Good morning and happy Monday! 🙂 This will be a short week. There is only journaling, NO vocabulary 🙂
Charlemagne’s Empire has just fallen. There is disorder and a lack of government in western Europe. The people needed some form of government and leadership. They also needed protection. So they began depending on powerful landowners who would provide security in exchange for services.
Feudalism
Feudalism was a way of life. A new way of life for western Europe.
It was based on the ownership and use of the land.
There was the lord- who was the landowner.
The fief was the piece of land held by the lord.
A vassal the person who had the duties of the land.
Because they couldn’t depend on protection from their kings, nobles had to defend their own lands. As a result, the power of nobles grew, and kings became less powerful. In fact, some nobles became as powerful as the kings themselves. Although these nobles remained loyal to the king, they ruled their lands as independent territories.
The king was still at the top of the feudal system and the land in theory was owned by him. Whatever land the king did not keep for himself, this is the fief the nobles were distributed. In return for the land the nobles promised the king knights.
Knights were the heart of the military of western Europe
The Church and Feudalism
The church was a great landholder during this time. Many people would will their property to the church in order to secure their salvation. Because most people were unable to read, the truth of the gospel was hidden. Many people went their entire life without understanding the freedom the gospel gave in this life and salvation after.
The church was beneficial in medieval times. It implemented the Truce of God which forbade fighting Friday through Sunday. It also implemented what was called the Peace of God which denied sacraments to anyone who killed, or robbed the church.
The spread of Christianity helped the barbaric people to see the humanity of people.
The Crusades (Journal Entry)
Pope Urban II was the initiator of the crusades (Latin crux– cross).
At this time the Muslims had taken over much of the Middle East. They were persecuting the European people who made their pilgrimages ( journey to holy places to prove devotion) to the Holy Land.
Pope Urban called on Christians from all over Europe to retake the Holy Land from the Muslim Turks. He challenged Europe’s kings and nobles to quit fighting among themselves and fight together against the Turks. In response, people joined the pope’s army by the thousands. Crusaders from all over Europe flocked to France to prepare for their long journey. They sewed crosses onto their clothing to show that they were fighting for God. In fact, the word crusade comes from the Latin for “marked with a cross.” As they marched off to war, the Crusaders yelled their rallying cry, “God wills it!”
Many people who fought in the crusades were peasants. They thought that they could secure their salvation by going to fight. They thought that at least God would look favorably on them.
There were many crusades.
The Peasant’s Crusade
a group of about 15 to 20,000 people, mostly farmers. They were the first to encounter the Muslims and were utterly destroyed by the experienced warriors.
The First Crusade-
This crusade was engaged by European nobles, mostly French. There were over 50,000 crusaders that came together at Constantinople. Within a year they had recaptured Asia Minor. In 1099 they took Jerusalem back.
The Second and Third Crusade
The kingdoms the Christians created in the Holy Land didn’t last, though. They had initial victories because of the disunity among the Muslims.
French king Louis VII and German king Conrad III were called into battle. This Second Crusade was a terrible failure. Poor planning and heavy losses on the journey to the Holy Land led to the Christians’ totally defeated. The second crusade accomplished nothing!
The Third Crusade was known as the “Crusade of the Kings”. King Richard I of England joined the French and German kings. But soon the German king died and the French king left. Richard I was the only one that remained in the Holy Land.
King Richard’s main opponent in the Third Crusade was Saladin, the leader of the Muslim forces.
Saladin was a brilliant leader. Even Crusaders respected his kindness toward fallen enemies. In turn, the Muslims admired Richard’s bravery.
For months, Richard and Saladin fought and negotiated. Richard captured a few towns and won protection for Christian pilgrims. In the end, however, he returned home with Jerusalem still in Muslim hands.
The Fourth Crusade
This crusade never even reached the Holy Land.
The Children’s Crusade
The Last Crusades
These crusades achieved nothing! By the 13th century, the Muslims had total control of the Holy Land.
Why did the Crusades fail? There were many reasons.
- The Crusaders had to travel huge distances just to reach the war. Many died along the way.
- Crusaders weren’t prepared to fight in Palestine’s desert climate.
- The Christians were outnumbered by their well-led and organized Muslim foes.
- Christian leaders fought among themselves and planned poorly.
Watch this video and add any other information to your journal STOP at 4 minutes
CVCA World History 