War and Military in Medieval Times - The First Crusade.

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Sotiria Tutzarakis

Hour 6

November 6, 2003

War and Military in Medieval Times: The First Crusade

        Europe was undergoing a time of change and turmoil in the Middle Ages. Farming advancements, the growth of cities, and the deterioration of the feudal system set the stage for the development of the new middle social class.  With expansion and change came new problems for all classes; lack of available work for the peasants, harassment of the burghers by the lords, and the nobles cringing at the sight of power and land slipping through their fingers. Despite their social status and social dilemmas, the young, old, rich, and poor all began to share a great common bond that had surfaced—the Roman Catholic Church. During this time of social and economic turbulence, the European peoples of all walks of life sought order, stability, and direction.

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        “The First Crusade was a war launched in , by Christians under the support of the , to regain control of  from the , and to help the  fight the ” (Wikipedia). Initial motives behind the war included Pope Gregory VII’s hope that the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church would reunite, but attempts withered and failed amidst other conflicts.

        Pope Urban II was the next to experience a motivation for the religious war. He saw the general disorganization in Europe, but unlike Gregory, he felt the war necessary not for political reasons, but rather as a means to spread Christianity ...

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