What is Crusades?

Crusades, military expeditions, beginning in the late 11th century, that were organized by western
European Christians in response to centuries of Muslim wars of expansion. Their objectives were to
check the spread of Islam, to retake control of the Holy Land in the eastern Mediterranean, to conquer
pagan areas, and to recapture formerly Christian territories; they were seen by many of their
participants as a means of redemption and expiation for sins. Between 1095, when the First Crusade was
launched, and 1291, when the Latin Christians were finally expelled from their kingdom in Syria, there
were numerous expeditions to the Holy Land, to Spain, and even to the Baltic; the Crusades continued
for several centuries after 1291. Crusading declined rapidly during the 16th century with the advent of
the Protestant Reformation and the decline of papal authority.

The Crusades were organized by western European Christians after centuries of Muslim wars of
expansion. Their primary objectives were to stop the expansion of Muslim states, to reclaim for
Christianity the Holy Land in the Middle East, and to recapture territories that had formerly been
Christian. Many participants also believed that undertaking what they saw as holy war was a means of
redemption and a way of achieving expiation of sins.

Approximately two-thirds of the ancient Christian world had been conquered by Muslims by the end of
the 11th century, including the important regions of Palestine, Syria, Egypt, and Anatolia. The Crusades,
attempting to check this advance, initially enjoyed success, founding a Christian state in Palestine and
Syria, but the continued growth of Islamic states ultimately reversed those gains. By the 14th century
the Ottoman Turks had established themselves in the Balkans and would penetrate deeper into Europe
despite repeated efforts to repulse them.

How many crusades were there?

There were at least eight Crusades. The First Crusade lasted from 1096 to 1099. The Second Crusade
began in 1147 and ended in 1149. Each of the Christian forces felt betrayed by the other. Relations
between the Eastern Roman Empire and the French were badly damaged by the Second Crusade.
Muslim leader Saladin takes control of Jerusalem. Muslim Turks re-conquer the city. The Third Crusade
started in 1189 and was concluded in 1192. The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by European
leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from the Muslim sultan Saladin; it resulted in the capture of the
important cities Acre and Jaffa, but failed to capture Jerusalem, the main motivation of the crusade. The
Fourth Crusade got underway in 1202 and ended in 1204. Crusading became increasingly widespread in
terms of geography and objectives during the 13th century and beyond, and crusades were aimed more
at maintaining political and religious control over Europe than reclaiming the Holy Land. Crusaders
captured Constantinople, this time by plundering too. It eventually made a bad impact on the relation
between eastern Christians and Western Christians. The Fifth Crusade lasted from 1217 until 1221. The
Sixth Crusade occurred in 1228–29. The Seventh Crusade began in 1248 and ended in 1254. And the
Eighth Crusade took place in 1270. There were also smaller Crusades against dissident Christian sects
within Europe, including the Albigensian Crusade (1209–29). The so-called People’s Crusade occurred in
response to Pope Urban II’s call for the First Crusade, and the Children’s Crusade took place in 1212.
Impacts of the crusades

The Crusades are one of the most significant events in the history of Europe and the Middle East. They
were a series of religious wars carried out by Christian crusaders from Europe during the timeframe of
the Middle Ages. Beginning in 1095 CE, the crusades saw European knights and noblemen travel to the
Middle East in an attempt to capture the Holy Land away from Muslim people that had controlled the
region for the previous centuries. The term crusade means ‘cross’. Therefore, the Europeans that
became crusaders viewed themselves as ‘taking up the cross’. In fact, many of the crusaders wore
crosses on their clothing and armor as they made their pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

The crusades were a major event in the Middle Ages and had a profound impact on the world at the
time. For example, one of the first major impacts of the crusades was that it increased interaction
between different societies and groups of people. For instance, the crusades caused the religions of
Christianity, Judaism and Islam to clash. In this conflict, people of all faiths travelled vast distances to
fight over the city of Jerusalem, which each faith considered important to its religious heritage. This
clash of religious ideals caused a sharing of ideas between the different religious groups and helped the
principles of each religious faith to spread into new areas. Arguably, the clash between these three
religions and this area of the world continues still today. Beyond religion, the interaction between
different groups of people led to a spread of scientific and philosophical knowledge. The existence of
the Silk Road had already caused a massive spread of ideas and knowledge across Eurasia, but the
crusades continued and expanded the trend. At the outbreak of the crusades in the 11th century, the
Middle East was a major center of learning and knowledge. Due to its geographical location, the major
Middle Eastern civilizations were at the crossroads of the Silk Road and therefore benefitted greatly
from having access to both European and Asian knowledge. As such, when European crusaders came
into contact with Middle Eastern peoples they were exposed to new ideas and inventions which
eventually made their way back into European society. For example, the Europeans learned new
understandings about mathematics from Middle Eastern mathematicians who were by far the most
advanced at that time. Also related to knowledge, the different societies involved in the crusades were
exposed to each other’s culture. This meant that each side learned new understandings about food,
cultural practices and celebrations.

