The Crusades form a
persistent historical idea in the popular mind, an idea
surfacing in Western folklore, movies, literature, and
history. In the first instance, the Crusades were military
campaigns carried out beginning in the 1090s by European
knights. The purpose was to re-Christianize the “Holy
Lands.” Over a dozen campaigns “marked by the cross” followed
during the next two hundred years. Yet this focus on the
“Holy Lands” was not constant: late Medieval European rulers
(including the Pope) used the justification of holy war to
gain wealth, to stamp out internal dissent at home, and to
carry out schemes in the complex political struggles within
the Church. The old and powerful civilization of the Middle
East viewed the invaders as crude “Franks.” These uncouth
Franks had no knowledge of the fork, of “courtesy,” or of many
other cultural refinements (including bathing)long common in
the urban centers of the Middle East. How did the resulting
cultural exchanges work? What happened when Europeans
established their Crusader States? One Arab leader, Saladin,
comes down to us as a victorious opponent to the Crusaders,
but what about the many other kingdoms, sultanates, and
regional authorities that stood in the way? What role
did Islam play? What about local potentates who
cooperated with the Crusader regimes? Back in Europe, how can
we assess the social, religious, and cultural meaning of these
great events and their impact on European history? Why did
Crusaders departing for the Holy Lands help mobs massacre Jews
in Mainz, Cologne, and other cities? Why did the
Crusaders sack Constantinople, the center of Greek Orthodox
Christianity? These are all questions that will frame our
inquiry. We will approach the topic with readings
from both European and Middle Eastern sources. Among our tasks
will be a crash course on both Medieval Europe and the
Medieval Middle East.
(either from the AC bookstore or elsewhere)
The New Concise History of
the Crusades (Critical Issues in History) (Paperback)
by Thomas F. Madden
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
# ISBN: 0742538230
How the Course Works
Hunt Tooley
