Crusades

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The Crusades

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Throughout the history of Earth holy wars have played a large part in the evolution of humans. Whether for land, money, or power these religious battles have been a reoccurring theme in our past and present. One of the greatest examples of a full fledged holy war would be The Crusades. The Crusades, fought between the Christians of the West, and the Muslims of the east, were an attempt for the Christians to reclaim the holy land of Jerusalem, and to drive non believers out of these lands permanently. Though Pope Urban II described the Crusades as God’s work there is strong evidence against that claim. Three of the main goals of the Crusades, as laid out by Pope Urban II, were to reclaim the Holy City from the Muslims and Jews, to be given the opportunity to have your sins forgiven and to claim worldly riches, and most importantly to do as Christ commanded them.

The first of these three goals was to reclaim the Holy City of Jerusalem from the Muslims and the Jews. As Pope Urban II said himself, “…carry aid to those Christians and to destroy that vile race from the lands of our friends.” The underlying cause of the Crusades was to reclaim Jerusalem, and with the most powerful man in their nation condemning these Middle Easterners he was able to rally the people to his cause. There was great hate between the Christians and Middle Easterners, not just over the control of the holy land, but a hatred that dates back to the beginnings of their religions. As Solomon bar Samson stated, “…Frenchmen and Germans, set out for the Holy City, which had been desecrated by barbaric nations, there to seek their house of idolatry and banish the Ishmaelites and other denizens of the land…” As for the Jews Solomon bar Samson says, “when here, in our midst, are the Jews-they whose forefathers murdered and crucified him for no reason. Let us first avenge ourselves on them and exterminate them from among the nations so that the name of...