Another major impact of the crusades was the effect it had on trade. The pilgrimage of thousands of
Europeans to the Holy Land created a need for new routes for supply shipments to feed and arm the
crusaders. As such, towns and cities grew in size along the route to the Holy Land with many shops and
markets. As well, port cities in Italy grew in size and wealth as merchants worked to meet the needs of
travelling crusaders. In fact, some of these cities grew to such prominence that they became the famous
city-states of the Renaissance centuries after.

A third major impact of the crusades was the effect it had on the role of feudalism in the lives of
Europeans. Feudalism was a form of government common during medieval Europe that involved society
being structured in a very rigid and hierarchical way. It was popular in European society from the 9th
century until the 15th century and was the form of government in which the country was dominated by
an absolute monarch, in which all power was held within a single king. The monarch would rule over the
 country while the rest of the people were bound by a hierarchical system in which people were placed
into classes in which they were born. Due to the crusades, thousands of nobles and peasants left
Europe in order to ‘take up the cross’ in the Holy Land. This meant that large populations of people left
their land to fight and since feudalism was centered on the principles of land ownership and farming,
this caused feudalism to lose its significance in European societies. As well, the increase in trade at
certain ports and towns led to the rise of a merchant or middle class. This meant that peasants were
able to build up small fortunes for themselves through trading. As a result, the feudal system began to
lose its hold on society which eventually led to the ideals of the Renaissance and the emergence of
powerful city-states instead of absolute monarchs. In all, the crusades had a profound impact on the
world, but especially led to changes and advancements in Europe.

In conclusion, the crusades were a vitally important event to European and Middle Eastern History.
They were centered on a clash between different religions and helped transform Europe and the Middle
East during the years of the Middle Ages. As well, many historians consider the effects of the crusades
as an important event in the emergence of the Renaissance in Europe a few centuries later.

Why did Renaissance happened in Italy first?

Following are the reasons why the Renaissance first began in Italy:

i. All the historical remains and relics of the Roman Empire were to be
found in Italy. As a result many scholars and artists sought to dwell in Italy.
ii. Due to the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, a large number of Greek
scholars and thinkers migrated to Italy, bringing with them their original
manuscripts and artworks. They not only encouraged a spirit of enquiry in
the Italian populace but also inspired Italian artists and writers to produce
new masterpieces of art and literature.
iii. The wealth earned by Italian merchants in their trade with the East was
used to patronise artists and literary figures. This in turn saw a revival of
classical culture and literature in Europe.
iv. The crusades and geographical explorations brought Italians in contact
with the East. It broadened their vision and provided an impetus to
Renaissance.

Why is it called the glorious revolution of England?

1688- The Glorious Revolution begins! It was the transfer of power from James II to William and Mary. It
was called the glorious or bloodless revolution. It got that name because it involved no bloodshed.
Details-

http://pinkmonkey.com/studyguides/subjects/euro_his/chap2/e0202a01.htm

What is the difference between revolution and revolt?

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-revolt-revolution-and-movement

Why colonies were created?

https://www.historyisfun.org/visitus/documents/LifeatJamestown.pdf

and the downloaded file

What is colony?

A colony is a country or area under the full or partial political control of another country, typically a
distant one, and occupied by settlers from that country.

A colony is a group of people who inhabit a foreign territory but maintain ties to their parent country.
While the group of people can be considered a colony, so too can the territory itself.

Colonialism is defined as “control by one power over a dependent area or people.” It occurs when one
nation subjugates another, conquering its population and exploiting it, often while forcing its own
language and cultural values upon its people. By 1914, a large majority of the world's nations had been
colonized by Europeans at some point.

The concept of colonialism is closely linked to that of imperialism, which is the policy or ethos of using
power and influence to control another nation or people that underlies colonialism.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Colony

https://www.historydiscussion.net/world-history/what-are-the-merits-and-demerits-of-colonialism-
explained/1870

https://www.ablison.com/pros-and-cons-of-colonialism/

https://www.ukessays.com/essays/history/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-the-colonialism-
history-essay.php