Crusades Dbq

Between 1095 and 1291 the Crusades to the Eastern Mediterranean took place, promoted by the papacy. Rome had been asked by Christian emperor in Constantinople, Alexius Commenus, to assist him in fighting back the Seljuk Turk’s expansion and occupation and recover the lost territories. Pope Urban II added the argument of redeeming the Holy Land from infidel Muslim expansion and occupation and harassing Christian pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Over the course of the Crusades, the many differences existing between Western and Eastern Christians became irreversible. Historian and notable expert on the crusades Christopher Tyerman states in his most recent research that the crusades were wars justified by faith conducted against real or imagined enemies defined by religious and political elites as perceived threats to the Christian faithful. Nevertheless Tyerman acknowledges, based on sources from twelfth century and most of the other evidence available point to a mix of religious idealism and perceived self-interest familiar in many crusaders. …show more content…
But taking into consideration that among the latter what socially prevailed was not the top royalty, with the big exception being the Third Crusade, but mainly second-class nobility, baronial and knightly classes. Their decisive motivation was the golden opportunity strengthened by the tales and legends of richness of the Orient, for the conquest of land, trade routes and markets and subsequently, of higher titles of nobility and royalty. And if not, what did they do with the lands and cities conquered during the First Crusade? With the sole exception of Nicaea, and contradicting their pledge to return to the emperor in Constantinople, every territory that