Essays on The Crusades

Group A. Q1 Christianity and Islam in Spain

The crusades were religious and politically motivated wars that were dominated the 1096-1291 with the aim of controlling the holy land Jerusalem. In the first crusade, (1096-1102) initiated by pope Urban II was aimed at helping the Christian Byzantine empire which had been invaded by the Muslim Seljuk Turks. In this crusade, the Europeans were able to capture Jerusalem in 1099. This led to the merging of various Muslim faction against the Christians forces which had occupied the holy land. However, in 1291, the Muslims were able to control Jerusalem and parts of the coastal areas, which they controlled ...

Pope Innocent III was born in 1160 and was named Lotario de Conti di Segni. His reign as the Pope started on 8th of January 1198 to July 1216 during which he established a legacy as one of the most influential popes of all time. Pope Innocent III was born in Gavignano with his father being a member of a famous lineage which had produced nine Popes. Pope Innocent III mother was also from a noble family. The Pope achieved his early education in Rome and later enrolled for theology in Paris. He was a brilliant student and through ...

Discussion on Readings:

Crusades resulted to continuous conflicts , leaders such as Alexius in the first crusade were eager to impress the western leaders by staging attacks on the Asia inhabitants where they killed anyone they came across regardless of religion (Paine 17). The crusades led to collaboration between leaders in search of power and dominance. The westerners were impressed by the gesture that Alexius showed (Paine 18). The first crusade led to the expansion of the European boundaries. In this view crusades led to rivalry and fights between states with the urge to acquire dominance. Christians and the Muslims became rivals and ...

Conflicting religious ideologies accounted for the atrocious attack on the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. That single attack changed foreign policies and relations for the entire globe. However, it was not the first time that religious considerations had triggered violent conflicts that changed world affairs. The crusades also played a crucial role in influencing the political and international relations among different nations. In November 1950 at the Council of Clermont, Pope Urnbanus II called for an armed crusade to unshackle the holy land from Muslim rule. His call would shape or influence world history for many years. The causes ...

The factors that contributed to Europe’s economic growth between 950 and 1100, otherwise known as the Early Middle Ages, were the development of new technology like crop rotation as well as the improved climate which allowed farmers to produce more crops which they could trade with thus helping the economy (Norton 2010). The increase in towns and commerce also helped as the “agricultural revolution served as a foundation for a new commercial revolution” (Norton 2010). Thus the towns became a symbol for the relationship which they shared with those who lived in the countryside as the goods that ...

The first crusade was an event launched by Pope Urban II and it started a series of crusades that were meant to recapture what was known as the Holy lands. Marcus Bull presents the first crusade as a pilgrimage even though the Crusaders carried weapons. The crusade later turned into a military expedition perpetrated by Roman Catholic. In the study of the writings of the first crusade, Bull brings out the different authors’ perspectives about the actions of the crusaders and their motivation. For example, Susanna Throop refers to the crusades as a means to commit vengeance on the ...

Since the dawn of man, humanity has had an innate need to connect with a divine creator. This is resulted in the formation of countless religions through the ages, there are certain belief systems that have become dominant within the fabric of society. Smith eloquently summarizes the basis for each of these respective religions and the influence that they have had on culture throughout time. By focusing on the seven religions of Christianity, Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam, Smith is able to paint an impartial view of the beliefs and faiths that have carried much of society through ...

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For many years, people have associated Shakespearean plays with racial prejudices, mabe in an effort to determine whether Shakespeare was a racist or not. Shakespeare’s use of characters of color has raised controversies an curiosity on what role does race contributes to his plays. It should be noted that racism or the belief that one’s race is superior to another was already observed in 16th century Europe. It was during this time when Europeans become increasingly engaged with people of different racial origins through greater trade with Asia and Africa and the discovery of the ...

The Crusades are the series of the religious military campaigns in the XI-XV centuries from Western Europe against the Muslims and not only. In a narrow sense they are the campaigns of 1096-1291 years into Palestine, first aimed at the ‘liberation’ of Jerusalem (with the Holy Sepulchre), against the Seljuk Turks. In a broader sense, Crusades are also other campaigns, proclaimed by popes, including later conducted Crusades with the purposes of the conversion to Christianity Gentiles Baltic and suppression of the heretical and anticlerical currents in Europe (the Cathars, Hussites, and others) (Bridge). At the beginning of the XIII ...

