History Western Civ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

History Western Civ - Essay Example News of such atrocities by the Muslims angered the Christian peoples of Europe so that nobles and commoners alike were summoned over for the mission of recovering the Holy Land from Islam. Numerous knights joined the crusades because the popes promised them forgiveness of their sins as a reward for fighting for Christ. In short, Christians considered crusades as holy wars against the enemies of God. However, not all the crusaders had such pure and noble motives for many of them had selfish intents as well. To the landless, the crusades were an opportunity to acquire lands in Asia whereas to the adventurous, the crusades offered excitement. For the greedy, the crusades meant the possibility of rich loot from the East while the ambitious ones chased after glory and monarchical recognition. The Muslims, perceiving their own advantage of defending Islam to be the chief benefit that would eventually influence Islamic nations, regarded wars against European crusaders as jihads or ‘holy wars’, believing that these were means to fight for their god ‘Allah’ against the unbelievers. Crusades were also launched to address the growing suppression in pilgrimages of Christians. Being a pilgrim is an aspect of Christian life which greatly affects the religious as well as the socio-political grounds of living as a Christian at the period Europe was experiencing the height of political turmoil in several respects among its nations. European Christians to this day have adhered to the faith that pilgrimages, like the essence of penance, is able to purify or atone one of all the present iniquities once a passionate journey to Jerusalem is successfully carried out. In the absence of pilgrimage, it would be difficult for Christians to claim authority and possession of a certain region thus, crusade was necessitated to intervene and cease oppression and persecution of Christians by Muslims who took extensive