Christian Muslim Conflict Essays - Crusades, Christianization

Christian Muslim Conflict The conflict between the Christians and the Muslims, between 1098 and 1229, was the result of political unrest; which was fueled the Muslims migrating into the Christian holy lands, lead by Pope Urban II and carried on, throughout latter centuries by his followers. What follows is a story of war, holy visions,unholy alliances, promises made with fingers crossed, sieges and slaughters, the details of which fill volumes. Christianity, in its infancy, was a very threatened state. It was enriched with radical ideas that called for the worship of a single god in place of the many dieties that had ruled for centuries before. These radical concepts took a while to sink in and become the root of what would be the modern era. The world of the latter 9th century and early 10th century was in a state of turmoil, resulting from the recent adoption of Christianity as the official religion of the modern world. In order to cement its hold on the masses, the political heads of the day decided to quell all internal conflicts and unite against an enemy whose destruction would help to further develop the hold that the Pope, and the church, had on the world. The Muslims were originally a tight banded group of followers of Muhammad and the religion of Islam. When the prophet Muhammad died, however, the group lost it's center and thus began to unravel a little and disperse. The Muslims slowly began to integrate into the Christian ?holy lands', threatening the foundation of Christianity. This integration lead to unease and gave root to the cause of the Crusades. It allowed for the Pope to issue official doctrine which called for the removal of the muslims in a united effort by devout Christians. A crusade is a holy war authorized, encouraged, and supported by the Pope in the name of God and Christ. In order to justify a war, or the need for war, the Pope proposed the issue as a defensive reaction to injury or aggression and as an attempt to recover Christian territories lost to infidels. Pope Urban II initiated the first crusade as an attempt to unite the conflicting Christian territories against a single and foreign foe, the Muslims. Otto, better known as Pope Urban II, was born around 1042 and died 29 July 1099. On 12 March 1088, Otto was unanimously elected as Pope, taking the title of Urban II. His first act was to proclaim his election to the world, and to acknowledge the princes and bishops who had been loyal to Gregory, and ask for their continued allegiance: he declared his intention of following the policy and example of his great predecessor--"all that he rejected, I reject, what he condemned I condemn, what he loved I embrace, what he considered as Catholic, I confirm and approve". The First Crusade began in 1095 after the Byzantines, threatened by Seljuk power, appealed to Pope Urban II for military aid. Pope Urban, hoping to divert the Christian kings and princes from their struggles with each other, and perhaps also seeing an opportunity to reunite the Eastern and Western churches, called for a "Truce of God" among the rulers of Europe and urged them to take the Holy Land from the Muslims. Interestingly enough, Pope Urban II died before he could see Jerusalem fall to his crusaders. There was also the Byzantine empire, ruling from Constantinople, whose emperor at this time was Alexius Comnenus. To his East, the Turks were rapidly encroaching on his empire, and had begun attacking pilgrims on their way to - and in - Jerusalem, causing him great distress. He wrote to his friend Robert, the Count of Flanders, in 1093, telling him about supposed atrocities committed by the Turks on the Christian pilgrims, and Robert passed this letter on to Pope Urban II. Urban, an opportunist, saw this as a perfect way to solve some of his local problems. He personally promoted a Holy Crusade to reclaim the Holy Lands from the barbarian Turks. Thus, the First Crusade was launched in 1095. The warriors of the crusades were known as the crusaders. It was a mixed group of people: civilians, soldiers, noblemen, mercenaries, adventurers, and peasants. Anybody that felt religiously compelled could become a solider in the crusades. All that was required to begin their journey towards their religious callings was to make a public vow, which was not distinguishable from, and was always based on, the vow to make a pilgrimage; crusaders and pilgrims had the same legal status, being