Assignment Topic:

12/10/2021 Effects of 3rd crusades on European

and middle eastern society and its
aftermath.

Course Name:

Introduction to World Civilizations.

(HIS 102)

Submitted To

Dr. Md. Faruk Shah

Department of History and

Philosophy

Submitted By

Md. Nahian Kabir Pranto

ID: 2111214630
 Abstract

The goal of this paper is to summarize the effects of crusades in Europe and the middle east and
the life of people in the medieval age. This paper focuses on the conflicts between major states in
Europe and the middle east before the 3rd crusade, the impacts of major battles during the war,
consequences of religious conflicts, on positives that came out as the result of the war as well as
negatives. It also focuses on the cruelty of long wars and conditions of civilians and soldiers
during long sieges, exchange of culture, ideas and technologies between people of Europe and
the middle east. Despite being a war, the war brought tolerance among people of both Christian
and Muslim beliefs. Which resulted in increased trade and improved transportation and
communication between the middle east and Europe. Lastly, the 3rd Crusade helped people of
both continents blend their cultures.
 Table of Contents

Europe before 3rd crusade: ______________________________________________________ 3

Middle east before 3rd crusade: __________________________________________________ 3
Events leading up to the 3rd crusade ______________________________________________ 3
Battles of 3rd crusade __________________________________________________________ 4
Siege of Acre: _____________________________________________________________________ 4
Battle of Arsuf: ____________________________________________________________________ 4
Attacks on Jerusalem & Saladin’s attempt to recapture Jaffa: ______________________________ 4
The aftermath of the 3rd crusade _________________________________________________ 5
Peace Treaty that ended the 3rd Crusade: _______________________________________________ 5
Positive changes on Saladin’s reputation to Europeans: ___________________________________ 5
The fate of the kings of the 3rd Crusade: _______________________________________________ 5
Economic and cultural effects of the 3rd Crusade: ________________________________________ 6
Conclusion: __________________________________________________________________ 6
References: __________________________________________________________________ 7
Europe before 3rd crusade:
The crusades basically were Christians military campaigns against the Muslims in the medieval
age. The 3rd Crusade occurred in 1189 and it lasted till 1192. Europe at that that was quite
divided. There was a conflict between major states of Europe at that time such as England,
France, The Holy Roman empire etc. However, most of the people of the continent followed the
Pope, who they believed is the representative of the god. Bishops and Priests held high standards
in the society and had high influence in politics and in the lives of both common and royal
peoples. The states united to fight against the Muslims in the middle east but weren’t fully
committed to the cause as there were disagreements between kings of Europe. (11th Century,
n.d.)

Middle east before 3rd crusade:

In the late 1100s, the king of Egypt and Syria, Saladin unified the Muslim world from Egypt to
Arabia. Before that, the Muslims were divided because of their differences in beliefs and because
of the division of Sunni and Shia. So, the leaders of Muslim states were engaged in conflicts
between themselves. However, Saladin’s major successful campaigns against the franks had
earned him great respect and reputation for the leaders of Muslim states. And the battle of Hattin,
where Saladin finally captured the holy city of Jerusalem made him very powerful among
Muslim leaders. So, he united the Muslims under one banner as the protector of Sunni Islam.
(Saladin - World History Encyclopedia, n.d.)

Events leading up to the 3rd crusade

Jerusalem is a holy city for the people of both Muslim and Christian faith and the city held high
importance to the Muslims of the middle east and the Christian people of Europe. Seljuk Turks
took control of Jerusalem in 1071. But Cristian recaptured the holy city again during the first
crusade. 88 years later, in 1187 Saladin recaptured the holy city and Muslim rule returned to
Jerusalem. King Phillip II of France and King Henry II of England were in conflict about their
territories but for religious similarity, they united to fight against Muslims in the middle east with
the objective to take back Jerusalem for the Cristian people with German Emperor Frederik
Barbarossa. However, Henry II of England died and Richard I became king of England.
(Jerusalem Captured in First Crusade - HISTORY, n.d.)
Battles of 3rd crusade
Siege of Acre:
The 3rd crusade started with the siege of Acre, which was a rich port city. King Richard, Philip
captured the city after a siege in July of 1191. However, there was major conflict among the
kings about the war spoils and the kingship of Jerusalem. Because of major disagreements, King
Philip of France abandoned the crusade and took his army home. The negotiation between
Richard and Saladin for prisoners failed and Richard ended up killing more than 2000 Muslim
prisoners and Saladin Cristian prisoners. King Richard of England led the rest of the crusade
against Saladin.

Battle of Arsuf:
After capturing the city of Acre, Richard decided to take control of Jaffa, a nearby city of
Jerusalem. On the way to Jaffa, Richard’s army was attacked by Saladin at Arsuf. Muslims were
defeated in the battle. It was a major setback for Muslims and most of the powerful cities
surrounding Jerusalem were in the crusader’s hands.

