Crusades & Balck Death

Crusades & Black Death

Introduction

The middle ages left behind two significant events that brought with them death of considerable amount of people i.e. Crusades and Black Death. Crusade, a military campaign invented by Urban pope II to overcome the Muslim conquers of the Europe. Nine crusade campaigns were sent for the cause. The crusade campaign worked for 200 years. Despite its remarkable efforts, and victories such as that of defending Jerusalem, the later Crusade campaigns were inspired by the wealth and economy of the Europe and focused on expanding economy. This led the historians to term the campaign futile, rather hostile. Alongside its disadvantages, however, middle ages introduced imperative art and science. Also it opened ways for medicinal research as Black Death followed by crusade campaign, prevailed on the Earth.

Discussion

The event

Crusade was the military campaign, founded in the late 11th century, designed by Western Christians in reaction to Muslim invasion in Europe. They fought to retake control of the Holy Land of Byzantine, to triumph over pagan areas, and to bring back former Christian territories. When invaded by Muslim Seljuk Turks, the emperor of Byzantine was inclined to ask help from Urban Pope II. Urban Pope II sent the First Crusade. The crusades fought for 200 years. However, their struggle ended with Muslim retaining hold of the empire. Although the crusades did not achieve victory, it slowed the spread of Islam (Nicholoson, Helen J., 1960).

November 1095, the time when Pope Urban II convened to knights of the France to travel to the great Holy Land of byzantine and set the great land of Jerusalem free from the monopolist power of muslims and their superemacy. Spiritual rewards —and the remission of all the sins were assured by the Pope in return, thereby escaping the torments of Hell. Pope received an overwhelmed response; more than 60,000 people were motivated to indulge in the struggle for recovering the Holy Land. Jerusalem was conquered four years later in 1099. A crusader state was formed comprising of franks or Christians in the Levant, at the same time most knights returned back home.  Saladin in 1187 defeated the crusade forces in the battle which is known as Battle of Hattin and the Jerusalem was back in the muslim control. The Franks holding other lands were finally expelled by the Mamluks of Egypt in 1291 and ended Christian reign in the Holy Land.

In the mid of 13th century the crusades again launched in opposition to the Muslims in Spain and other rivals of different faiths including the pagan tribes in the northeastern Europe. Other targets incorporated the heretical Catharsis in southern France, also the Greeks and the Mongols.  Jerusalem's preservations or recoveries was undoubtedly considered as the most significant and one of the prestigious of these events.

The Reconquest

Crusading became deep seated in Catholic Europe. The reconquest of Spain recurred; the Teutonic Knights (the other military setup in the Holy Land) captured areas in Baltic .During late 13th and the early 14th century, many aristocrats travelled there and fought with the pagans ...