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The Crusades & Islamic Contributions to the West

The Crusades & Islamic Contributions to the West. The Crusades: Background. Crusades = “war of the cross” Series of wars sanctioned by the Papacy from 11 th -13 th centuries Who: French, German & Italian Christians Why: Jerusalem, land & trade Major Crusades I-VIII Results: Mixed. Why?.

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The Crusades & Islamic Contributions to the West

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  1. The Crusades & Islamic Contributions to the West

  2. The Crusades: Background • Crusades = “war of the cross” • Series of wars sanctioned by the Papacy from 11th-13th centuries • Who: French, German & Italian Christians • Why: Jerusalem, land & trade • Major Crusades I-VIII • Results: Mixed

  3. Why? • Battle of Manzikert (1071) • Byzantine Empire defeated by the Muslim Saljuqs • Byzantine Emperor, Alexius I asks Pope Urban II for help against the Muslims

  4. “God wills it!” • Council of Clermont (1095) • Pope Urban II preaches to the knights of Christendom for the First Crusade • Call to defend the Byzantine Empire & retake Jerusalem, as well as some personal motives

  5. The Crusades • First Crusade (1096-1099): • 1st groups led by Peter the Hermit & Walter the Penniless (but these folks quickly fell apart & were annihilated) • Captured Jerusalem • Established small Crusader states • Second Crusade (1147-1149): • Failure (~1 in 10 survive) • Third Crusade (1189-1192): • Failed attempt to recapture Jerusalem • Fourth Crusade (1202-1204): • Initially through Egypt, but diverted to loot Constantinople • Crusades Five-Eight: • Same as before; captured & lost cities

  6. What went wrong? • Mixed group of volunteers • Poor leadership; disorganization; no strategy • Crossing 1000s of miles of unfamiliar land • Some Crusaders decided to stay in villages along the way • Muslims eventually got better at counterattacking • All in all, not very successful, but not a complete waste…

  7. Positive Results • Slowed expansion of Islam • Increase in trade & exploration • Increase in travel on roads by merchants • Establishment of direct trade with the Muslim world • Spices, fine cloths, coral, pearls, porcelain • Western exposure to classical knowledge and scholarship • Science • Medicine • Architecture • And much more!

  8. Middle Ages • Early • Roman Empire beginning to crumble • Rise of the Franks • Islam’s spread • The Crusades • Late (1300-1500) • Economic problems • Black Death • Great Famine • Growing schism between the Churches

  9. Islam & Science • While Europe was in the “Dark Ages,” Islam was making significant scientific advancements • Arabs had access to classical knowledge; emphasis on scholarship • Works of Aristotle, Socrates, Ptolemy, Galen, Pythagoras & Euclid collected, preserved and translated to Arabic • Muslim Spain • Capital of Cordoba = hub of learning in Europe • Library contained over 500,000 volumes • College • First Muslim colleges = late 600’s and early 700’s (University of Paris & Oxford = 13th century)

  10. Science • Scientific Method (inductive method) • Experiments to test theories, citation, peer review • Jabir ibn-Hayyan (“Geber”) • Optics • Ibn al Haitham (“Alhazen”) • Used experiments to support Aristotle’s theory of vision • Experimented and wrote about lenses, mirrors, refraction and reflection • Roger Bacon familiar with his work • Influenced Newton’s theories on optics • Principle of Pendulum • Used to measure time • Chemistry • Terms: alcohol, alkali, elixir • Discovered chemical properties of alkalis and acids

  11. Mathematics • Influenced by ancient Greek mathematics • Introduced the concept of ‘zero’ • Probably learned from Hindu or Chinese • Arabic numerals, decimal system • Computations made easier! • Helped develop & systematize algebra • Developed trigonometry

  12. Astronomy • Integrated Greek, Persian, and Indian knowledge • Refined Ptolemaic system • Updated the star catalogue of Ulugh Beg • Made abstract Greek heavens into a solid body

  13. Philosophy • Helped initiate the humanistic movement in the West • Balance of faith & reason • Showed the West that there was more beyond the church – not darkness, but the light of knowledge • Christian scholastics borrowed from Islamic philosophy • St. Thomas • Main Influence on Christian thought: • Avicenna – “the father of modern medicine” • Averroes

  14. Medicine • Concerned with principles of medicine & hygiene • Integrated Greek (Hippocratic & Galenic), Persian & Indian traditions and practices • Al-Razi • 1st description of small pox • Immune system • Hospitals • One in every major city • Cairo = 8000 beds with wards

  15. Summary • Western scholars exposed to classical knowledge of the Greeks & Romans through the works of Islamic (& Jewish) scholars • The contact with and subsequent knowledge exchange with the Islamic world helped pave the way towards the rediscovery of ancient knowledge

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