THE CRUSADES

The crusades has been selected by Roberto Amati in relation to the real history of european integration, then enlisted in the People, Dates, Places and Events category, accompanied by own fact SHEET useful to the comprehension, completed of historical MAPS AND IMAGES or with a direct linking to the related Blog contents dedicated to the entire history of european integration and the future of Europe.

The Crusades is one of the most important event in the history of european integration and will probably have influence on the future of United europe, because they gave glory to the christian chevaliers even if this figure already existed since the V century A.D. as the medieval literature cycles of the Graal and of the Paladines and the innumerable medieval chevaliers royal orders witnessed. But the Crusades enrolled thousands of chevaliers fighting for the faith in Jesus and the evangelic mission.

The Crusades had been led primary by some frankish european genealogies, because the title of king of Jerusalem lied with the descendance of Salomon for God YHWH profecy (read Jerusalem history): when in 1099 A.D. Geoffrey of Bouillon Duke of Lorraine and commander of the First Crusade conquered Jerusalem, he founded an abbey on Mount Sion, to host the Order of Saint Sepulcre under the rule of Saint Basile with a red cross over a black monk tunic and subjected to the Patriarc of Jerusalem authority, connected forever to the basilica founded by Constantine I; meantime his brother Eustache III Count of Boulogne established the Chevalier du Roche, who became the Templars in 1118 A.D. with the first master Hugues de Payns recognized by the Pope, under the rule wtitten by Bernard of Clairvaux and seated in the Salomon Temple; while the other brother Baldwin was elected first king of Jerusalem.

How many crusades there were? There it started the sague of the Crusades promoted by the Popes members of the Cluny Congregation of abbeys founded by Willaim I of Gellone dinasty Duke of Aquitane: after the first call by Pope Urban II of Chatillon, the crusaders founded the kingdom of Jerusalem and other eastern feifs (Kingdom of Cyprus, County of Antioc, County of Edessa) ruled by frankish dinasties. So in XI century A.D. Europe abounded in local shrines housing relics of saints, but three great centres of pilgrimage stood out above the others: Rome, with the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul; Santiago de Compostela, in northwestern Spain, seat of the tomb of Jacob "the major" Apostole; Jerusalem, with the Holy Sepulchre of Jesus Christ’s entombment.

But Palestine has always been desired for being crucial centre for tradings with East/Centre Asia ("the China route") and the strategic position in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, then decades after it was reconquered again by Selgiuchids and the Roman Catholic invoked the II crusade (1145 A.D.) charging the emperor Corrado II Salian followed by Louis VII king of France of the Capetingian and his wife Alyanor Duchess of Aquitane, under prayers of Bernard of Clairvaux. Just two years later the Pope launched the crusades in the Iberian peninsula transmorming the Reconquista in a religious war (involving the Templars) and another againts the paganist Wends in northern Europe.

But after many years of lost battles, Jerusalem was taken by Saladin troops in 1187 A.D. and its kingdom was annexed to the Califfade of Syria forever! Then the Pope called for the III Crusade (1188 A.D.) led by the emperor Frederick I Staufer and Richard I king of England of Plantagenets dinasty and Philippe II August king of France of Capetingian dinasty, but things went wrong: the emperor "Barbarossa" died in a river accident! The victory in Arsuf and Jaffa battles permitted to sign a treaty the ended the war and permitted pilgrims to reenter Jerusalem.

Since then the Crusades became a tool in the hands of the Popes to affect the political situation in Europe...indeed, the IV Crusade attacked Constantinople (1204 A.D.) and provoked the destabilization of the Byzantine Empire under command of the Flandres and Courtney dinasties who established the "latin reigns" and overthrown the european genealogies of byzantine dinasties, provoking the escaping of the bankers and merchants askenazites toward Italy. The succeeding V Crusade in 1217 A.D. committed the kingdom finances of Andrew II king of Hungary of Arpad dinasty, who conquered the presidio of Damietta but had to subscribe a deal with the Sultan and give hostage John de Brienne (the king of Jerusalem!) and Hermann von Salza master of Teutonics order of chevalier, meantime the Roman Church was compromising the power of his country. While Saint Francis tried to get a peace with the Sultan of Egypt by risking his own life, pushed by the Pope Innocent III, the same that ordered the Crusade against Catharism (the first genocide of history!) just to eliminate the Tolosa/Rourge dinasty (part of the Gellone family) throught the war conducted by Simon IV de Montfort, that presented those rich and really strategic fiefs to the french royal dinasty of Capetingian, and the practise of Inquisition handled by Saint Dominic de Guzman and his monks order.

It happened again with the VI crusade (1228 A.D.) when the emperor Frederick II Staufer was obliged under excommunication to leave (in the middle of "guelphs&ghibelines war"): when in the Holy Land, he married the daughter of John de Brienne and inherired the title of king of Jerusalem after having reconquered the city, but stopped the conflict with the peace treaty of Jaffa that guaranted a 10 years truce and free entranche in the holy city for christian pilgrims. A result rejected by the Roman Church that entrusted the king of France, Louis IX, in the VII Crusade (1244-70 A.D.) that saw the victory in the battle of Mansurah when many members of the royal dinasties of Capetingian, Angioini and Plantagenets died, while the same king was captured and payed a great tribute, before to buy the "true cross" relic (with half of the royal treasure!) and die of fever in Tunis. At the end of that war it happened the definitive defeat of Acre, lost in 1291 A.D., that made escaped the kings and the chevaliers to Rhodes and Cyprus so starting a new chapter of the history of european integration.

Others so called "Northern Crusades" conducted by the Teutonics, together with the Dobrin and Portaspada chevaliers orders, against the baltic people to christianize them and include in the Reich Empire within the Deutsch Orden with capital in Konigsberg, further became the Duchy of Prussia. It had been a carnificine as well as the one against the Wendes (1144-1168 A.D.), ordered by the papal legatus and the bishops of Mainz to force that slavic tribe to christianization and submission to Poland and Denmark kingdoms. Not to forget the sad end of the Templars in XIV century A.D., destroyed by Philippe IV king of France (once became rich and powerful all around Europe) who deported the Roman Church in Avignone ("the captivity")! The only chevalier order survived is the Ospitaliers of Saint John, today became the Sovereign order of Malta, while the Teutonics went estinguished in 1525 A.D. as order of the Reich but existed until the end of the First world war.

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