Why did the Crusades promote the commercial development of Western Europe?
The Crusades were a medieval war that spanned many years and affected many countries, and its global impact cannot be ignored. The war had a profound impact on all countries, including Byzantium, and hindered economic, cultural, and political processes. The Crusades claimed countless lives and pushed the continent into war.
Although the Crusades wreaked havoc on the nations, there were also positives. By capturing Jerusalem and Constantinople, the Crusaders established new states such as Jerusalem and the Latin Empire. This brought large amounts of land and wealth to the rulers of Western Europe, significantly improved the economic situation of Western Europe, promoted the prosperity of industry, agriculture and handicrafts, and contributed to the initial accumulation of capital in Western Europe. The Crusaders also introduced Oriental goods to Western Europe during the Crusades, injecting new elements into the production of materials in Western Europe and raising the level of productivity.
In addition, the Crusades also gave impetus to the flourishing of commerce in Western Europe. In the course of the Crusades, the city continued to develop, and the elevation of the status of the citizen class led to the formation of a system characterized by hierarchical councils in which citizens participated. In order to raise military expenses, the feudal lords allowed some peasants to redeem their freedom, thus emancipating some serfs.
The military aspect was also affected by the Crusades. The Crusaders valued the use of cavalry tactically, and at the same time learned from the Arabs the technique of using the compass to improve navigation conditions. The Crusades gradually eliminated the cradle fleet, and a new type of sailing fleet began to emerge. These changes had a profound impact on the military and maritime development of the time.
Between 1096 and 1099, the feudal classes of Western Europe faced a campaign that lasted more than two hundred years to recover Jerusalem, which had been occupied by Islam. The slogan of defending the status of Catholicism in these wars was to defend Catholicism, but there were many economic and political reasons involved. The First Crusade broke out in 1096 and was the only battle of all the Crusades to be won.
The number of participants in this war was as high as 100,000, and the knights divided into four teams assembled in the area of Constantinople in 1097. Subsequently, they directly invaded Asia Minor by crossing the sea, and launched a siege campaign. Quickly captured the capital of the Seljuk Turks, and continued to plunder and fight within the city. In 1099, the Crusaders formally conquered Jerusalem and immediately used force to carry out widespread strikes and oppression in the area, resulting in more than 7,000 casualties in the war.
In addition to the occupation of Jerusalem, the Crusaders followed the Western European model and established several feudal states on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean. The historical view of the right holds that the war and the damage it caused are just. Over the centuries, however, it has come to be recognized that such complex religious military operations cannot be easily characterized as religious wars, because they are not isolated incidents. After that, the feudal class in Western Europe saw that it could obtain a lot of money and territory from the Eastern Crusade, and launched many wars one after another.
In 1096, the feudal classes of Western Europe embarked on a long, more than 200-year crusade that was launched with the approval of the Pope. The soldiers who participated in this war wore the cross symbol, which symbolized loyalty to the ** religion, and their slogan was to defend the faith. This series of wars had a profound impact on the countries surrounding the Mediterranean. However, the essence of the Crusades was not as simple as it seemed.
To understand the essence of the Crusades, one must consider the historical context of the time. Prior to this, there had been a rise between the Eastern and Western churches within the Church, and Islam had a rapid rise that had a profound impact on Western European society. Jerusalem was conquered by Islam and became a holy place for Catholic congregations. The Pope was deeply outraged, and this set the stage for the Crusades to regain the lost Holy Land.
Thus, the essence of the Crusades was to carry deeper religious, political, and geostrategic considerations behind them. This war was not only a defense of the religious faith, but also the pursuit of lost territory, and at the same time reflected the intricate relationship between internal and external factors in Europe at that time.
During that historical period, the main objectives of the Crusaders were concentrated in Islamic countries, especially during the Fourth Crusade, where their focus was primarily on the conquest of the Byzantine Empire. As the war progressed, the Crusaders succeeded in establishing several nations in the conquered lands, most notably the Jerusalem Empire. This conflict lasted until the complete fall of the Jerusalem Empire.
Although the Pope and other leaders had various motives throughout the war, including the pursuit of wealth, money, or the expansion of their dominion, the core of the war was the recapture of Jerusalem. This historic conflict is not based solely on religious beliefs, but on complex political, economic, and territorial expansion considerations. The establishment of the Crusader states and the conquest of Jerusalem filled the entire period with complex and multi-layered motives and conflicts.