Crusades

Hey there, we’re here with Pope Urban II today and we’re gonna have an interview about the crusades!

Q: What was the reason you launched the first crusade?

A: In 638 CE, Arabs captured the city of Jerusalem, and us European Christians went on pilgrammages there because it was our Holy Land (we believed Jesus lived and preached there).  These Arabs were okay with us making the pilgrammages.  But in 1071, the Seljuk Turks migrated from Central Asia into they Middle East and gained control of the city and weren’t cool with us making the pilgrammages.  Plus, they invaded the Byzantine empire and threatened them.  The  Byzantine emperor Alexius I asked me to help them fight the Muslim Turks.  Even though we were rivals, I agreed.  On 1096, I launched the first crusade to recapture the Holy Land.

Q: What happened after that?

A: The first crusade was the only time we came close to achieving our goal.  We captured Jerusalem in 1099.  The crusades continued for 200 years.  We divided our lands into 4 small states called crusader states which the Muslims kept trying to destroy.  But in 1187, the stupid Muslims took Jerusalem back under Saladin.  All the other crusades we failed in taking Jerusalem back.

Q: What was the impact of the Crusades?

A: The returning crusaders brought back a bunch of stuff from the Middle East, including fabrics, spices, and perfumes.  Trade increased and expanded.  The crusades also encourage the growth of a money economy and increased power for the monarchs.  From the crusades, we learned the world was so much bigger than we thought.

Esler, Ellis. Prentice Hall World History. Boston, MA, Glenview, IL, Shoreview, MN, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2009. 255-259. Print.

“The Crusades (Overview).” World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 12 Nov. 2010.

PS: We’ve still got 2 more interviews left!  The Magna Carta and Columbus leaves Spain!  Just click to the next page!