Attacks on Jerusalem & Saladin’s attempt to recapture Jaffa:

After securing Acre, Jaffa and surrounding cities of Jerusalem, King Richard of England set his
eyes on the holy city Jerusalem, which was the primary target of the crusade. On December
1191, Richard advanced his army into Jerusalem. Which would have been an easy victory due to
the low morale of Jerusalem defenders, failed because of harsh weather. Richard wanted to
launch an invasion towards undefended Egypt in order to force Saladin to surrender Jerusalem.
However, the crusader army wasn’t happy with this approach because the main objective of the
army was to capture Jerusalem and this plan would deviate the army into the opposite direction
from Jerusalem. After attacking on a frontier of Egypt, Richard returned towards Jerusalem to
attack the holy city again but he failed this time too. After Richards defeat, Saladin tried to
recapture Jaffa but the attempt failed and Muslims were forced to retreat and this forced Saladin
to make a peace treaty with the crusaders, which let Muslims keep Jerusalem in a condition of
allowing Cristian pilgrims to visit the holy city. (Third Crusade - Wikipedia, n.d.)
The aftermath of the 3rd crusade
Life in Europe and the Middle east changed significantly after the end of the 3rd Crusade. Not
only third but all crusades had both negative and positive impacts on the society. Despite being
in war the sides influenced each other’s societies by adapting each other cultures and enabling
trade.

Peace Treaty that ended the 3rd Crusade:

King Richard I of England and Saladin of the Ayyubid Dynasty signed a peace treaty in
1192 that ended the 3rd Crusade, this treaty is known as the Treaty of Jaffa. This treaty
was for 3 years. One of the major conditions of this treaty was the freedom of visit for
both Muslim and Christian pilgrims into the holy city. Another major condition was that
the Christians would keep control of the coastal city Tyre and Ascalon’s defence would
be destroyed. (Treaty of Jaffa (1192) - Wikipedia, n.d.)

Positive changes on Saladin’s reputation to Europeans:

Before the 3rd crusade, Saladin was a hated figure to the Europeans. Mainly because of
the propaganda against him. He was portraited as a cruel, barbaric man even a devil.
However, Saladin’s courteous behaviour and forgiving manner towards Cristian prisoners
changed this opinion as the prisoners returned home with respect for Saladin. Also,
Saladin’s treatment of Cristian women and reason was another major reason for the
change of reputation. Even King Richard himself respected Saladin for his generosity and
bravery.

The fate of the kings of the 3rd Crusade:

The 3rd Crusade was also known as the King’s crusade because of the direct involvement
of the kings of major states of Europe. They were King Philip II of France, King Richard
I of England, German Emperor Frederik Barbarossa and Sultan Saladin of Ayyubid
Dynasty. German Emperor Frederik Barbarossa, The Holy Roman Emperor died from
drowning in the river while leading his army towards the holy land. Richard died after
being hit by a crossbow in 1199. Saladin died a year after the end of the 3rd Crusade
from yellow fever. With his death, a power struggle started in the Ayyubid Dynasty.
Economic and cultural effects of the 3rd Crusade:
During the warring period, Europeans stayed in the middle east. So, they adapted into
some cultures of the middle eastern people, which later on increased trade between
European states and Muslim middle eastern states. Also, the view of the people changed
from their experience. Many lives were lost in wars but those who returned brought back
the demand for products from the middle east such as spices. People also realised the
false propaganda against the Muslims. And a lot of changes in old families can be traced
back to the crusade periods. People started respecting different religious views and
respecting each other’s religions. The 3rd crusade increased communication and
improved transportation between the middle east and Europe. From long wars, military
techniques improved a lot from the crusades and new technologies were introduced
among the peoples of both Europe and the middle east. (Crusades - The Results of the
Crusades | Britannica, n.d.)

Conclusion:
The 3rd Crusade had both positive and cruel negatives. On one hand, noble people achieved
glory’s in the battle with their victories, on the other hand, unfortunate nobles and soldiers,
who lost their lives and suffered. The 3rd crusade brought about changes in European and
middle eastern society as the people, who came from the battle had adapted to each other’s
cultures. The 3rd crusade improved the authority of the kings and rulers of the medieval
society while it restricted the rights of working-class people and disrupted the lives of people
living and working in the cities, which were destroyed as a result of the wars. However, the
3rd crusade was the part of changes that had to occur before the world can become as it is
today.
 References:

11th century. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2021, from

https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/1/11th_century.htm
Crusades - The results of the Crusades | Britannica. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2021, from
https://www.britannica.com/event/Crusades/The-results-of-the-Crusades
Jerusalem captured in First Crusade - HISTORY. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2021, from
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jerusalem-captured-in-first-crusade
Saladin - World History Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2021, from
https://www.worldhistory.org/Saladin/
Third Crusade - Wikipedia. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2021, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Crusade
Treaty of Jaffa (1192) - Wikipedia. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2021, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Jaffa_(1192)