The Crusades - Medieval Movie Franchise

Crusading completely changed Europe and the Middle East, yet somehow everything ended up the way it was when it started. It was like a melancholy film noir, but sunnier.

(this is part one of twelve about The Crusades as a movie series)

Yes, this is a twelve-part series on the Crusades. Yes, that is a lot of parts. Wait, wait! Don’t leave yet. This will be worth it. The Crusades are a big deal in history. You’ll be served more fun and less atrocities. It’s more summer fun at the movies and less graduate student seminar.

So, to start, oof.

The Crusades carry more baggage than a family traveling with toddlers. You probably already start with some idea of what The Crusades were, and however awesome or horrific they were will track tightly with your politics. And have you seen the news recently? History from almost 1,000 years ago can seem pretty current.

But before you pick a team and cheer for them or just decide that all crusaders are evil or just ignore it and change the subject, try to start from a blank slate. A lot will happen in the ~200 years from 1095-1291. As Yoda told Luke, in the cave there's only what you take with you. Leave your lightsaber and blaster outside and keep an open mind.

So, what are The Crusades, anyway?

Well, back then, nobody called them “The Crusades.” Later historians would call out eight official Crusades led by European nobles. Crusaders answered a call by the pope to fight a holy war against the enemies of The Church.

Originally, the focus was on Jerusalem, but over time, the notion of crusade expanded to include wars against heretics, then political enemies of the pope, eventually expanding to just kinda like, whatever, man, stumbling along this meandering path:

a) We gotta make Jerusalem safe and open for all Christian pilgrims.

b) While we’re here, let’s grab all this land from the Muslims.

c) We gotta get Jerusalem back because we lost it. (Whoops!)

d) Okay, let’s try again to get Jerusalem back under Christian rule.

e) We’re in the neighborhood, so let’s take Byzantine Christian land.

f) Okay, you guys, seriously, let’s get Jerusalem back for real this time.

g) Why go all the way to Jerusalem when there are heretics nearby?

h) Who wants to help the pope fight fellow Christian political rivals?

i) So, I can declare war on my neighbor and call it a crusade, right?

j) No, you don’t call a crusade on me. I declare a crusade on you!

…and so on.

In the same way, once your company has hired consultants to help you with your Digital Transformation, what exactly “Digital Transformation” means will continue to evolve as long as there is money to pay for billable hours. The idea might start with a specific need but will expand to fill whatever space is there.

So, how did The Crusades get started?

Back in 1095 when Pope Urban II called for an armed pilgrimage to Jerusalem, he had no idea that he was starting The Crusades, the movement that would define the High Middle Ages and shape the course of history.

The message resonated from kings and nobles to the common peasants. Over the next 200 years, many hundreds of thousands of people traveled east with the goal of liberating Jerusalem.

Pilgrims had been traveling to Jerusalem for hundreds of years, starting back when the region was part of the Roman Empire. After the armies of Islam conquered Jerusalem in 637, Christian pilgrims continued to visit the city and its holy sites.

Muslims gave a special status to Christians and Jews in their lands, as all three faiths share a common forebear in Abraham, and all could visit their sacred places. Also, just like now, ancient governments loved to have foreign tourists come and spend money that could be taxed. Cha-ching!

But then pilgrimage routes got shut down and there was all this religious fervor in the air and politics to be played and money to be made and, and - it’s a long story. Twelve parts is keeping it tight.

So, how did things turn out?

The crusades were a smashing success in the early years, at least from the perspective of Western Europe. Not only did the crusaders take Jerusalem, they set up several new territories in the eastern Mediterranean run by a French-speaking elite. These Crusader States would have their ups and downs, with a heavy emphasis on the downs, until they were wiped from the map in 1291.

The Crusades shook up the political situation in both Europe and the Middle East, helping to forge the medieval world: stronger kingdoms in Western Europe, the decline of Byzantium, the rise of Italian trading republics, the Normans getting up in everyone’s business, and the shift in power in the Islamic world from Baghdad to Cairo and Asia Minor.

So, what exactly is a crusade?

In its original meaning, a crusade was a military action, called by the pope, focused on Jerusalem. Participants received rewards both in this life and the next. The earthly rewards were both riches and prestige. The heavenly rewards were a plenary indulgence, meaning the souls of the fallen would go directly to heaven without spending time in purgatory.

Given the original definition of “military action, called by the pope, focused on Jerusalem,” The Crusades are the eight named, canonical crusades from the west to the Holy Land defined by historians. Some historians quit after five, and some want to add a bunch of the smaller expeditions.

This series will focus on the Big Eight, even though not all of the efforts even reached the Levant. Each crusade builds on the success or failure of the previous events, so the best way to understand “crusading” generally is to follow them through the course of time.

So, are you ready to go on a journey?

Get in. Buckle up. Enjoy the ride.

A good modern parallel for the crusading era might be a long-running movie franchise. It’s a story that people are invested in. They talk about it after the show. They recite favorite lines. It makes an impact in the culture. It makes mad stacks of cash.

The first movie is a true hit, a blockbuster that makes an impact with audiences and at the box office. And the sequels? Well, they will vary in success, but the studio will keep churning them out, chasing that initial success and the profits that follow. The Crusades will become a cultural phenomenon, with spinoffs and reruns that continue on and on.

So, who wants to go to the movies? This will be a wild ride, so maybe get yourself the giant popcorn. Step right up and get your ticket…