Crusades

The short answer is yes. They were called the Holy Crusades in their time and people were called to battle from the pulpits of churches. People who went to fight were absolved of all former sins and were considered soldiers of the Church and were thought to be fighting for Jesus, God and "to free the Holy Land from Mohammedan tyranny."

There were many different Crusades mounted between 1075 - 1292. When people speak of the Crusades they are generally talking about the wars in Palestine and the attempt to drive the Muslim Arabs out of Palestine, which had previously been held by the Eastern Orthodox Byzantine Empire. The justification was to free the "Holy Land" from non-Christian rule and this is why most soldiers got involved. Certainly there was a lot of religious turmoil at the time. The Crusades were also mounted against Jews, pagans, traditionally non-Christian ethnic groups, political enemies of the Vatican and even Orthodox Christians. So, there was some non-religious fighting going on within the Crusades. But, over all the Crusades were based on the idea that the Catholic European Christians were the only people that God wanted in charge of the "Holy Land" and they threw generations of people into a basically unwinnable battle for the glory of God.

yes, that lasted over 100 years usually used in the Dark Ages

The crusades affected the Muslims because the Muslims had what the crusaders wanted the crusaders went to war against the Muslims trying to get that "thing" back, which was Constantinople, and the crusaders killed half of Muslims to try and get Constantinople back.

The Crusades were fought by Christians to regain the Holy Land and to retreive religious items of faith.

The Crusades resulted as a reaction of Muslim aggression against the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantines). The Muslims were running constant aggressive conquest campaigns on Christian lands as part of their imperialistic expansion. In 638 the Muslims conquered Jerusalem - the holy land where Jews and Christians would pilgrimage to. The Christian pilgrims to there were persecuted by the Muslims greatly. Over 60 Christian pilgrims were crucified in one short period by the Muslims. A Muslim governor of Caesarea in the 8th Century often seized pilgrims, one large group from Iconium was seized and they were all executed as spies (except for some that chose to convert to Islam instead of facing the sword). Muslims would ransack the churches if the pilgrims didn't pay protection money. Christian iconography and crosses were banned by the Muslims so many churches were pillaged and defaced. Caliph Mansur (around the 8th Century) ordered that the hands of all Christians and Jews be stamped with a distinctive symbol which helped them be 'humiliated' and identified for paying of the Jizzya (tax for being Christian). Converts to Christianity were executed (such as the ex-Muslim monk in 789). Churches and monasteries conquered by the Muslims were plundered and monks and clergy were often murdered such as Saint Theodosius monastery in Bethlehem. By the start of the 9th Century most Christians fled from their hometown to Christian cities such as Constantinople that were still under the Byzantines. In 937 during Easter celebrations, specifically Palm Sunday, Muslims rampaged through Jerusalem against the Christians and destroyed their churches including Church of Calvary and the Church of the Resurrection. It wasn't until the 960's (up to 200 years later) than the Christians actually reacted to this violence and persecution. Cities taken by force such as Crete, Cilicia, Cyprus, Antioch and even parts of Syria were reconquered by the Christians.

In 974 the Muslims then launched an official offensive under Sunni Caliph Abbasid against the Byzantines. The campaign of Muslims against the Christians lasted for around 30 more years until a short ceasfire while the Muslims fought against themselves. Then at the beginning of the 11th Century the Muslims again started their offensive against the Christians under Abu 'Ali al-Mansur al-Hakim and this was taken out on the average Christian. Churches were burnt, church property was seized. Over the first 10 years of the 11th Century over 30,000 churches were destroyed by the Muslim aggressors.

They even destroyed the Church of the Holy Sepulcher - the traditional site marking were Christ was buried. The Caliph ordered the tomb be destroyed.

All the Christians and Jews of Jerusalem (and other Muslim territories) were forced to wear heavy crosses and wooden calves around their neck. It wasn't until 1021 that this persecution decreased.

In 1056 hundreds of Christians were expelled from Jerusalem and European Christians were blocked from the pilgrimage to the city. On entering Jerusalem in 1077 3000 Jews and Christians were murdered by the Muslim invaders.

Then we get to where the story you quoted began - in response to the calls for help by the Christians persecuted throughout the Middle East and former Byzantine Empire territories the Western Church sent help.

Salah al-Din (Saladin) emerged as a prominent Muslim leader during the Crusades and played a key role in the Muslim victory against the Crusaders. The Crusades spurred his rise to power and allowed him to unite Muslim forces against the Christian invaders. His success in expelling the Crusaders from Jerusalem in 1187 solidified his reputation as a champion of Islam.

The biggest motivation for the crusades other than religion would probably have been greed: people were hungry for the wealth that was thought in the Holy Land. For some people, particularly nobles and particularly poor nobles greed was probably even more of a motivation than religion although none would admit it

The Crusades contributed to the rise of central governments in Europe by granting more power and influence to monarchs and strengthening their control over territories. They also led to increased religious tension and persecution of non-Christians, particularly Jews, as a result of the anti-Semitic sentiments fueled by the Crusades. Additionally, the Crusades fostered a greater sense of unity among European Christians and helped facilitate cultural exchanges with the East, which had lasting impacts on trade, technology, and knowledge.

