Egeria (4th Century Pilgrim) – Desired to see “the places themselves”

Destruction of Holy Sepulchre in 1003

Persecution of Pilgrims by Seljuk Turks in 11th Century Eventually relaxed for financial reasons

Sin highly on the minds of medieval Christians Crusading as a Penitential Act Death was near for warriors

Vow of the Crusader for a Plenary Indulgence Initially tied to reaching Jerusalem Later related to defending Christians

Traditionalist Crusades are armed

pilgrimages to the East Thus there are eight

major Crusades, and they end with the fall of Acre in 1291

Pluralist Crusades as papally

pronounced wars on behalf of Christians

Thus the Crusades end sometime near the end of the 16th Century

Battle of Lepanto (1571)

Crusades were Defensive Wars

Crusaders were Armed Pilgrims Crusaders at the time would not have understood

the word ‘crusader’ but would say they were pilgrims

Money Possibility of Plunder – Relics, not Money Cost of Crusading was Enormous Aftermath of First Crusade

Land

Kingdom of Jerusalem Most Crusaders Left Assumption of Byzantine Rule to be Restored

Overpopulation Perhaps like the Vikings Lords of Estates, not Landless Cost of Crusading

Aggression against a Peaceful People Martin Luther in 1521, then in 1529 Saladin’s Chronicler

Papal Power Play Taxes/Tithes not called for by the Pope until 1199

with Pope Innocent III Possible abuses of the practice, among kings

Crusading as Act of Devotion Goal of Self-Sanctification Crusaders left upon fulfilling their vow

Crusading as Loving Your Neighbor

Death toll between 40 – 50% Lack of success after First Crusade Particularly true of later warriors responding to

papal calls

St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153): Founder of Cistercian Order and Doctor of the Church

St. Francis of Assisi (1181 – 1226): Founder of the Franciscan Order

Didn’t Debilitate the Various Muslim Groups Seljuks ousted by the Mongols Rise of the Ottomans

Distant Memory Few Muslims in the 19th Century Knew of Crusades First History written in 1899

Saladin was virtually forgotten Well remembered in the West

Drain on Resources Growth in Europe’s Wealth Facilitated Crusades, not caused

by them

Brought Enlightened Culture from the East Debated among scholars, there was certainly an intellectual

spring that began in the 12th century with Scholasticism

Prevented the Destruction of Christendom Debated as well, certainly slowed the progress, but the

Mongols and the Ottoman’s internal decline big factors

Conquest of Jerusalem Reconciliation Walk of 1099 “Rivers of Blood” cited by former President Clinton

actually a metaphor, not possible in reality

Crusades were Canonically Well Worked Out

What about the Fourth Crusade Diversion to Constantinople Apology of John Paul II on May 4, 2001

Enlightenment & Romantic Interpretations Enlightenment: Silly

expression of Catholic bigotry

Romantic: Bringing Western culture to backward Muslims

These are essentially handed to Muslims in the 19th century, as they had no histories of their own

Sir Steven Runciman’s History of the Crusades Forms understanding of Crusades in the 1950s as

“morally repugnant acts of intolerance in the name of God” (Madden, “Crusade Myths”).

This view persists to this day Contemporary Scholarship since the 1970s

Only in last 15 years reaching a more popular audience with works like The New Concise History of the Crusades (Thomas Madden), The Crusades: A History (Jonathan Riley-Smith), and The Crusades (Thomas Asbridge)

Books & Scholarly Articles: Thomas F. Madden, A New Concise History of the Crusades,

Rowman & Littlefield, 2006 Jonathan Riley-Smith, The Crusades: A History, Yale

University Press, 2nd Ed., 2005. Adam L. Hoose, “Francis of Assisi’s Way of Peace? His

Conversion and Mission to Egypt,” Catholic Historical Review, July 2010, 449-469.

Paul F. Crawford, “Four Myths About the Crusades,” The Intercollegiate Review, Spring 2011, 13-22.

Robert L. Wilken, The First Thousand Years, Yale University Press, 2012

Maria R. Wagner, “The Impact of the Second Crusade on the Angelology and Eschatology of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux,” Journal of Religious History, September 2013, 322-340.

Talks & Interviews Thomas F. Madden, “The Crusades: Then and

Now,” Augustine Institute, February 2012, Archbishop’s Lecture Series. https://vimeo.com/33043624?lite=1

Thomas F. Madden, Interview with Patrick Coffin, “How to Explain the Crusades,” EWTN, Catholic Answers Live, October 25, 2010. http://www.catholic.com/radio/shows/how-to-explain-the-crusades-4775

Thomas Asbridge, Interview with George Miller, “The Crusades,” Blackwell Publishing, Blackwell Podcasts, January 21, 2010, Web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1ZrloO7o-A

Online Articles & Blog Posts: Thomas F. Madden, “Crusade Myths,” Ignatius Insight,

Jan-Feb 2002, http://www.ignatiusinsight.com/features2005/print2005/tmadden_crusades_print.html

Steve Weidenkopf, “The Massacre of Jerusalem,” Catholic Answers, July 31, 2015, http://www.catholic.com/blog/steve-weidenkopf/the-massacre-of-jerusalem

Steve Weidenkopf, “Were the Crusades Just Wars?”, Catholic Answers, November 4, 2014, http://www.catholic.com/blog/steve-weidenkopf/were-the-crusades-just-wars

Online Videos: Real Crusades History, “Did Islamic Atrocities

Provoke the Crusades?” August 15, 2008, Web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imTY5izhTDo This is a useful resource for primary sources, particularly

for the accounts of the fall of the Armenian Christian city Ani to the Seljuk Turks in the late 11th century.