Crusades, Conquest and Conversion

This chapter examines the Crusades, a period of military campaigns conducted by various European powers between the 11th and 13th centuries with the goals of taking or maintaining control of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. These militarized pilgrimages pitted various Christian forces of Europe against Islamic powers in the region now known as the Middle East and North Africa. The chapter explains the Crusades as largely motivated by a set of ideas promoted by the Catholic Church – the sacredness of holy lands, the importance of pilgrimages, the creation of militarized holy orders and the conception of Muslims as infidels and enemies of Christ. These ideas collectively promoted a series of campaigns that sought to control and Christianize territory with little concern for converting Muslims to Christianity. Given that conversion was not a priority for the crusaders, they rarely restrained their use of violence, including massacring and enslaving captured warriors and civilians. In the 13th century, officials and organizations within the Catholic Church began to make evangelization of Muslims a priority, while opposition to the violence of the Crusades arose within the Church from missionaries and religious orders. These developments had some impact on curtailing violence during later Crusades.