Scholastics

The Twelfth Century

The Crusades

While the Crusades, as wars, may not hold much interest for us, they bear significant cultural historical implications. It was entirely natural that the papacy took the initiative in the crusading movement, for its outward aim was ostensibly religious; ultimately, the military propaganda and fervent religious zeal spurred by the Crusades enhanced the authority of the papacy. Another crucial outcome of the Crusades was the mass slaughter of Jews; those who survived often lost all their possessions and were subjected to forced conversion. Such atrocities against Jews occurred in Germany during the First Crusade and in England during the Third Crusade, following the ascension of Richard the Lionheart. York, where the reign of the first Christian emperor began, became the site of one of the most horrific massacres of Jews.

Before the Crusades, Jews had nearly monopolized the trade of Eastern goods across Europe; however, the persecutions that ensued after the Crusades resulted in this trade largely passing into the hands of Christians.

In a markedly different vein, another outcome of the Crusades was the impetus they provided for literary exchanges with Constantinople. This engagement resulted in numerous translations from Greek to Latin during the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. Europeans, particularly the Venetians, always maintained extensive trade relations with Constantinople; yet, Italian merchants rarely concerned themselves with Greek classics, much like English or American merchants in Shanghai did not ponder Chinese classics. (Europe’s familiarity with Chinese classics was primarily due to the efforts of missionaries.)