Who needed the Crusades?
This article is dedicated to one of the most interesting periods in world history - the Crusades. Crusaders often portrayed one-sidedly on the basis of the views of the author. Therefore,
opinions about them and vary from real knights of honor and reputation
in white to ruthless killers, monsters and robbers. What if you try to represent the motion of the Crusaders from the position "that" time.
Who needed the Crusades?Eugène Delacroix. Crusaders take Constantinople. 1840
End of X-th century marked the end of an epoch, which is now called the Great Migration. Ruthless Norsemen settled down, becoming vassals French throne. Invasion of the Hungarians was halted on the river Lech. Ends up being a continuous battles and invasions of barbarian tribes of Goths, Huns, Avars, Magyars. The
onset of the 1000-tion, it was announced a year end of the world and
the Last Judgement, and the vast majority of people believe that it
will. Crowds came to the monasteries to atone for their sins. Divorced countless blessed and holy fools. Farmers threw farming land, which led to famine in many areas. The birth rate is falling rapidly.
Industrial and technological achievements of antiquity were forgotten and not used. Progress was evident only in the development of weapons and armor. Money almost gone out of use, widely used in a simple exchange of goods. Europe froze in anticipation December 25, 1000. And that day has come. And nothing happened. For understandable wave of happiness was the understanding of one thing - you need to live on. Everything seems to be back to their community, but it was not.
Knight is the only occupation war. When to stop raids subsided Hungarians and the Normans, has no one to defend. Soldiers
stopped dying in large numbers, as well as the sons of knights have to
be knights only, this class was rapidly growing. Soon, all the knights no longer enough land and peasants.
Lords have found if not the most successful and humane, yet solutions to this problem - tournaments and internecine war. They
are not bad in its core functions, but even the most uneducated peasant
could now think: "And one to defend my valiant heroes, knights now,
when there is not a Norman or Hungary, or any other threat. It turns out that only the other knights. And if they will not - and will not be wars, devastation, hunger. I will not work on the castle lord, but only to himself. "
Past class unity began to give serious crack. Also in Europe in less than a hundred years from the year 1000 could be a real population boom. According to various estimates, the population of the major European powers has grown from 30 to 40%. Needed a new common enemy, the new idea of uniting people, justifying the existence of chivalry and the feudal class. As
to prevent a social explosion took upon his shoulders the Catholic
Church, the mighty power of the time, are situated between the people
and the government.
November
26, 1095 near the small French town of Clermont in Auvergne, an event
that played a role of the first stone that starts an avalanche. The week before, the day was a rumor spread that after the closure of the church council pope rumor to the people about. All week here flocked crowds. They were led by the hope to witness and hear the head of the Apostolic See, so rarely absent from Rome.
On the plain before the city was a huge mass of people: knights, nobles, monks, priests and commoners. What exactly says Urban II is not known. Survived several variants of speech, but it is unlikely they are authentic. Elderly dad heard only the first series, and then during breaks his word with comments retold standing behind. Urban
II spoke of the sufferings of Christians in the Holy Land, and the
oppression of pious pilgrims, the desecration of Christian holy sites. Thousands of people were crying and sent curses. Next Pope urged to take up the sword, spear, and free the Holy Sepulchre. In
exchange, he graciously promised to release all sins, release from the
torments of purgatory and take the church family protection of pilgrims.
The sign of the cross was red cloth sewn on clothing. Oath hike to Jerusalem immediately uttered a thousand people.
Why the words of Pope caused such a response from so unequal social classes? First, it's still a truly great power of the Catholic Church in those days. Fear
the wrath of the Lord, pray for forgiveness of sins and a desire to
avoid punishment for them in the next world was a powerful incentive. But there were other reasons. One has only to think of the worst disaster XI century. They are hunger. Even in normal years, peasants lived from hand to mouth, barely reaching up to the next. If Year is lean ...
