The European Crusades The crusades were a series of wars between Christians and Muslims.

The crusades began primarily due to religious purposes to conquer back holy land but there were also political and economic purposes, such as better trade and more land, to why they continued. The crusades originally started out as being a religious journey. Pope Urban II made an announcement about how the Christian people have to help their fellow Christians in the fight against the Arabs and Turks. The Pope announced that anyone who dies on this journey shall have immediate remission (document 1) no matter what class you were from. The point of view of the pope was biased because as a pope he can only do things for religious purposes or say they are for religious purposes. An additional document needed is from a government official to see if what the pope said was for religious purposes or economic or political purposes. The crusaders were told that they should fear neither demons nor men because their soul is protected by the armor of faith, just as his body is protected by armor of steel (document 7). The point of view of St. Bernard is biased because as a knight/crusader he went on this journey so that he would have immediate remission and would have to say the crusades are for religious purposes. An additional document needed is from another knight to see if they felt that same was. The crusades were a service to god to help regain holy land and triumph over the enemies of the cross of Christ (document 2). The point of view of the historian is biased because he is getting paid to write about how the crusades were for religious purposes. An additional document needed is from another historian who is saying the crusades were for nonreligious purposes, so that we can get a different perspective on the crusades. One of the

members of the crusaders talks about how much better the East is than the West and how all the crusaders who went on the journey were given great rewards and had a better life in the east once they conquered the cities they went for. Even those crusaders who had few coins, here possess countless besants (document 3). The point of view of a member of the Fulk of Chartres is biased because as a crusader he is signed up to become closer to God. An additional document needed is from a crusader on his motives to see if their purpose was for religious reasons or for economic reasons. Documents 1,2 and 3 all give firsthand accounts saying that the crusades started for religious purposes, and document 7 gives reasons as to why people should become a crusader. While the crusades started out for religious purposes the other crusades were for economic and political reasons. The leader of the Muslim army says that Muslims have to take back Jerusalem in order to unite all hearts in appreciation of its members (document 4) Muslims also believe in God so there was no need for the crusaders to try and take Jersulem if people worshiping God were already there. The point of view of Saladins speech is biased because as the leader of the army he wouldnt want anyone to start a war with them they would ideally like to be left alone. An additional document needed is from a member of Saladins army to see what their opinion is on the crusade and why it was started. A Jewish historian says that the crusader killed many Jewish people because they wanted to first avenge [themselves] on them and exterminate them from among the nations (document 5). The point of view of Solomon is biased because as a Jewish historian he is going to write about how the crusaders did not have to do that because it was not part of their religious journey. An additional document needed is one of a Jewish town member so we get input on what it was

like for them to watch their town get destroyed and their people get killed. A crusader talks about the perks of living out East as compared to living our West, why should one who has found the East for favorable return to the West? (document 3). The point of view of the crusader is that they did it because of religious reasons but the economic gains they received outweighed the religious reasons. An additional document needed is one from a crusader who was poor and going on this journey for economic reasons not religious reasons. Documents 5 and 4 are similar because they are about people who the crusaders fought with or went after. Documents 3 and 4 talk about some of the economic gains that the crusaders had. In documents 1 and 2 it states that the main reason for going on the crusades is for a religious purpose, but in documents 3 and 4 it states that the crusade did not happen without some economic or political gain. Therefore it goes back to the reason the crusades started was for religious purposes but the other crusades were not necessarily started for religious purposes.