The First Crusades: A Comparative Analysis

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At the end of the 11th century, Western Europe had a significant power. Though this was significant, Western Europe still protected other Mediterranean civilization such as the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic empire of the Middle East and North Africa. Byzantium was losing territory to the Turks who defeated the Byzantine Army at the battle of Manzikirt in 1071. After years of chaos and civil war, General Alexis Comnenus held the Byzantine in 1081 and controlled the remaining empire as Emperor Alexis I. In 1095, Alexius sent representatives to Pope Urban II asking for troops from the West to help confront the Turkish threat. The Pope called on Western Christians to take up arms to aid the Byzantines and recapture the Holy Land. It was determined that those who joined the army would wear a cross as a symbol of the Church. This was the start of the crusades. The first crusades began in 1095, where …show more content…
The Pope headed the Roman Catholic Church, who holds a vast influence over political and military decisions. There were several methods used by the ministry to convince Europeans to fight in the Crusades. First, the Pope did promise the Europeans that if they die, they would go straight to heaven “The pope promised that those who died in this quest would go directly to heaven” (Acrobatiq, 2014). This was very important to people because Christian faith was very common and a strong part of their culture. Second, Priests preached and persuaded people about the opportunities that were available once East was conquered. They described the wealth gained, rich farm lands, and about the influx of trade. Third, The Church told the people that they would receive many aspects of special benefits in exchange for participation. Roman Catholic Church used all the influential power they had to have volunteers to fight. The power of the Christian faith weighs heavy on the people who fought in the