This week I’m starting a multi-part series on the Crusades, an important if shameful part of European history. Despite my best efforts, it’s important to note that the information here is not absolute, and I will make some generalisations at times as this is not meant to be in-depth. I expect the information here will be adjusted as time goes by.
The Crusades
Christians tend to look at The Crusades with a mixture of embaressment and horror. To them, it marks a dark hour in the development of European Christianity – filled with sensational scenes of slaughter, plunder and religious intolerance. Which was exactly what it was, unfortunately, though it should be stressed that the First Crusade was indeed motivated by beliefs in “rescuing” the Holy Lands from the “hands of Infidels”. It was only after the initial Crusades that the Christian kingdoms became greatly interested in the wealth of the Islamic Empire, and the “greed” part came in.
In defining the Crusades, a problem exists – exactly how many were there, and how should they be counted? History states that there were 4-8 MAIN crusades against the Muslim world, except that alot of other fanatical Christian movements of the time could also be terms as crusades, as well as movements by people who weren’t representing a European state. Crusades also weren’t only against Muslims – the Latin Papacy in Rome sometimes called for “crusades” against other sects of Christianity they regarded as heretical (such as the Cathars). Sometimes the call was ignored, and sometimes answered, but one thing is clear – The Crusades greatly influenced European history. However, it should be noted that it didn’t have much impact on the cultural and intellectual development of the Islamic Empire. What was gained from the Crusades was the knowledge of science, mathematics, astronomy and philosophy from Islam (some of which had originated from India and China) that would later spearhead the Renaissances.
History before the Crusades
Christianity was set up as a state religion of the Roman Empire by Emperor Constantine (306-337 AD), and he along with St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430AD) established some of the earliest theology of the Christian church. Augustine in particular had the idea that it was “okay” for Christians to use violence and kill in certain circumstances – something that had an ominous influence in the later development of Christian Europe.
By the time of the first Crusade in 1095 AD, the Roman Empire had collapsed – the only part of the empire remaining was the Byzantine Empire to the east, while the Papacy continued to the west in Rome, though under the different form of Latin Christianity. Europe in the 11th Century was a poor, fragmented area; especially compared to the wealthy Islamic Empire with its extensive trade networks to India and China along the Silk road. The Islamic Empire had also expanded considerably since The Prophet Mohammed’s death in 632 AD – extending into North Africa and Spain, where it had set up trading networks within the Mediterranean. Things were to remain this way until the early 13th Century, when the Christian kingdoms to the north banded together to reclaim the areas of Spain and Portugal (in yet another “Crusade”).
The Islamic Empire at the height of its power. The Green part is the Byzantines.
To say that the Islamic Empire was unified, however, would be a mistake. Like Europe, the Islamic Empire was often broken into many states engaged in a power struggle, as the death of Mohammed had triggered a deep divide in Islam – the Shite and the Sunni factions. That didn’t stop the Arabs from expanding east into Central Asia though, leading eventually into a clash with 3 other large Empires there in the 8th Century AD – the Turkic Empire, the Tibetan Empire and the Tang Empire of China. The clash of these 4 Empires collapsed the Turkic Empire, and forced the Turkish tribes to move West – a move that will have repercussions for both the Islamic and Byzantine Empires in 11th Century AD.
In Europe, the Church remained the most powerful element, since only the Pope had the power to crown monarchs. With the Byzantine Empire constantly being buttressed by the Arabs, it had gained a streak of intolerance in its beliefs. Religious zeal against Muslims and Jews existed in various forms, and as the Latin Church consolidated it’s authority, it began to rigidly define it’s beliefs and persecute people for “heresies”. It was into this religious climate that the fanaticism of the First Crusade was born.
To be Continued…
