Crusades

Why did People risk their lives to go on Crusades?

There were many reasons for Crusades. From simple love of war to heavenly riches. These all will be explained and shown in the following paragraphs to make your knowledge of the subject full.

“Many people died, but for God, no matter what!”

Jerusalem was the Sacred Place for all Christians because Jesus was buried there. Many of them went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem even if Muslims were controlling it. But soon there was new group of Muslims controlling Jerusalem that stopped pilgrimages and attacked Christian lands. Christians from all over Europe came to help their brothers and sisters. This is one of the reasons why they all joined Crusades. They wanted to rule Jerusalem as a place for god and be faithful to him. This is all shown in the speech of Pope Urban 11, where he says “They are destroying churches and land. In the name of God, I beg you all to drive out these foul creatures”.

Many people went to these battles, not for power, not for honour, but simply for forgiveness! They fight in the battles for pardons and for a straight route to heaven. Pope Urban 11 said “If you die on the journey or if you are killed in a battle against these Saracens (Muslims) all your sins will be forgiven at once”. In some English trials the punishment was to go in a Crusade. For example: “You have been found guilty of hitting a priest with a sword over his head. Your punishment is to go on a Crusade or pay another soldier to go instead”. Some people were forced to become Crusaders and fight for the Christendom. But, they all fought for God!

Bravery, honour and love were also kinds of reasons for the Crusaders to go into battle. People wanted to show their bravery and gain honour by going on Crusades. Some went to gain love. In 1190 a French Crusader wrote in a letter to his wife: “Alas, my darling! It breaks my heart to leave you, but I must go to the Holy Land. That is where I will win paradise and praise and your true love”. Every person wants praise, so did they. They wanted some honour, they got it… by death.

There were some other reasons of going on Crusades. Medieval people wanted new knowledge and also heavenly riches, such as some luxuries (carpets, spices…), cloth, plants and also dyes. Some people went to fight to escape their own land! Criminals, robbers, pirates, dice-players, they went to escape being caught in their own land. People tried to make up for their actions and also to gain riches. Some gained money during the Crusades. This is shown in a letter of a French Crusader to his wife in 1098: “My dear wife, I now have twice as much silver, gold and other riches as I had when I set of to battle”

Now we all see that people went on Crusades for several reasons: Power, Honour, Bravery, Love, Riches…. Nevertheless people died in this battle and women, children died too! Was it worth it? Certainly yes, but they lost lives to praise god and pray to god at the very place where he died.