I. What was a crusade?

A Crusade was a holy war authorized by the Popes and proclaimed in the name of Christ. A Crusader had to take a special vow and be concecreted by a papal representative. A Crusader was a special type of pilgram, but like a pilgram, a special ecclesiastical protections. Thus a Crusader's person and property was protected by the Church and was under the jurisdiction of the Church Courts and recieved papal forgiveness for sins in the form of Indulgences.

II. Why did it take 457 years to have a Crusade?

In order to Crusade, Europe had to achieve a semblence of civilization and stability that were not present in 630. First, Europe needed security from invasions. Next, there needed to be a surplus population that could undertake such on endeavor. The economy of Europe had to grow to be able to support the surplus population and send this surplus abroad.

Trade had to be reestablished to allow for an accumulation of wealth. The Church has to become universal and the Pope the most powerful of princes. And, finally, the Byzantine Empire had to be weak enough to allow the Western Barbarians into its territory.

III. When were the Crusades a success?

The Crusades were a success as long as the Western powers were strong and relatively unifed while the Muslims were disunified. This corresponds to the First Crusade. The First Crusade was a crusade of nobles that acted independently of each other but towards the common goal that they all agreed upon. Thus four kingdoms wore established: Antioch, Edessa, Tripoli, and Jerusalem. These were set up under feudal lines and due to the lack of Latins only the upper class was truly crusaders.

IV. What happened after the First Crusade?

After the First Crusade the Muslims started to reunite themselves under the Turks. This, coupled with the withdrawal of the majority of the crusaders, created a balance of power in the east. Further the Crusaders started to quarrel amoumg themselves and the Crusades were expanded to include other wars against pagans.

Thus the Muslims were able to recapture Edessa and with the aid of the Second Crusade consolidate the various Muslim States. The lack of numbers forced the Latins to stay on the defensive and rely upon alliances to bolster themselves, but the consolidation of the Muslim world and the deterioration of relations with the Byzantine Empire led to an isolation of the Crusaders that led to the loss of Jerusalem.

V. How was Jerusalem Lost?

When the Muslims consolidated their position Syria emarged as the pre-eminate Muslim state. Under Saladin, they got a competent leader who could direct the actions of the country and prevent opposition. Further, the idea of a Jihad or holy war, started to emerge in the Muslim world and thus the recooiquest of Palestine gained religious significance. Finally, when Saladin was provoked by Reginald de Chatillons, the Latin States were crushed by the superior resources of the Muslims.

VI. What was the Western Response to the loss of Jerusalem?

In the west the loss of Jerusalem sparked a third crusade. The three greatest Kings of Europe responded to the Pope's plea for a Crusade. Of these three, only Richard the Lion Hearted fought significantly in the east and his bravery and courage led to a favorable truce from Saladin. Richard though was forced to return home when Philip of France attacked his lands. On the way home Richard was captured in Germany and held captive for a huge ransom. Thus the vows of crusaders were disreguarded and this represents a trend that had been going on for years. Though there was still great religous zeal and crusading fever, the Pope's use of crusading in Europe weakened the cause in the east. This led to a disreguard for the rights of crusading.

VII. What happened after the loss of Jeruselem?

The Crusades, continued after the failure of the third Crusade. Further attempts were made but they lacked real possibilities. The Fourth Crusade never reached Palestine but captured Constantinople instead. The Pope continued to declare crusades against political enemies instead of religious enemies. Even when successes were gained by Frederick II of Germany, he did so through diplomacy and was excommunicated by the Pope and attacked by Papal armies in Italy for his effort.

The Crusades lingered on but never again achieved results as the spiritual impulse for crusading had been perverted. When the Turks repelled the Mongols in the mid 13th century they turned next on the remaining Latin possessions in the east. These were captured by 1291 and the Latins could not regain a foothold in the east. The crusaders thus shifted their efforts to other frontiers closer to home.

Crusades continued to be launched into the 15th century but they were seldom directed at the holy land and failed to achieve even the limited goals that they aimed at. The crusading impulse remained an a vestige of a previous age at Malta until the 18th century when the Knights Hospitallers were finally disbanded by Napoleon.