What was the effect of the European Christians wanting to recover the holy land from the Muslims?

Answer 1

After the Crusades the European Christians returned to Europe with many ideas and knowledges from the Middle Eastern Islamic Lands... this began the Renaissance in Europe which took them out of their Dark Ages

Answer 2

There were several reasons for the Christian leaders in Europe wanting to conquer the holy land.

Although, at that time, the population of the holy land was divided in its religious affiliation between Christian and Arab Muslims about 50/50, the Arab Muslims had political control over this region and most of the surrounding territory, although there were some Christian principalities to the north.

Around this time, population movements in Asia led to Turkish tribes pressing down on all the people to the south, east and west. This led to a loss of access to the holy land for Europeans who wanted to go there as a pilgrimage; at least it made it much more dangerous.

At the same time, we have to take into account that there was a surviving part of the Roman Empire, centred on Constantinople (modern Istanbul), which was actually Greek speaking. Its territory extended into Anatolia (modern Turkey), and abutted the Muslim Arab territories. As one would expect for those times, there were frequent disputes at the borders, and sometimes excursions much further into what had been established as the others' territories.

When the Turkish invaders pressed down on the settled peoples, they also invaded these Greek speaking lands. As a result, the Greek rulers sought help from Europe.

On the European side, there was a sense that it was incumbent upon Christians to recover the holy lands. This idea was not surprising since these lands had been in Christian hands before the Arab Muslim invasions of the seventh century.

As a result, people became convinced that it was a holy duty to bring these lands back under Christian control. Most of the more prominent Christian leaders of the time were convinced that this was the right thing to do.

Also on the European side, there was a new political dynasty, the Normans. They first established their power in Normandy (in the north east of modern France), and their influence spread out from there. They were very warlike, true to their Viking heritage. They also followed the practice of primogeniture, in which the eldest son, and only the eldest son, inherits the estate. As a result, once one son had inherited, there were lots of other sons looking for territory to conquer and rule. The results of this policy and this situation can be seen through their actions, in that they managed to seize control of Sicily, parts of Italy, England, and elsewhere.

The Normans were also very committed Christians (according to their ideas of how Christians should live) and therefore they had two reasons to support the crusades to the holy land. Their warlike bearing meant that they became the leaders of the armies that went there, and also became the rulers of the principalities established in the holy land.

So it can be said that the Christian leaders in Europe wanted to capture the holy land:

• In order to return these lands to Christian rule.
• In order to help their fellow Christians, the Greek-speaking Christians who were being beseiged by the Turks.
• In order to express their devotion to God.
• In order to gain new lands to rule.

However, the crusades shouldn't be thought of just something organised by the rulers. The crusades were a very popular cause amongst the ordinary people, and many volunteered to participate. Religous devotion was a primary motivation.

Answer 3

The Crusades.
the Crusades