The Military Expeditions of the Crusades
The Military Expeditions of the Crusades
Crusades were military expeditions planned and carried out by western European Christians. The crusades began around 1095. In order to takeover and gain control of the Holy Land from the Muslims. The Holy Land was located in Jerusalem and the Christians believed that gaining control of it was their destiny. The origin of the crusades was a result of the expanding the area in the middle east for the Turks. The Turkish people forcfully invaded Byzantium, a Christian empire. The crusaders were a military, sent out to recover what they thought was their land. The first crusades actually started by the Pope. In November of 1095, the Pope gathered his followers outside a French city. He preached to the people and told them that action needed to be taken. The people cheered and planned their own attack. Urbans brought together all of the bishops and urged them to talk to their friends and fellow villagers and to encourage them to participate in the crusades. Small groups started to form and each group would be their own. All the groups planned their own ways to Constantinople, where they would meet and then regroup. They would attack the Turkish forces in Constantinople and hope to regain control of the city. The large Christian armies talked to the Byzantium emperor, and agreed to return any of his old land that was recaptured. The armies were uncertain of this demand but agreed anyway. The first attack by the crusaders was on Anatolian, the capital or Turkey. In the menatime the Byzantians were also trying to recapture Anatolian, and later that year, the city surrendered to the Byzantians instead of the crusaders. The Byzantians were using the crusaders as pawns to achieve their own goals. The crusaders again met and crushed the Turkish army. The crusaders scored a great victory and boosted the troops' moral. The crusaders captured Antioch and also held off relief forces sent to help the Turks. The crusaders then moved on to their main goa, which was Jerusalem. The city was under Egyptian control and was under close watch. The crusaders set up siege machines and called for reinforcements, finally forcing the Egyptians to surrender. Everyone in the city was killed in the belief that the blood of the former holders purified it. The crusaders kept control of the city for the next couple of years...