Question

1. what were the crusades, why did they happen, and what was the result of them?
2. if you were a muslim in the holy land during this era, how might you have perceived the crusades? why?

and decide the \truth\ for others, since access to knowledge was limited. books were primarily religious in nature.
crusades: to the center of the world
by the late middle ages (from about 1300 to about 1500 a.d.) the church had attempted to extend its control to include the \holy land.\ a series of crusades had been encouraged between 1096 and 1270 a.d. christian nations under the influence of the church sent armies of men (and some women) on a journey through europe all the way to jerusalem, which was under the rule of muslims at the time. the justification for these invasions was that jerusalem was the holy center of christianity and the muslims (or infidels) were defiling the land by being there.
ultimately, as a result of poor planning and execution, the crusades were considered a failure. however, the exposure to the very different and more advanced cultures of the middle east resulted in dramatic changes in european society. new trade routes opened up, which led to an influx of new goods and ideas. universities were founded and the merchant class became wealthier. these changes in both education and social classes were a catalyst for change - in the long run leading to the reformation and the renaissance.
what are you talking about?
during the middle ages the english language transformed greatly, but how did modern english come about? the english spoken today is a mixture of many other languages and dialects. during the early part of this period, old english was used. this form of english is closer to german than it is to modern english. most of the literature of this early period has been lost; the greatest surviving work is beowulf, a poem about a hero who fights a monster. in 1066, the normans (french) conquered england, and the upper classes began to speak french instead of old english. during this period, and until the very end of the middle ages, latin was the language used by the government and the church. since common people were not able to read or write latin, this meant that a person taken to court couldnt even hope to defend himself - he couldnt even understand the charges unless they were explained to him! in the latter part of the medieval period, middle english was used. the conquering french were deposed and the political scene began to change. responding to political pressures, the government adopted english as the official language and promoted its use as a form of nationalism. what was once seen as a language of the poor and uneducated now was seen as patriotic and pure. this form of english is mostly a mixture of latin, german & french. as language became more standard and pronunciation of vowels changed near the end of the medieval period, english shifted again, beginning to sound more like the language we know today. works such as those of shakespeare or the king james bible are referred to as using early modern english. slowly, through time, this developed into our current version of english. today, we speak and write in what is called simply modern english.
the death of an era and a rebirth
in the 1300s, the climate changed dramatically - it is now called \the little ice age.\ this bitterly cold snap reduced crop yields radically. soon after that, the bubonic plague (the black death) struck. the bubonic \black\ plague caused massive deaths in the 1200 - 1300s. this epidemic wiped out entire villages in europe. as a consequence, there were fewer serfs to work the fields. those who remained now had more power to make demands in exchange for their loyalty and service. a middle class grew as people made more money and the feudal system began to break down.
the development of new technology, such as gunpowder, significantly impacted the feudal system as well. feudal battles were resolved much sooner and there was less need for extended periods of service from knights in exchange for their land grants.
as the middle ages wound down, the reformation led to the decline of the catholic church. the growth of literacy and wider access to education and new ideas continued to undermine both the church and the feudal system. these changes led to the development of a middle class for the first time. this development would ultimately change our world. soon, european society was to experience a rebirth of sorts - the renaissance.

Explanation:

1. The Crusades were a series of military campaigns by Christian nations, influenced by the Church, to reclaim Jerusalem from Muslim rule between 1096 - 1270 A.D. They happened because Jerusalem was considered the holy center of Christianity and Muslims were seen as defiling it. The result was a military failure due to poor planning but led to significant social - changes in Europe like new trade routes, growth of the merchant class, and exposure to Middle - Eastern cultures which paved the way for the Renaissance.
2. A Muslim in the holy land during this era might have perceived the Crusades as unprovoked and violent invasions of their homeland. The Crusaders' actions were based on a religious ideology that was foreign and threatening to the Muslim inhabitants, who had their own deep - rooted connection to the land.

Answer:

1. The Crusades were military campaigns by Christian nations to reclaim Jerusalem from Muslim rule between 1096 - 1270 A.D. They happened due to Jerusalem's religious significance in Christianity and the perception of Muslims defiling the holy land. The result was a military failure but led to social changes in Europe.
2. A Muslim might have perceived the Crusades as unprovoked and violent invasions because of the foreign and threatening religious ideology of the Crusaders.