Why did people join the First Crusade? Flashcards
what are 4 reasons why people joined the First Crusade?
- Religious Devotion of Latin Christians
- Outlet for Sanctified Violence
- Economic Factors
- Social and Feudal Obligations
which First Crusade leaders were motivated by religious devotion?
- Robert of Flanders’ (Count of Flanders) family had a history of pilgrimage to Jerusalem
- Godfrey of Bouillon (Duke of Lorraine) was personally pious
- Raymond of Toulouse (Count of Toulouse) was pious and seeking remission of his sins
- Adhemar (Bishop of Le Puy and papal legate) was the first bishop to sign up the the crusade. He was close to Urban II and was sent to represent him. He had good relations with Eastern Patriarchs and sought reconciliation between Eastern and Western Christians.
why was Robert of Flanders motivated by religious devotion?
his family had a history of pilgramige to Jerusalem
why was Godfrey of Bouillon motivated by religious devotion?
he was personally pious
why was Raymond of Toulouse motivated by religious devotion?
he was pious and sought remission of his sins
which crusader leaders joined the first crusade as an outlet for sanctified violence?
- Bohemond (‘prince’ of Taranto) had a history of fighting against Byzantium and had lost lands when Alexius recovered territory
- Tancred, nephew of Bohemond, found the concept of sanctified violence particularly appealing
- Raymond of Toulouse (Count of Toulouse) was a member of the milites Christi
why was Bohemond motivated by sanctified violence?
he had a history of fighting against Byzantium and had lost lands when Alexius recovered territory
why was Raymond of Toulouse motivated by sanctified violence?
he was a member of the milites Christi
which crusader leaders were motivated by economic gain?
- Baldwin of Boulogne had left the church to be a knight and was seeking his fortune in the east
- Raymond of Toulouse (Count of Toulouse) planned to relocate to the Levant and took his family with him
- Bohemond (‘Prince’ of Taranto) was looking for land and wealth
- Tancred, nephew of Bohemond, was seeking lands and fortune
why was Baldwin of Boulogne motivated by economic gain?
he had left the church to be a knight and was seeking his fortune in the east
why was Raymond of Toulouse motivated by economic gain?
he planned to relocate to the Levant and took his family with him
which crusader leaders were motivated by social obligations?
- Robert of Normandy (Duke of Normandy) was a very able warrior but poor administrator; he saw the Crusade as an opportunity to resurrect his reputation
- Robert of Flanders’ (Count of Flanders) family had longstanding connections and friendship with the Byzantine emperors
- Godfrey of Bouillon (Duke of Lorraine) was in a poor position in the H.R.E. and not well liked by Henry IV
- Raymond of Toulouse (Count of Toulouse) was the wealthiest crusader but had frequently been excommunicated for misconduct - reputation
which crusader leaders were motivated by kinship?
- Stephen of Blois (Count of Blois) was rich and reluctant to go but his wife, Adela (sister of Robert of Normandy and cousin of Robert of Flanders) insisted for social reasons
- Baldwin of Boulogne was the younger brother of Godfrey of Bouillon and travelled with him
- Tancred was Bohemond’s nephew and travelled with him
which crusader leader’s family had a history of pilgrimage to Jerusalem?
Robert of Flanders
which crusader leader was personally pious?
Godfrey of Bouillon
which crusader leader was pious and seeking remission of his sins?
Raymond of Toulouse
which crusader leader was was the first bishop to sign up the the crusade?
Bishop Adhemar
which crusader leader had a history of fighting against Byzantium and had lost lands when Alexius recovered territory?
Bohemond of Taranto
which crusader leader found the concept of sanctified violence particularly appealing?
Tancred
which crusader leader was a member of the milites Christi?
Raymond of Toulouse
which crusader leader had left the church to be a knight and was seeking his fortune in the east?
Baldwin of Boulogne
which crusader leader planned to relocate to the Levant and took his family with him?
Raymond of Toulouse
which crusader leaders were looking for land and wealth?
Bohemond and Tancred
which crusader leader was a very able warrior but poor administrator and so saw the Crusade as an opportunity to resurrect his reputation?
Robert of Normandy
which crusader leader was in a poor position in the H.R.E. and not well liked by Henry IV?
Godfrey of Bouillon
which crusader leader was the wealthiest crusader but had frequently been excommunicated for misconduct?
