Background on Feudalism
The Feudal System was a way of government based on obligations between the king and vassals. It was first used in 900AD by the Normans. It was the primary political system in the middle ages. At the top of the Feudal System is the king/lord. The king had everything done for him, even his farming. In return for the vassals work, the king give the vassals land that they also had to farm. Next on the Feudal System were the nobles/bishops. The nobles had to provide the king with a certain amount of knights. Also, money, advice, and a place to live if they went traveling. Next, there are the vassals. The vassals basically worked for the king and in return, the king gave them land. Last on the list, there are the serfs. Serfs had no land. All serfs did was work for the lord for nothing to little in return; usually nothing.
The Crusades:
What was the initial goal of the crusades?
The initial goal of the crusades was to have control of Palestine, a region in Southwest Asia.
What was the Holy Land?
The Holy Land was Palestine because it was the region where Jesus lived.
The First Crusade
The first crusade started in 1096 when about 5,000 crusaders left Europe for the Holy Land. Some of the first to get out were the peasants, not soldiers. On their way to the Holy Land, they attacked Jews in Germany: they blamed them for Jesus' death. Before reaching the Holy Land, most of the peasants had already died. For the nobles and knights, they reached Jerusalem in 1099 and took over. After, they set up four small kingdoms.
The Second Crusade
French and German kings set off in 1147 to retake land from the Muslims. The crusade was a terrible failure. With a bad plan, the journey was for nothing. Ashamed, the crusaders returned to Europe in less than a year.
The Third Crusade
The third crusade began after the Muslims retook over Jerusalem in 1189. The rulers of England, France, and the Holy Roman Empire lead their armies to the Holy Land fight. The German king died, and the French king left; only king Richard 1 stayed. The main opponent was Saladin, leader of Muslim forces. Saladin was respected by a lot of people. In the end, Richard returned home.
Other Crusades
After the first, second, and third crusades, there were other crusades. These other crusades followed after, but they were all a failure. Then, in 1291, the Muslim army had taken back the Holy Land and the crusades had finally ended.
What were the results for Christians, Jews, and Muslims after the crusades?
Christians: Christians were badly out numbered by the Muslims, and most Christians did not live.
Jews: For the Jews, they had to go back home with little people because most of their people had died/been killed.
Muslims: Muslims had won and had got to take over the Holy Land.
Who were Pope Urban 11, King Richard 1, and Saladin?
Pope Urban the second
Pope Urban 11 was a pope that was asked for help by the Roman Catholic Church.
King Richard the first
King Richard 1 was a king from England; he was the only person who stayed behind during the third crusade.
Saladin
Saladin was the leader of the Muslim forces, and he was important because he was brilliant and was respected by as lot of people.
