What were the causes, course, and consequences of the Crusades?

TTHE CRUSADES OF THE ELEVENTH AND TWELFTH CENTURIES were the most obvious manifestation of the papal claim to the leadership of Christian society. The Crusades were wars sponsored by the papacy for the recovery of the holy city of Jerusalem from the Muslims. The enormous popular response to papal calls for crusading reveals the influence of the reformed papacy and the depth of religious fervor among many different types of people. The Crusades also reflected the church’s new understanding of the noble warrior class, for whom war against the church’s enemies was understood as a religious duty.

image
The Capture of Jerusalem in 1099In this illustration from a fourteenth-century French version of Archbishop William of Tyre’s history of the First Crusade, Crusaders enter the city of Jerusalem on scaling ladders as engines hurl stones to breach the walls. (Bibliothèque nationale de France)> PICTURING THE PASTANALYZING THE IMAGE: What do you think the artist’s point of view is about the events shown? Would you characterize the painting as a positive or negative depiction of war? What does this suggest about the artist’s motives in creating this work?
CONNECTIONS: How might the images shown be different if this had been drawn by a Muslim artist living in Jerusalem?