Raymond of Toulouse
who was Stephen of Blois related to?
his wife, Adela was the sister of Robert of Normandy and cousin of Robert of Flanders
who was Baldwin of Boulogne related to?
younger brother of Godfrey of Bouillon
who was Tancred related to?
nephew of Bohemond
what long-term events meant people were motivated by religious devotion on the first crusade?
- Belief in God and church was central to everyday life
- Tradition of pilgrimage to sites of saints and veneration of relics; belief in the power of saints to act as intercessors.
- Jerusalem was the most important pilgrimage site as it was Associated with life of and (more importantly) death of Christ. Focused on tomb of Christ (The Holy Sepulchre). Crusade presented an opportunity to participate.
what recent events meant people were motivated by religious devotion on the first crusade?
- Belief in God’s will manifested through natural phenomena such as comets, cloud formations, ‘blood moon’ seen in 1095/96 etc.
- Urban II had asked people to go at Clermont in November 1095; 13archbishops, 225 bishops, and over 90 abbots present to spread the word throughout Western Europe.
- They took a pilgrim vow, describing themselves in charters and letters home as ‘pilgrims in arms.’ They wore the sign of the Cross on their clothing.
how did natural phenomena 1095/6 encourage peolpe’s religious devotion on the first crusade?
- Belief that God was directing people to go on the Crusade.
- Growing Apocalyptic fervour – need to control Jerusalem
what long-term developments meant people were motivated by sanctified violence on the first crusade?
- development of Knightly dilemma and Holy War
- Growing power of the church and its insistence on curbing violence between western Christians (Truce of God etc.) presented knights with a dilemma (occupation v. sin)
- The crusade offered an outlet because knights could kill non-Christians and be forgiven for previous killings/sins simultaneously.
- Holy war
- The papacy had encouraged violence between Christians and Muslims (Christian Duty and honour) which had developed from earlier ‘Just War’ theories.
- Urban’s speech at Clermont aimed to ‘demonise’ Muslims
- The papacy increasingly emphasised the religious element of the Spanish reconquest; many knights had been involved in this as well as being Milites Christi.
how did the knightly dilemma encourage people to join the first crusade?
- Growing power of the church and its insistence on curbing violence between western Christians (Truce of God etc.) presented knights with a dilemma (occupation v. sin)
- The crusade offered an outlet because knights could kill non-Christians and be forgiven for previous killings/sins simultaneously.
how did the development of Holy War encourage people to join the First Crusade?
- The papacy had encouraged violence between Christians and Muslims (Christian Duty and honour) which had developed from earlier ‘Just War’ theories. So the Crusade, like Spain and Sicily, could be seen as a ‘Just War’:
- Urban’s speech at Clermont aimed to ‘demonise’ Muslims which could have persuaded many knights of the need to defend Christians.
- The papacy increasingly emphasised the religious element of the Spanish reconquest; many knights had been involved in this as well as being Milites Christi.
what recent event may have meant people were motivated by sanctified violence on the first crusade?
Remission of sins; Urban II promised that the previous sins pf participants would be forgiven.
why would the first crusade be seen as A means to gain wealth and territory?
- The East had traditionally been depicted as wealthy and exotic; ‘land flowing with milk and honey’
- It has been argued that younger sons were looking for lands as a consequence of spread of primogeniture but this has been heavily disputed.
why would the first crusade be seen as A means to escape poor conditions in Europe ?
- Europe had been suffering from several years of drought which led to famine.
- There is an argument has been made that Europe was overcrowded but this has been heavily disputed
what long-term developments meant people were motivated by economic gain on the first crusade?
- A means to gain wealth and territory
- A means to escape poor conditions in Europe
what recent events may have meant people were motivated by economic gain on the first crusade?
- Urban II promised them wealth and offered to protect their possessions in Europe during the crusade.
- There was a famine in the years up to 1096.
- Many of the crusader leaders seem to have tried to make territorial gains
what long-term developments may have meant people were motivated by feudal obligation on the first crusade?
- Many lords sent their knights to represent them such as Fulk IV of Anjou.
- Many knights were obliged to go with their lords on their expeditions and the crusade was no exception:
- Urban II deliberately targeted great feudal lords
- Raymond of Toulouse’s retinue is a good example of feudal ties.
what recent events may have meant people were motivated by feudal obligation on the first crusade?
- Crusaders participated to prove their manliness and honour
- Social prestige attached with undertaking pilgrimage amplified by military nature and novelty of ‘crusade’.
- General desire for adventure; Popularity of epic stories set to music e.g. ‘Chansons de Geste’ depicting heroes.
