were killed in battle, and those who survived were taken prisoner. This defeat had fatal consequences for the Crusader states. They no longer had an efficient army. Only a few powerful fortresses in the north remained in the hands of Christians: Krak de Chevalier, Châtel Blanc and Margat.
Third crusade
So Jerusalem fell. This message shook the entire Christian world. And again in Western Europe there were people who were ready to fight against Muslims. Already in December 1187. at the Strasbourg Reichstag, the first of them accepted the cross. In the spring of the next year, their example was followed by the German emperor Frederick I Barbarossa. There were not enough ships, so it was decided not to go by sea. Most of the army moved overland, despite the fact that this path was not easy. Preliminarily, treaties were concluded with the Balkan states in order to provide the crusaders with unhindered passage through their territories.
May 11, 1189 the army left Regensburg. It was headed by the 67-year-old emperor Frederick I. Because of the attacks of the Seljuks and the unbearable heat, the crusaders advanced very slowly, among them general diseases began. June 10, 1190 the emperor drowned while crossing the mountain river Salef. His death was a heavy blow to the crusaders. They did not have much confidence in the emperor's eldest son, and therefore many turned back. Only a small number of loyal knights continued on their way under the leadership of Duke Frederick. On October 7, they approached Akkon. French and English units left Wesele only at the end of July 1190, because strife constantly arose between France and England. Meanwhile, the German army, supported by the Pisa fleet, laid siege to Akkon. In April 1191. the French fleet arrived, followed by the English. Saladin was forced to capitulate and surrender the city. He tried in every possible way to avoid the pre-agreed ransom, and then the English king Richard I the Lionheart did not hesitate to order the killing of 2,700 Muslim prisoners. Saladin had to ask for a truce. The victors followed the English king withdrew to the south and headed through Jaffa towards Jerusalem. The Kingdom of Jerusalem was restored, although Jerusalem itself remained in Muslim hands. Akkon became the capital of the kingdom. The power of the Crusaders was limited mainly to a strip of coastline, which began just north of Tire and stretched to Jaffa, and in the east did not even reach the Jordan River. Saladin had to ask for a truce. The victors followed the English king withdrew to the south and headed through Jaffa towards Jerusalem. The Kingdom of Jerusalem was restored, although Jerusalem itself remained in Muslim hands. Akkon became the capital of the kingdom. The power of the Crusaders was limited mainly to a strip of coastline, which began just north of Tire and stretched to Jaffa, and in the east did not even reach the Jordan River. Saladin had to ask for a truce. The victors followed the English king withdrew to the south and headed through Jaffa towards Jerusalem. The Kingdom of Jerusalem was restored, although Jerusalem itself remained in Muslim hands. Akkon became the capital of the kingdom. The power of the Crusaders was limited mainly to a strip of coastline, which began just north of Tire and stretched to Jaffa, and in the east did not even reach the Jordan River.and in the east it did not even reach the Jordan River.and in the east it did not even reach the Jordan River.
The Fourth Crusade Alongside these unsuccessful ventures of the European knights, the Fourth Crusade, which equated the Byzantine Orthodox Christians with the infidels and led to the death of Constantinople, stands completely apart.
It was initiated by Pope Innocent III. His first concern was the position of Christianity in the Middle East. He wanted to try on the Latin and Greek churches again, to strengthen the rule of the church, and at the same time his own claims to supremacy in the Christian world. In 1198. he launched a grandiose campaign for another campaign in the name of the liberation of Jerusalem. Papal messages were sent to all European states, but, in addition, Innocent III did not ignore another Christian ruler - the Byzantine emperor Alexei III. He, too, according to the Pope, had to move troops to the Holy Land. He diplomatically, but not ambiguously, hinted to the emperor that if the Byzantines were intractable, there would be forces in the West that were ready to oppose them. In fact,Innocent III dreamed not so much of the restoration of the unity of the Christian Church, as of the subordination of the Byzantine Greek Church to the Roman Catholic Church. The fourth crusade began in 1202, and Egypt was originally planned as its final destination. The way there lay through the Mediterranean Sea, and the crusaders, despite all the thoroughness of the preparation of the "holy pilgrimage", did not have a fleet and therefore had to turn to the Venetian Republic for help. From that moment on, the route of the crusade changed dramatically. The Doge of Venice, Enrico Dandolo, demanded a huge sum for the services, and the crusaders were insolvent. Dandolo was not embarrassed by this: he suggested that the "holy army" compensate for the arrears by seizing the Dalmatian city of Zadar, whose merchants competed with the Venetian ones. In 1202. Zadar was takenthe army of the crusaders embarked on ships, but … did not go to Egypt at all, but found themselves under the walls of Constantinople. The reason for this turn of events was the struggle for the throne in Byzantium itself. Doge Dandelo, who liked to settle scores with competitors with the hands of the Crusaders, conspired with the leader of the "Host of Christ" Boniface of Montferrat. Pope Innocent III supported the venture - and the route of the crusade was changed for the second time. Having besieged in 1203. Constantinople, the crusaders achieved the restoration of the throne of Emperor Iisac II, who promised to pay generously for support, but was not rich enough to keep his word. The “liberators of the holy land”, enraged by this turn of affairs, in April 1204. they took Constantinople by storm and subjected it to pogrom and plunder. After the fall of Constantinople, part of the Byzantine Empire was captured. On its ruins a new state arose - the Latin Empire, created by the crusaders. It did not last long, until 1261, until it collapsed under the blows of the conquerors. After the fall of Constantinople, the calls to go to liberate the Holy Land for a while died down, until the children of Germany and France set off on this feat, which turned out to be their death. The following four knights' crusades to the East did not bring success. True, during the 6th campaign, Emperor Frederick II managed to liberate Jerusalem, but the “infidels” returned what they had lost 15 years later. After the failure of the 8th campaign of the French knights in North Africa and the death of the French king Louis IX there, the calls of the Roman priests for new exploits "in the name of the faith of Christ" were not answered. The possessions of the crusaders in the East were gradually seized by the Muslims, until at the very end of the XIII century. the Kingdom of Jerusalem did not cease to exist. True, the crusaders existed in Europe for a long time. Those German knights who were defeated on Lake Peipsi by Prince Alexander Nevsky were also crusaders. Popes up to the 15th century organized campaigns in Europe in the name of extermination of the Heresies, but these were only echoes of the past. The Holy Sepulcher remained for the "unbelievers." The great battle that lasted 200 years is over. The rule of the Crusaders was ended once and for all. Popes up to the 15th century organized campaigns in Europe in the name of extermination of the Heresies, but these were only echoes of the past. The Holy Sepulcher remained for the "unbelievers." The great battle that lasted 200 years is over. The rule of the Crusaders was ended once and for all. Popes up to the 15th century organized campaigns in Europe in the name of extermination of the Heresies, but these were only echoes of the past. The Holy Sepulcher remained for the "unbelievers." The great battle that lasted 200 years is over. The rule of the Crusaders was ended once and for all.