The Main Causes: The Cause Of The Crusades

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The legendary ‘Holy Wars’ were a series of nine conflicts carried out from 1095-1291, which were fought between the Christian (Western) and Islamic (Eastern) movements. During these years, many men and women from every walk of life joined and fought as a sentiment of their religious affection and love of their God. Many relevant sources related to the Crusades collectively state that among other attributes, religion was a key cause and motive of the Crusades. The triggers also have long term origins in religion but the invasion of land can be recognised as the primary trigger. Throughout the period of the Crusades, the protection of Jerusalem stood out as the key cause that led Eastern men and women to join and fight as Crusading Warriors.…show more content…
In 1215, Innocent III spoke to a crowd to intrigue men and women to join and fight. He states that he was, “Aspiring with ardent desire to liberate the Holy Land from the hands of the ungodly”, stating that the proclaimed purpose of the Crusades was to recover the city of Jerusalem as well as other Eastern locations of religious pilgrimage from the force of Muslim warriors. This statement provides an accurate representation of the causes of the Fifth Crusade from a Western perspective and effectively provides an insight into the causes of the Crusades. Urban corroborates this source, in stating that the cause of the First Crusade was to regain the Holy Land including Jerusalem that the Turks currently occupied. This is inferred throughout the speech as all mentions of Jerusalem are followed by a remark about the Turks and the horrific things they were doing with the land (See Appendix 1). Both Innocent and Urban’s speeches validate the causes of the Crusades and provide evidence that this was an ongoing cause. Thus verifying that the causes of the Crusades from the West can all be linked primarily to the obtainment of

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