The Holy Wars: The Crusades

The Holy Wars The Crusades, every high school graduate in America has heard in class those two words said at least once. It is a pivotal point in the history of the Catholic Church. Without these Holy Wars thousands would not have died, over 156 years there was a lot accomplished but yet nothing accomplished, but yet “God wills it!”, that was the cry of the crusaders. The First Crusade was started by the Pope and a message he spoke to the Council of Claremont. The Crusaders were promised absolution from sin and eternal Glory for their efforts. This to any man is too much to resist, so thousands upon thousands flocked to fight for the cause, with a hope to gain some of their own land on the side. The Crusaders captured many of the mediterranean …show more content…
“Entering the city, a vizier of Saladin marveled at how the Crusaders had beautified Jerusalem: ‘the care of the unbelievers had transformed [it] into a Paradise garden ... those accursed ones defended with the lance and sword this city, which they had rebuilt with columns and slabs of marble, where they had founded churches and the palaces of the Templars and the hospitallers ... One sees on every side houses as pleasant as their gardens and bright with white marble and columns decorated with leaves, which make them look like living trees’ ” (“Heilbrunn Timeline”). By the end of the Third Crusade Syria had Jerusalem but the Crusaders had Cyprus and the coastal town of Acre. Acre was host of one of the most unusual military manoeuvres ever in 1191, during the third Crusade, when Richard the Lion-Hearted captured the city of Acre. The inhabitants were barricaded inside, so King Richard had his soldiers throw 100 beehives over the walls. The people in the fortress surrendered immediately (“Interesting Facts”). The Crusaders were able to reconquer Acre, a coastal town eighty miles north of Jerusalem, in July 1191, only after 100,000 on both sides had been …show more content…
He later became Saint Louis, he was not happy that the mamluks took back Jerusalem and raised money to lead a Crusade. When he did the first city to be taken was the city of Damietta which had caused so much trouble in the last two Crusades so with Damietta as his base he lead a charge to take Cairo but was there defeated by the mamluks and taken prisoner and the French had to pay a lot of gold to get him back. By this time his army had dwindled he had little money left and his mother who was taking care of France while he was gone had died thus forcing him to return