This
is how the terrible picture of this time Burgundian monk Glaber, "When
was eaten by livestock and poultry, people have come to the point that
tore each other carrion and other nasty scum. Some, fleeing from starvation, eating wild roots and algae - all in vain! Scared now and tell to what the fall came when the human race. Alas! Oh the horror! Thing
happened, previously almost completely unheard of: maddened by
privation people were brought to what is decided human flesh. Attacked the travelers who stronger, divided them into pieces and roasted in the fire, devoured. In many parts of the body, dug out of the ground, also went to the satisfaction of hunger. "
Pope's words flowing with milk and honey, the land of Palestine made a deep impression. East, the common people a place where there will be hungry and humiliated, where there will be lords and masters. Quite different reasons stirred up chivalry and nobility. At the time will come easy lord did not want to settle for what could make his estate. He
wanted to wear comfortable and beautiful clothes made of expensive
fabrics, excellent wines to drink, to eat only the gold and silver
utensils. All this needed money, and squeeze anything else out of starving peasants was impossible. In these circumstances, the appeal of Urban II to go on a crusade, meant an opportunity to win great treasures and new land. And what it was the perfect chance to show off their military prowess and skill. Thus,
the Pope's speech, which was built according to the rules of oratory,
touched chord in the hearts of people from very different social classes
and groups.
After
the cathedral of Clermont Pope Urban II traveled to France, stopping in
every town and castle, repeating his call to free the Holy Land. On the roads of Europe, like ripples in the water, dispersed thousands of preachers. Their words were echoed. Thousands and thousands of peasants, knights, thieves even took the cross and vowed to liberate Jerusalem. The knights were drawn to his lords, who gave consent to participate in the campaign. Farmers abandoned fields and homes, gathering in huge hordes with landless knights and common criminals. Already in the spring of 1096 all of Europe was in full swing, like a giant boiler. Thus began the First Crusade ...
Here
it should be noted that in the XI century, the Muslim world stretching
from the Atlantic to the headwaters of the Ganges, from the lands of
Africa to the Kipchak steppe. In
this area lived hundreds of people, thousands of towns and villages,
millions of people, the followers of the Prophet Muhammad. Their sacred tome, the Quran is wonderful in every way. However,
the whole is essentially the product, resulting in the imposition of
economic, geographic, and cultural diversity of Muslim nations, has
meant that the ideological interpretation of the book in different parts
of the East, a rare variety of different and even extravagant forms.
Who needed the Crusades?Italian artist Francesco Ayets (1791-1882) used to take subjects from the Middle Ages. In 1836-1850, he wrote the painting "The Crusaders, thirsty for Jerusalem"
Just to the east was carried out eight Crusades. They
all ended in failure before reaching its target (or reaching, but
temporarily) and not solving any of the major challenges facing Europe
in the Middle Ages, allowing only weaken the overall strength, which
facilitated the consolidation of royal power. The
war brought great misery and suffering people of the Middle East,
accompanied by the destruction of cultural and material values. But
the Catholic Church has strengthened its financial position and create
new institutions - the Order, who played an important role in the
future. But the failure and collapse of the hopes and aspirations of Europeans undermined the authority of the church. Trip participants got to know the culture of the East, with Muslim customs and traditions and religion. Crusaders saw people like themselves. His courage and military skill enemy called them the respect and recognition. The Crusades introduced the West to Arab and Greek science. Have advanced substantially mathematics, medicine, astronomy, linguistics. Spiritual life, culture and art were to break out of the grip in which they held the Catholic Church. Thus, the Crusades set the stage for the onset of the Renaissance. Italian
merchants from Genoa, Venice and other cities began to conduct active
trade relations with the East, bringing a lot of different things and
products, it is not known in Europe or very rare. We can say that the Crusades contributed to increased mobility of Europeans. After previously for most of them the biggest journey is a trip to a nearby town. Overcoming fear of the unknown was the basis for the coming period of Discovery.
Unfortunately, the Crusades were also negative consequences. Long
confrontation between East and West led to the emergence of jihad - a
response aggressively hostile reaction of the Western world from the
eastern countries. After
a terrible September 11 terrorist attacks, former U.S. president George
W. Bush, either accidentally or deliberately used in his speech the
word "crusade." It
was suggested that the Muslim world has all the reasons to resent the
West and today's terrorist attacks are rooted in the ruthless and bloody
Crusades, who turn into ruins many Eastern countries, distinguished
among other high culture and tolerance for strangers. In other words, in today's terrorist threats blame solely Crusaders. Osama bin Laden in his taped speeches constantly called war on terror western new crusade against Islam.
The
notorious Bill Clinton, in his report at Georgetown University also
told the audience that the Crusades - a key reason for the current
conflict with the eastern countries. He said: "The Crusaders took Jerusalem in 1099, killing many Jews .... In the Middle East, the slaughter is still remembered. "
