The Aim of Freeing Jerusalem (Edexcel A-Level History): Revision Notes
The Aim of Freeing Jerusalem
Introduction
Jerusalem served as the central goal and most powerful motivator for the Crusades between 1095 and 1192. The city's profound religious significance to medieval Christians made it an ideal target for the crusading movement, and threats to Christian access to Jerusalem became the primary recruitment tool for crusade leaders.
Jerusalem's religious significance to medieval Christians
Jerusalem held immense religious importance for medieval Christians because it was the location of Christ's final days on Earth. Two sites in the city were considered particularly sacred:
- Calvary: the hill where Christ was crucified
- the Holy Sepulchre: the cave tomb from which Christ was believed to have risen from the dead (been resurrected)
These locations established Jerusalem as a traditional destination for Christian pilgrimage. This tradition began in the early 4th century when Empress Helena, mother of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great, undertook the first recorded pilgrimage to Jerusalem. By the 11th century, this practice had become deeply embedded in Christian culture, with thousands making the long and dangerous journey to the Holy Land.
The scale of pilgrimage activity was substantial. For example, in the 1060s, around 7,000 German pilgrims departed together on a journey to Jerusalem. This established tradition meant that the crusading concept could build naturally upon the existing culture of Jerusalem pilgrimage, making it easier to recruit participants who already understood the city's religious importance.
Changes in the 1090s
Although Muslims had controlled Jerusalem since 638 and had generally permitted Christian pilgrims to visit the holy sites, the situation began to deteriorate by the 1090s. This change was primarily caused by the rise of the Seljuk Turks in Asia Minor and the Holy Land.
The Seljuk expansion created several problems for Christian pilgrims attempting to reach Jerusalem:
- The route became less secure, with increased risk of raids and attacks
- Fewer cities along the pilgrimage route remained under Byzantine control, reducing safe stopping points
- Tolls charged to pilgrims became extortionate, making the journey financially prohibitive for many
Whilst no single dramatic event occurred by 1095, the overall trend was clear: maintaining western Christian access to Jerusalem looked increasingly uncertain as the 11th century drew to a close. This gradual deterioration provided crucial context for Pope Urban II's call for the First Crusade.
Threats to Jerusalem emphasised at the Council of Clermont
The crusading concept introduced a new element of urgency by arguing that Jerusalem's sacred character was now under direct threat from Muslim occupation. This theme featured prominently in chronicle accounts of Pope Urban II's sermon at the Council of Clermont in 1095, where the First Crusade was proclaimed.
Three major chroniclers recorded Urban's sermon, each emphasising slightly different aspects of the Jerusalem theme:
Baudri of Dol claimed that Urban focused on the idea that the sacred nature of Jerusalem had been polluted by the presence of Muslims. This concept of religious pollution suggested that Islam's presence defiled the holy sites where Christ had lived and died.
Robert of Reims wrote that Urban portrayed Jerusalem as an exceptionally attractive, wealthy and spiritual location for pilgrims. He also emphasised the pollution theme, arguing that Muslim occupation contaminated the city's holiness.
Guibert of Nogent suggested that Urban explored the role Jerusalem played in the story of Christ's Passion (the events from the Last Supper to the Crucifixion), rather than focusing directly on immediate threats to the city.
Despite differences in emphasis, all accounts agreed that the First Crusade was launched with a clear religious objective: to free Jerusalem's holy places from what was perceived as the polluting influence of Islam and restore the city as a safe destination for Christian pilgrims.
Jerusalem's continuing role in motivating later crusades
The needs of Jerusalem remained central to recruiting crusaders throughout the period 1095-1192. Only when a threat to Jerusalem was highlighted could crusade leaders attract significant numbers of participants.
The Second Crusade (1145-1149)
The Second Crusade demonstrates how Jerusalem's symbolic importance outweighed geographical reality in crusade recruitment. The crusade was actually a response to the capture of Edessa by Emir Imad ad-Din Zengi in 1144. Edessa was located approximately 450 miles from Jerusalem, meaning it posed no immediate threat to the holy city.
Example: Jerusalem as Propaganda Tool
Bernard of Clairvaux, the primary crusade preacher, deliberately chose to emphasise the theme of Jerusalem under threat in his recruitment efforts. He understood Jerusalem's propaganda value and knew that focusing on this distant city would attract far more crusaders than emphasising the fall of Edessa itself.
In a letter written around 1146 addressed to the English, Bernard wrote:
Now is the acceptable time, now is the day of abundant salvation. The earth is shaken because the Lord of heaven is losing his land, the land in which he appeared to men, in which he lived amongst men for more than thirty years; the land made glorious by his miracles, holy by his blood; the land in which the flowers of his resurrection first blossomed.
Bernard's letter continued to describe how enemies had "cast their greedy eyes especially on the holy sanctuaries of our Christian religion" and warned that they longed "particularly to violate that couch on which, for our sakes, the Lord of our life fell asleep in death." Despite Edessa being the actual military objective, Bernard's recruitment focused almost entirely on Jerusalem's vulnerability.
The Third Crusade (1187-1192)
Unlike the Second Crusade, the Third Crusade was prompted by a genuine and immediate threat to Jerusalem. In 1187, Saladin captured Jerusalem from the Christians, forcing Christian inhabitants to leave the city. This loss of Christianity's most sacred city created an urgent demand for a new crusade to reclaim it.
The direct threat to Jerusalem made recruitment for the Third Crusade more straightforward than for the Second Crusade, as the danger was real rather than symbolic. The loss of the holy city galvanised Christian Europe in a way that the fall of other crusader territories could not match.
Why Jerusalem was such an effective recruitment tool
Key Factors Behind Jerusalem's Recruitment Power:
- Deep cultural significance: Centuries of pilgrimage tradition meant Jerusalem was familiar and meaningful to Christians across Europe
- Biblical connections: The city's association with Christ's life, death and resurrection gave it unparalleled religious importance
- Emotional appeal: The idea of holy sites being "polluted" or threatened created a sense of urgency and religious duty
- Tangible goal: Unlike abstract concepts, Jerusalem provided a clear, specific objective that crusaders could understand and visualise
Crusade preachers consistently returned to Jerusalem as their central theme because they recognised that no other location or objective could generate the same level of emotional and religious commitment from potential crusaders.
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
- Jerusalem was the primary objective of the First Crusade due to its association with Christ's crucifixion at Calvary and resurrection at the Holy Sepulchre
- Although Muslims had controlled Jerusalem since 638, the rise of the Seljuk Turks in the 1090s made Christian pilgrimage increasingly difficult and expensive
- Pope Urban II's sermon at Clermont in 1095 emphasised that Muslim occupation polluted Jerusalem's sacred nature, creating urgency for the crusade
- Jerusalem remained the most effective recruitment tool throughout the crusading period—even when the actual military threat was elsewhere (like Edessa in the Second Crusade), preachers focused on Jerusalem to attract participants
- The capture of Jerusalem by Saladin in 1187 directly triggered the Third Crusade, demonstrating the city's continued central importance to the crusading movement