Before the Crusades, political power in Europe was decentralized, with a feudal system prevailing. Monarchs governed over a patchwork of feudal territories, and the Catholic Church held significant religious and political authority. The Byzantine Empire, ruled by an emperor, controlled much of the eastern Mediterranean.

The Crusades led to the increased power of European monarchs and the Catholic Church, as well as the establishment of new trade routes and cultural exchanges between the East and West. However, they also resulted in religious tensions, persecution of non-Christians, and the weakening of Byzantine Empire.

Prohibitionists wanted to eliminate the consumption of alcohol to reduce crime, poverty, and other social problems they believed were caused by drinking. Purity crusaders aimed to improve public health and hygiene by advocating for food and drug safety regulations, as well as promoting moral values in society.

Due to the fact these people were threatened with religious punishments, an eternity in hell.

The poor conditions and an over populated Europe, lead the poor to commit crime seen by 'The Lord' as a sinner.

Promised by such grand figures as pope urban II (arguably the most powerful person in the world at the time) to have all sins forgiven if such criminals were to commence to the holy crusades and holy lands, and kill the infidel.

Journalist and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells was one of the key figures who launched a crusade against lynching in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Wells used her writing and investigative journalism to raise awareness about the atrocities of lynching and advocate for anti-lynching legislation.

Antislavery crusaders sought freedom and better treatment for slaves, working to end the institution of slavery and advocating for the abolition of laws that supported it. They also worked towards social and political equality for former slaves after emancipation.

The Children's Crusade of 1903 was a march organized by Mary Harris "Mother" Jones to campaign against child labor. Children as young as seven joined the march, advocating for better working conditions and an end to child labor in the United States. The march gained widespread attention and support, leading to increased awareness and eventually reforms in child labor laws.

Many of the children in the Children's Crusade never reached the Holy Land, as they were either captured and sold into slavery or died during the journey due to harsh conditions. The exact details and outcomes of the Children's Crusade are not well-documented, but historical sources suggest that it was largely a tragic event with very few children actually reaching the Holy Land.

The Children's Crusade was a tragic event that demonstrated the influence of the Church in mobilizing young people for a cause, despite the lack of success and protection for the children involved. It revealed the Church's ability to inspire and manipulate followers to take up arms in the name of faith, even if it ultimately resulted in disastrous consequences.

The WHAS Crusade for Children was created in 1954 by a local radio station in Kentucky as a way to raise money for children with special needs. It has since grown into an annual telethon that raises funds for organizations serving children with disabilities in Kentucky and Southern Indiana.

The first crusades against the muslims were an aid from the pope and christian countries to the faltering Byzantine Empire which was currently being crushed by the muslims, and a fear that they would take over the Byzantine Empire and Constantinople convinced the current pope to launch crusades to take over the Holy City, Jerusalem, and from there on help the Byzantine Emperor. Even though the first crusades helped the Byzantine Empire from the muslims the latter ones were more for personal glory and greed. The Doge of Venice convinced the crusaders to burn Constantinople on their way to the Holy Land since the Republic of Venice had interests in a weak Byzantine Empire so they could spread their influence into the Eastern Mediterranean.

The Children's Crusade, in the 13th century, was a tragic event because it involved thousands of young children being led to their deaths or enslavement in an ill-fated attempt to reclaim Jerusalem. Most of the children either perished during the journey or were sold into slavery. The event highlighted the manipulation of religious fervor and the vulnerability of children in times of conflict.

A shepherd boy called Stephen said to the King of France that Jesus had told Stephen to gather all of the French children together and go on a crusade to free Jerusalem from the Muslims. Jesus had said that the sea would dry up to let the children pass. But when they got to the sea, it had not dried up. Eventually two sea captains, William the Pig and Hugh the Iron, offered to take the children across the sea. The children went aboard the 7 ships happily but 2 of the ships sank and everyone on board drowned. The 5 other ships went to North Africa instead of the Holy Land and the captain's real objectives were revealed - the children were sold as slaves and never made it home.

The leader of the French Childrens Crusade was a 12-year old boy named Etienne de Cloyes (Stephen of Cloyes in English)

The leader of the German Childrens Crusade was a 10-year old boy named Nicolaas (Nicholas in English).

There were approximately 37,000 children involved in the children's crusade. French Army, Stephen led 30,000 children and German Army, Nicholas led 7,000 children.

Crusade journalism refers to a type of journalism where reporters are driven by a specific cause or goal, often advocating for a particular point of view or agenda. This approach can lead to biased reporting as the journalist is focused on promoting their cause rather than providing objective news coverage.

Children's Crusade illustrates at once the religious enthusiasm and misdirected zeal which marked the whole crusading movement. During the interval between the Fourth and the Fifth Crusade, the epidemical fanaticism that had so long agitated Europe seized upon the children, resulting in what is known as the Children's Crusade.

The children's Crusades was when a twelve-year-old and a ten-year-old decided they were going to gather up all of their friends and sail over to Jerusalem (Palestine) and conquer the Holy Land themselves. None of them ever made it; half turned around and went home, about a fourth was sunk at sea, and the other fourth disappered. They could have been captured and sold in Africa as slaves or went down at sea, no one knows; there's no record of anything that happened to them just poof! gone. ok maybe not "poof" but as i said, no one knows.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were initially led by Apple Bloom, but the group doesn't have an official leader. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo work together as equals to help other ponies discover their special talent and earn their cutie marks in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.