Jerusalem by D. Kelly Ogden & David B. Galbraith & D. Kelly Ogden
Author:D. Kelly Ogden & David B. Galbraith & D. Kelly Ogden [Skinner, Andrew C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Historical, Palestine, Jerusalem
Publisher: Deseret Book Company
Published: 1996-08-09T16:00:00+00:00
16
Crusader Jerusalem, 1099-1187
In 1095 the Byzantine Christian emperor, Alexius I Comnenus (1081-1118), appealed to the Roman Catholic Church for help against the advance of the Seljuk Turks. Conceiving the idea of an armed pilgrimage of Christian warriors to the east, one of the most powerful medieval popes, Urban II (1088-1099), discussed it with important ecclesiastical leaders and then made public his decision. In a stirring speech at Clermont in France before a large audience, the pope called upon the Christian knightly class to put aside their petty quarrels, join forces under papal leadership, and march eastward to free the Holy Land from the control of the Muslims. Calling for a holy war to save Christianity in the east he urged: "Come forward to the defence of Christ, O ye who have carried on feuds, come to the war against the infidels. O ye who have been thieves, become soldiers. Fight a just war . . . Set forth, then, upon the way to the holy Sepulcher; wrest that land from the evil race, and keep it for yourself. That land which floweth with milk and honey—Jerusalem." 1 The pope's speech was interrupted with shouts of support; such an undertaking was seen as the will of God—Dieu lo vult! ("God wills it").
At the heart of the crusading ideology was the concept of the sanctity of Jerusalem and the need to keep it free from sacrilegious usurpers. Ironically, Christianity had accepted the Jewish and Muslim view that the Holy City was at the center of the world and the starting point of creation. Jerusalem was seen as the one spot on earth where the devout could be physically closer to God. Over time, the church came to recognize pilgrimage as a way of gaining absolution for sins. 2 It was believed that the rigors of pilgrimage to the Holy Land were not only acceptable penance for past sins but also a way to secure indulgences against future sins. Consequently, the jails of Europe were emptied, and criminals found themselves on the top decks of ships heading for Palestine alongside priests, peasants, titled lords, and fine ladies. 3
Thus, the Crusades were founded on three principles: the sanctity of Jerusalem, the necessity of fighting the enemies of Christ, and the personal efficacy of pilgrimage to the Holy City. The word crusade itself derives from the Latin crux, meaning "cross." Under the banner of the cross, the Crusaders set out to reconquer the sacred sites associated with Christ's life.
Grievances
To eleventh-century European Christians the list of grievances against the infidel Muslims was long indeed. Muslims had already made inroads into Europe four hundred years earlier, overrunning Spain in the eighth century. And though Christians had won back most of the northern territories in the ninth century, Muslim power revived in the late tenth century under al-Mansur the Victorious. He captured Barcelona and sacked Leon, the capital of the leading Christian kingdom. 4 But the Christians fought back after the death of al-Mansur in 1002. The great
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