The First Crusade was organized in 1096 by the decision of Pope Urban II at the request of Byzantine Emperor Alexius I with the aim of helping the Eastern Christians in the defense of Anatolia (Asia Minor) from the onset of the Seljuks. During the campaign, further objective turned out to be the liberation of the holy city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslims. Initially, the Pope`s appeal was addressed only to the French knights, but, later, the Crusade turned into a full-scale military campaign, and its idea spread to all the Christian states of ...

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in 1999 founded the Jamāʻat al-Tawḥīd wa-al-Jihād which is the present day ISIL. Initially, the organization pledged support to the Al Qaeda and fought alongside them against the Multinational force which invaded Iraq in 2003 (Spark 3). In 2006, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi died and the remnants of his militant organization founded the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI). Subsequent leadership who had the ability to keep the group aligned to the ideology of Al Qaeda died in US led attacks (Spark 4). Eventually, the Al Qaeda, in 2014 realized it could no longer keep ...

The Quran and the Bible have some similarities as well as differences. However, in the recent years, believers of the two religions have focused on the differences more than the similarities. These differences have brought about enmity and misunderstanding among believers of the two religions. The rivalry between Christians and Muslims began during the Crusader Era (1095-1291). This was a period when the Crusaders were trying to free their “Holy Land” from the yoke of Islam (Trautman and Peterson). To understand the genesis of these differences, which have highly been exaggerated in the contemporary society, it is important to ...

Catalunya Imperial plans. Make a list of the conquered lands by Jaume I and the trade cities with Catalano-aragonese Crown and its political consequences. Explain briefly the commercial role of the city and mention the goods exported and imported by Barcelona. Jaome el Conqueridor or James I the Conqueror was one of the most powerful Spanish kings and his policy eventually led to the expansion and leadership of Catalonia. Such lands as Valencia in the southwest and Balearic Islands in the south were added to the kingdom in the course of his regency. He also aimed at taking the ...

History of the Crusades is described in detail in the ancient chronicles, widely reported in the scientific works, and has become a favorite subject for the cinema. It has been less known that the Crusader invasion led to mass destruction and annihilation of the local Muslims and Christians: Orthodox, Jacobites, and Armenian Monophysites. It was from then on that they became a humiliated, despised minority, which currently is only suffering on their own territories. Very quickly, Arabic supplanted the Aramaic language of the indigenous population. Now only residents of three small villages north of Damascus speak it. The Crusades ...

St Thomas was a philosopher in the concept of natural law and the role of God’s justice in the legal system. Ethical arguments between lawyers and judges confront on a daily basis is suggested as an occupational profile for the professional conduct of judges and lawyers in their everyday interactions. St Thomas offers procedural comments on the criminal and civil relations as well as sentencing guidelines. In this era in which a Christian lawyer is many times faced with situations that are unethical and the modus operandi is one of questionable choices, the Christian lawyer and judge have ...

Warfare Technology and the Human Experience

Advanced technologies alter the human experience in warfare. Improved technology is supposed to make the war effort more precise and make the experience obsolete. This is however not the the case. Changes in technology have historically shown how dangerous wars can be and how difficult the human experience can be. The nuclear bomb was supposed to end all great power wars. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II proved that not all technologies were good for humankind. In the 21st century fight against terrorism, it has become more difficult to identify the enemy and hence ...

Religious Studies Response

The Crusades are a chain of planned armed operations during the period of 1096 to 1487. The campaigns were initiated by the Popes aimed at upholding the Christian supremacy. The initial Crusades started in 1095 when Christian forces from the Western Europe acted according to the Pope Urban II’s request to wage a battle against the Muslim occupation of the Christian Holy Land. Jesus Christ preached the brotherhood of man and that love itself is God. The crusades would not have happened if the Popes considered the teachings of Jesus. Jesus would have never approved the crusades. (history.com) ...