What exactly were the crusades all about & what caused them?
It mainly goes to the ambition of pope Urban II, who knew how to use the needs & greeds of people in Western Europe. During the 11th century, the Byzantium Empire was loosing its war with the Seljuk Turks. So, in 1095 the Byzantine emperor prepared for war to take back the lands he lost. Byzantium had a long time tradition of recruiting armies of warriors from different nations in addition to mercenaries. So, the emperor sent a letter to the pope in Rome asking him for help. Pope Urban II had a different goals & plans than the Byzantine emperor. He called for the council of Clermont, where he launched the 1st crusade. Not only he ordered feudal lords to help the Byzantine emperor, he had also encouraged almost all kinds of people to join the crusade & take Jerusalem for the Catholic Church. From his speech at Clermont, his goals can be summarized as the following: 1- Stop the wars between Christians in the west & use those warriors for the benefit of the church 2- Make Europe a safer p
