What can we tell from the available documents about the motivation of those who went on the 1st Crusade?

University Degree Historical and Philosophical studies

There are several things that might motivate a person to go on a crusade and I will state them now before going on in greater detail: -

1. Religious convictions--they viewed the Holy Lands as rightfully theirs, and, in a Holy War, dying for the cause led to salvation. The idea that people would receive remission for their sins if they went on a crusade probably played a big part in them deciding to go. Avenging the death of Christ being as Jerusalem was his city was another tempting reason to go.

2. The kings and nobles saw the opportunity for glory at home and the power of landholdings in the Middle East. This conformed to the idea of colonisation “a migration which becomes dominant in another party” Praver. Just like Praver I believe that the Crusades are just another episode in the history of colonialism. There was also the idea of Feudal loyalty – if your master went you went too .The Feudal Oath, which was a contract between a Lord and his vassal, was one of the most binding things that could happen to a medieval person. It could not be broken unless due to “diffidatio” which is the legal breaking of a Feudal oath. The Holy lands gave the crusaders the chance to practice political and institutional ideas; although this motivation may be less conscious.

3. Merchants saw a chance for quick gain and a chance for trade expansion. Also the establishing of cities upon the Palestinian west coast with the occupants developing and changing them as they saw fit “empirical” Stenton. The Italian cities such as Venice found this idea very profitable.

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4. The lower classes could (a) have their taxes cancelled or paid by the church; (b) avoid jail by going; (c) plunder for personal gain. The peasants in the middle ages had a very rough time of it and would probably have relished the chance to do something new rather than toiling the fields all day for very little benefit. The idea of “getting rich quick” was very appealing as was the redemption of taxes from the church. Many convicted felons who were sentenced to death also joined because in most peoples’ minds just about anything is preferable to death.

To understand these motives we must look at the complicated balance of political and religious power that dominated the medieval world. By the end of the 10th century the Muslims fully controlled the Holy Land although Christian pilgrims were allowed to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem. This was all soon to change.

When the Seljuk Turks started to expand their empire by 1055 they had conquered from central Asia and south Russia to the borders of Syria. This put them in conflict with the Byzantines which was then the greatest Christian Empire in the world. In 1071 the Turks defeated the Byzantines at Manzikert leaving the Byzantine Empire weakened and vulnerable. Now the Turks started ambushing Christian pilgrims on the road to Jerusalem, which naturally worried the church and people, in general in the west to whom pilgrimages were an integral part of their lives. The Christian world was split into two at this point with the Emperor and Bishop of Constantinople on one side with the Pope (Bishop of Rome) on the other. (They had both excommunicated each other.) The Holy Roman Empire was split.

The Byzantine Empire was under threat from the Seljuks and so the Emperor, Alexius appealed to the Pope Urban II for help. This was a perfect opportunity for him to regain some of his influence over Constantinople and also fulfil his obligation to defend and protect the rights of Christianity. Thousands gathered to hear Pope Urban’s message and believed it. His reasons for wanting a crusade in the first places were: -

1. To unite European Christians in a common cause that was very important after the Byzantine split which unless checked could have led to the crumbling of the entire West and it’s eventual capture by the Seljuks or another united, great Eastern Empire.

2. To make the kings and noble vassals under his spiritual leadership. (Due to the recent splitting up of the West – Byzantium there was a great need for the church to get itself back into power.)

3. To subject the Eastern orthodox churches to Rome. (All Churchmen, like everyone else, like expanding their domain.)

4. To return the Holy Lands to Christian control. This was a lifelong ambition for any good Christian and the ultimate aim of the church during the Middle Ages.

M.Holland