Faith: A Strategic Factor in the First Crusade
Much has been written about the crusades, but very little about the crusaders themselves. What motivated those late eleventh century warriors? Was it greed? Was it honor? Was it religion? What was it that drove these men, women, and children to put their lives on pause and risk their very being for this campaign? Did the first crusade advance the cause of Christianity or were the temporal concerns of the day more the issue? This paper will explore how faith became the single most strategic factor in the annals of the first crusade.
To begin the discussion on what motivated the crusade and crusaders one must consider the history of Europe and the Middle East prior to the dawn of the twelfth century. Beginning in the mid to late first century a new religion that became known as Christianity arose out of Palestine and spread rapidly throughout the Roman Empire. By the end of the fourth century, the entire Roman Empire had......
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Approximate Word Count: 1497
Approximate Pages: 6 (260 words per double-spaced page) |