In the Wake of the Crusades

The Crusades were fought between the Christian Europeans and various other religions in the Holy Roman Empire, particularly the Muslims, but also the Jews, Slavs, Prussians, and anyone else that might be deemed enemies of the Pope. The fighting took place between the years of 1095 and 1291 and were split into various crusades (ie. First Crusade, Second Crusade, etc.).

How Did It Begin?

The Crusades flourished in a time when there was a renewal of pride in the Church and a new rush of religious piety in Europe. It was, at the time, considered to be extremely pious to make a pilgrimage to a religious place, someplace that was important in the Bible. One of the most popular pilgrimages was to Jerusalem, which was the site of Jesus' birth. Thus, the logical conclusion was that Christians could take it one step further. If it was pious to just visit the Holy Land, Christians could gain so much more piety by controlling the Holy Land themselves.

That was not the only cause, though. The Muslims in the south had also been pushing their boundaries up north and had recently launched an attack against the Byzantine Empire, which was one of the immediate causes of the Crusades.

The Most Popular Crusades

First Crusade (1095 - 1099)

During the First Crusade, despite Muslim opposition, the Christians managed to conquer Jerusalem.

Third Crusade (1187 - 1192)

After nearly 100 years of ruling Jerusalem, the Christians were ousted by Saladin, the sultan of Egypt, and Jerusalem was reconquered by the Muslims.

The Knights Templar

This group, though surrounded in much myth and vagueness, was created around 1129 for the purpose of fighting for God in the Crusades. They were a very popular fighting group until the Second Crusade, when Jerusalem was lost and their popularity faded.

The Templar was created after the First Crusade when Jerusalem was already captured. There was a flood of people making the pilgrimage to the Holy Land and while Jerusalem itself was under secure control, the surrounding areas were not. The Knights Templar was created in an attempt to protect those people who were making the pilgrimage in the insecure areas where they were prone to being attacked along the way.

One of the myths that surrounds the Templar is that during the time of Christian conquest in Jerusalem, the Order found the so-called Holy Grail, the grail used by Jesus during the last supper. Rumors are that it was hidden by the Order and has yet to be recovered from its hiding place.

The Aftermath

Perhaps one of the most important results of the Crusades was the transfer of information between the involved parties. Europe gained a lot of knowledge of science, mathematics, medicine, and architecture from the Muslims, which set the scene for future learning.

The First Crusade also set the scene for the wide-spread hate of Jewish peoples for future generations, setting the scene for such events as the Holocaust even hundreds of years after this occurrence. The First Crusade, in particular, set a precedent or a tradition of organized violence towards the Jews in European culture.

The Crusades also increased the power and wealth of the Catholic church, where it became increasingly difficult for people to speak out against the Church because of its vast control.

The Crusades also broke down the feudal system that had dominated Europe for centuries. Nobles had used their land and money to fund crusades and quests to the Holy Land and were left with nothing upon their return. Still other nobles left to join the crusades and never returned, some of which did not have heirs and so their estate became property of the state.

Another extremely important outcome is the tension that lasted between Europe and the Middle Ages. The Muslims reconquered their land, which included trade routes to Asia that Europeans used. Because of the tension, traders were often attacked and mugged or killed on these routes. Thus, Europeans set out to find other trade routes, which fueled the Age of Exploration that was characterized by explorers like Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus.

Sources:

The Crusades. Middle-ages.org.