How Did The Crusades Change The World

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The Crusades, a series of marching European armies traveling to the Holy Lands held by various Islamic Kingdoms, transformed the world in a multitude of ways. Although the Crusades main goal of reclaiming the Holy Lands never materialized, the Crusades changed the role of the Church, ended feudalism, created the circumstances necessary for the Renaissance to take place, and became the first step in the history of European imperialism. Christianity, the religion of Crusaders and the Catholic Church, has never included a well-defined idea of a holy war. Constantine the Great’s conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity marked the first time war and Christianity intertwined. Saint Augustine exhibited the first reference of war being used for religious gain with his necessary conditions for Christians to use warfare. According to St Augustine, Christians should not engage in wars for the purpose of destroying other religions as a tool of the Church. However as the Islamic faith developed in the 6th and 7th Centuries, an increasing amount Islamic countries started to take control of former predominately Christian areas such as in Syria and…show more content…
As crusaders travelled throughout the Middle East, Europe, and Africa, knights and soldiers acquired exotic goods such as spices, Chinese silk, technology, and language. Merchants in Italian cities such as Genoa and Venice benefited greatly from a newfound wealth from trading. The economy of the Europeans improved drastically with these new luxuries and technologies bringing new sources of wealth and prosperity to the many monarchs of the time period. The intellectual development of Western Europe originated from the contact with Eastern lessons and documents gathered during the Crusades. The increase in mental activity produced an intellectual eruption, commonly called the Revival of Learning, which led to the
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