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Introduction

The Holy Wars of the Middle Ages in Europe and the Middle East, otherwise known as the Crusades, were overall a successful, although not completely moral, means of spreading and revitalizing Christian faith in Europe. The commencement of the Crusades was in the favor of Christianity, but as the Crusades heightened, things had gotten out of hand and had degraded the religion near the end. The Crusades were essentially a series of religious military expeditions that were cast to conflict with internal and external threats to their religion. They had primarily begun in the year 1095 and had been continued for the next 200 years to follow1. The First Crusade, the key Crusade that had started everything, was the initial (Christian) march onto Jerusalem, or the Holy Land, and the main objective in mind was to reclaim what was the holiest place in Christian history since the very beginning: Jerusalem, or the 'City of Gods,' where Jesus Christ had been born, raised, and killed.2 Not only was the intent of this mission to regain the land, but also to give a chance for Christians to pay a pilgrimage and seek redemption. For the Muslims however, Jerusalem was significant because it enclosed the Dome of the Rock where Muhammad, founder of the Muslim faith, had once sat and prayed.3 With the achievement of retrieving the land for the Christians, they had a new incentive that consisted of devastating the entire Muslim population in the region that they had just invaded. ...read more.

Middle

enormous amounts of wealth believed to be at Jerusalem.13 The citizens who would participate in the voyages would be excused from taxes and would have their status protected by the Church so they would not have to deal with any hassles.14 Because of the Pope's decision to lie about Christian laws and to corrupt the teachings of Christ, the entire religion became flawed and defective. Everyone had been embarking on these quests for the wrong reasons. Every Christian had followed their religion for their own motives whether they were personal or financial. However, there were people who were converted into Christianity through the message of hope rather than personal will to join. Christian forces were keen on invading all the Muslim territories and converting the entire Islamic race to Christianity to prove their superiority over every other religion.15 However, the Muslim population was not devoted to this destructive conversion. Muslims felt a sense of pride being Muslims and would rather fight and kill the offenders, or even die, than to convert to Christianity.16 Regardless of what Christians would do, it was against Muslim religion to lose faith, as the Quran makes clear: "4:89 - They long that ye should disbelieve even as they disbelieve, that ye may be upon a level (with them). So choose not friends from them till they forsake their homes in the way of Allah; if they turn back (to enmity) ...read more.

Conclusion

New York: Press Orchard Park. 6 Hallam, Elizabeth. 'Chronicles of the Crusades: Eye-Witness Accounts of the Wars Between Christianity and Islam'. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. 7 "Crusades." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online School Edition. 11 April 2008. <http://school.eb.com/eb/article-25599> 8 "The Christian Crusades." The Christian Crusades (1095-1291). General Board of Global Ministries. <http://gbgm-umc.org/UMW/bible/crusades.stm> (19 April 2008). 9 Skip Knox, E. L. "The Crusades." Boise State University. <http://crusades.boisestate.edu/> (20 April 2008). 10 "Crusades." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online School Edition. 11 April 2008. <http://school.eb.com/eb/article-25599> 11 Munro, Dana C. "The Popes and the Crusades." American Philosophical Society, Vol. 55, No. 5 (1916): 348-356. JSTOR. 19 April 2008. <www.jstor.org/> 12 "The Real History of the Crusades." Mike Todd. <http://www.brutallyhonest.org/brutally_honest/2005/06/the_real_histor.html> [18 April 2008] 13 Nicholson, Nigel. "Crusades Influences." Nigel Nicholson. <http://homepage.ntlworld.com/nigel.nicholson/hn/CrusadeFAQs/f-change.html> [19 April 2008] 14 Nicholson, Nigel. "Crusades Influences." Nigel Nicholson. <http://homepage.ntlworld.com/nigel.nicholson/hn/CrusadeFAQs/f-change.html> [19 April 2008] 15 Hallam, Elizabeth. 'Chronicles of the Crusades: Eye-Witness Accounts of the Wars Between Christianity and Islam'. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. 16 Owens, Josh. "Tolerance and Forced Conversion During The Crusades." Helium. <http://www.helium.com/items/288083-tolerance-forced-conversion-during> (20 April 2008) 17 Hallam, Elizabeth. 'Chronicles of the Crusades: Eye-Witness Accounts of the Wars Between Christianity and Islam'. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. 18 Dafoe, Stephen A. 'In Praise of the New Knighthood'. <http://www.templarhistory.com> [April 20, 2008] 19 Dafoe, Stephen A. 'In Praise of the New Knighthood'. <http://www.templarhistory.com> [April 20, 2008] 20 Dafoe, Stephen A. 'In Praise of the New Knighthood'. <http://www.templarhistory.com> [April 20, 2008] 21 Owens, Josh. "Tolerance and Forced Conversion During The Crusades." Helium. <http://www.helium.com/items/288083-tolerance-forced-conversion-during> (20 April 2008) 22 < http://www.crusades-encyclopedia.com/apologyforthecrusades.html> ...read more.

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