The Crusades and Pilgrimages
Christians of Europe believed that all places associated with the life and death of Christ were to have divine powers of healing and of absolving penitents of sin. People from all over Europe made pilgrimages to Jerusalem and other holy places. Pilgrimages were groups of people known as pilgrims who came from all over to go and see the Holy Land. They believed that by praying and just being where their Christ had lived, preached, was crucified; and where Christianity began, would give them a faster way to heaven. Many gave up all their possessions to travel to the Holy Land. In 1071 AD, the Turks, also known as Muslims, captured Jerusalem. The Turks began to persecute the Christians in the Holy Land. Alexius Commenus, the emperor or Eastern Roman Empire, feared that the Turks would seize his capital - Constantinople. He sent for help from Pope Urban II in Rome. In 1095 AD, the pope called a council at Clermont in France. There, from the middle of a field he urged thousands of people to rescue the Holy Land. In March of 1096 AD, thousands of people decided that they would not wait for the time set by the council to start the crusade
Richard the Lion-Hearted was unable to capture Jerusalem from Saladin. Though, in 1192 AD, a truce was made to permit pilgrims to visit the Holy Sepulcher. and started out for the Holy Land themselves. A knight named Walter the Penniless led several thousand through Germany and Hungary to Constantinople. In addition, a monk named Peter the Hermit led several thousand others from Germany. Neither group took the time to gather provisions and had decided to live off the land. More than half of Peter's followers died or were seized as slaves when they passed through Bulgaria. Most of Walter's crusaders and himself included were massacred by the Turks east of Constantinople.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Holy Land, Minor Antioch, Constantinople August, Egypt Germany, Germany Neither, Christians Europe, Crusade March, Jerusalem Merchants, Children's Crusades, France Stephen, holy land, louis ix, led thousand germany, thousand germany, 1096 ad, massacred turks, fourth crusade, asia minor, thousands people, children's crusades, capital constantinople, holy land crusade,
Approximate Word count = 953
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
