The Crusades
- 6 years ago
The Christians, the Jews and the Muslims consider Jerusalem in the Holy Land of Palestine to be a Holy City. Every religion has its own reason for claiming the city to be holy for them. For the Christians, Jesus was crucified here, he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven from Jerusalem. For the Jews, the land is holy because it was given to Abraham by God. The Muslims claim the city to be holy because it was given to Abraham by God and because it was from this city that Prophet Muhammad ascended into heaven to meet Allah.
In 600AD, the Muslims of Arab conquered the city of Jerusalem and took complete control of the place including the churches and all pilgrim places. They put a law in place whereby Christians were allowed to reside in the city if they paid an extra tax known as jiziya or poll tax. The Arabs were tolerant of the Christians and Jews in the city but they were not considered to be of equal status as the Muslims which often barred them from a number of activities. Every caliph had their own rules and while some were stricter, others were more tolerant.
Around 1095, the city of Jerusalem fell into the hands of a new group of Muslms known as the Seljuk Turks. They massacred many Christians and barred them from entering the Holy City for pilgrimage. Most of the churches were destroyed and many were turned into stables. The Seljuk Tribes were very stern followers of Islam and did not tolerate any other religion.
The Christians wanted to rescue their Holy Land from the Muslims and revive pilgrimages which had come to an abrupt end because of the Seljuk Turks. The limited access of their own pilgrim place in the years during the rule of the Arabs and the eventual barring of Christians from Jerusalem had stirred the hearts and souls of many Christians who wanted to fight for their holy land and reclaim it.
The Turks did not stop at Jerusalem, they continued their conquests further west and headed to Constantinople which was the capital city of the Byzantine Empire. The Greek Emperor realized the threat this posed and sent urgent letters to Pope Urban II who was the Pope at that time. He asked the Pope for help stating how the imminent threat from the Turks could end up in the destruction of all the holy relics in the city.
Pope Urban II immediately held a great council at the Church of Palcentia in Italy in 1095. However, the council was not able to come to a conclusive decision of helping Constantinople. Later that year, a new council was held at Claremont, France. Pope Urban as able to succeed at igniting the spirit of crusades in the attendees of the council. The crusades was led primarily to help the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos to save his empire from the invading Seljuk Turks. But the underlying objective of the crusades was to recapture the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land so that the Christians in the region can be free once again and pilgrims can return to the holy land.
In 600AD, the Muslims of Arab conquered the city of Jerusalem and took complete control of the place including the churches and all pilgrim places. They put a law in place whereby Christians were allowed to reside in the city if they paid an extra tax known as jiziya or poll tax. The Arabs were tolerant of the Christians and Jews in the city but they were not considered to be of equal status as the Muslims which often barred them from a number of activities. Every caliph had their own rules and while some were stricter, others were more tolerant.
Around 1095, the city of Jerusalem fell into the hands of a new group of Muslms known as the Seljuk Turks. They massacred many Christians and barred them from entering the Holy City for pilgrimage. Most of the churches were destroyed and many were turned into stables. The Seljuk Tribes were very stern followers of Islam and did not tolerate any other religion.
The Christians wanted to rescue their Holy Land from the Muslims and revive pilgrimages which had come to an abrupt end because of the Seljuk Turks. The limited access of their own pilgrim place in the years during the rule of the Arabs and the eventual barring of Christians from Jerusalem had stirred the hearts and souls of many Christians who wanted to fight for their holy land and reclaim it.
The Turks did not stop at Jerusalem, they continued their conquests further west and headed to Constantinople which was the capital city of the Byzantine Empire. The Greek Emperor realized the threat this posed and sent urgent letters to Pope Urban II who was the Pope at that time. He asked the Pope for help stating how the imminent threat from the Turks could end up in the destruction of all the holy relics in the city.
Pope Urban II immediately held a great council at the Church of Palcentia in Italy in 1095. However, the council was not able to come to a conclusive decision of helping Constantinople. Later that year, a new council was held at Claremont, France. Pope Urban as able to succeed at igniting the spirit of crusades in the attendees of the council. The crusades was led primarily to help the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos to save his empire from the invading Seljuk Turks. But the underlying objective of the crusades was to recapture the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land so that the Christians in the region can be free once again and pilgrims can return to the holy land.