The First Four Crusades in the Middle Ages
by Barry Wright
Essay: The First Four Crusades in the Middle Ages
Pages: 10
Rating: 3 stars
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The crusades in the middle ages were a long-lasting series of vigorous wars between Christians and Muslims over
the Holy Land, Jerusalem. The crusades lasted for almost two hundred years. They began in 1099 and
approximately ended in 1291. (What were the motives, and causes of these gruesome wars?) is the first question
one might ask. To properly answer this question, I am about to analyze the first four crusades that had began in
1099 and ended in 1212.
“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire” To understand the causes of the crusades, we must have a solid understanding
of the Islamic world and Europe backgrounds – respectively. By the tenth century, the Islamic empire under
Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad was divided. The Fatimid, Shiite dynasty established a Shiite Caliphate in Egypt, and
Cairo was its capital. They had tried to unite the Islamic world under its caliphate and they had become enemies to
the Sunni caliphate in Baghdad. As a result, the Islamic world was divided.
The Fatimid dynasty used its strategic geographical location to control trade activities. “The Fatimid dynasty
prospered and surpassed the Abbasid Caliphate as the dynamic center of Islam… thy played a major role in the
regional trade passing from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and beyond” (295, Spielvogel). They did not care
for different religion beliefs and built a strong army. “They were tolarent in matters of religion and created a
strong army by using nonnative peoples as mercenaries” (295, Spielvogel). Seljuk Turks were among these people,
“the Seljuk Turks were nomadic people from Central Asia who had been converted to Islam and flourished as
military mercenaries for the Abbasid caliphate” (295, Spielvogel).
The Turks numbers increased and gre...