REASONS FOR THE FIRST CRUSADE
RELIGIOUS MOTIVATION
-1077- muslim seljuk turks captured and took control
-became increasingly harder for Christian pilgrims to visit the East
-rumours of mistreatment of christians spread
-Pope Urban promised knights of Europe full forgiveness of sins/penance/indulgences
-1095- to obey the Pope people went on the crusade to free the Holy Land
-christians wanted to ensure access for pilgrims to Jerusalem
-indulgences were offered to the crusaders- belief of purgatory in catholicism
-”deus vult”- God wanted them to crusade
-christian persecution acts in the east, although exaggerated byt Urban, still happened
RESULT OF CHURCH REFORMS/ INVESTITURE CONTEST
-Pope Gregory VII and Hhenry IV (HRE) argued over who had the right to appoint bishops
-Gregory published a papal bull and excommunicated Henry (ask Pope for forgiveness)
-Pope humiliated Henry and made him kneel in the snow for 3 days
-this weakened the papacy for Urban so he chose to assist Byzantium
-called the First Crusade with the intent of taking the Holy Land to reform the Pope’s reputation and
strengthen papacy after the Investiture Contest
-call for the First Crusade was an excuse to rebuild his reputation (papal supremacy)
-demonstrated the papacy can work effectively with other institutions
-anti-pope threatened Urban’s position- he wanted to prove he had ultimate authority and spiritual
power
CRISIS OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE
-Seljuk Turks had almost collapsed the Byzantine empire during the Battle of Manzikert
-abbasids were threatening Constantinople and the Seljuk Turks began emerging
-1054- attacked Byzantium
-1071- Romanos divided the army in Manzikert
-Alp Arslan made a surprise attack on the army
-Romanos wouldn’t negotiate peace/ attacked Arslan’s camp
-Alp Arslan defeated Romanos
-Antioch and Edessa were taken away in reparations and given to the seljuks
-Alexios Commenus inherited a very unstable and weakened empire
-Seljuks humiliated Byzantium by almost collapsing the empire
-reason for Alexios’ appeal= due to the empire’s crisis
RELIGIOUS MOTIVATION
-1077- muslim seljuk turks captured and took control
-became increasingly harder for Christian pilgrims to visit the East
-rumours of mistreatment of christians spread
-Pope Urban promised knights of Europe full forgiveness of sins/penance/indulgences
-1095- to obey the Pope people went on the crusade to free the Holy Land
-christians wanted to ensure access for pilgrims to Jerusalem
-indulgences were offered to the crusaders- belief of purgatory in catholicism
-”deus vult”- God wanted them to crusade
-christian persecution acts in the east, although exaggerated byt Urban, still happened
RESULT OF CHURCH REFORMS/ INVESTITURE CONTEST
-Pope Gregory VII and Hhenry IV (HRE) argued over who had the right to appoint bishops
-Gregory published a papal bull and excommunicated Henry (ask Pope for forgiveness)
-Pope humiliated Henry and made him kneel in the snow for 3 days
-this weakened the papacy for Urban so he chose to assist Byzantium
-called the First Crusade with the intent of taking the Holy Land to reform the Pope’s reputation and
strengthen papacy after the Investiture Contest
-call for the First Crusade was an excuse to rebuild his reputation (papal supremacy)
-demonstrated the papacy can work effectively with other institutions
-anti-pope threatened Urban’s position- he wanted to prove he had ultimate authority and spiritual
power
CRISIS OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE
-Seljuk Turks had almost collapsed the Byzantine empire during the Battle of Manzikert
-abbasids were threatening Constantinople and the Seljuk Turks began emerging
-1054- attacked Byzantium
-1071- Romanos divided the army in Manzikert
-Alp Arslan made a surprise attack on the army
-Romanos wouldn’t negotiate peace/ attacked Arslan’s camp
-Alp Arslan defeated Romanos
-Antioch and Edessa were taken away in reparations and given to the seljuks
-Alexios Commenus inherited a very unstable and weakened empire
-Seljuks humiliated Byzantium by almost collapsing the empire
-reason for Alexios’ appeal= due to the empire’s crisis
