Crusader Jerusalem

(March 1)


(Guest Lecturer)

The period of Crusader Jerusalem ranges from 1099 to 1187 CE. First of all, to define a crusade, it is a holy war that is authorized by the pope on Christ's behalf, according to the lecture. There were political and religious reasons for the crusades. A couple of the political reasons were the expansion of Islam and the emergence of the Holy Roman empire in Western Europe. The late reaction to the persecution of the Christian population of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher with the addition of the murder of the Patriarch of Jerusalem are a couple of reasons for the religious aspect of the crusades. The first crusade was preached by Pope Urban II at Clermont in 1095 and this crusade lasted until 1099. When he gives the speech he calls upon the nobility of Western Europe. He wants the Christians of Europe to fight for their religion and conquer Jerusalem. Although he was not sure of what was going to happen after he preached about going on a crusade, he is blown away by the response he receives because a large scale of people went on this voyage. People receive indulgences if they partake in the crusade. This means that they were pardoned from the penalties for their sins. A person can get an indulgence even if they do not go on this crusade by contributing funds to it. Crusades were very expensive, and many poor peasants joined as well who did not have the funds to support their trip. So if a rich person gives funds to support a peasant on this crusade, that person will receive an indulgence.
The second crusade was preached by St. Bernard at Vezelay in 1147 and this lasted until 1149. There were other crusades announced in addition to this one.
Many monuments were erected during this crusader period. The Islamic buildings were modified, like the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Many of the Byzantine churches that were destroyed were rebuilt, like the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. New churches were built as well during this period, and the Armenian quarter began to rise.
During Crusader Jerusalem, there were four quarters that split this city. The Patriarch's quarter was located in the northwest region, the Templar's quarter in the southeast corner, the Syrian quarter in the northeast area, and finally the Armenian quarter in southwest.
Crusader Jerusalem ended, however, in July of 1187 when Saladin conquers this city at the "Horns of Hattin."