红十字军东征背景

ABriefSurveytoTheBackgroundofCrusadesWhatareCrusades?

TheCrusadeswere8militarycampaignssanctionedbytheCatholicChurchintheMiddleages.TheyweremeanttofightwithcountrieswhichisinEasternMediterranean（地中海）

area.Duringthewar,everysolideriswearingagownthathasaredcrossonit,thusformatroopcalledtheCrusaders.

Duetothe“HolyLand”

ofRomanCatholicChurch—JerusalemwastakencontrolbyIslamChurch,sothechiefdestinationofmostbattlesofCrusadesweretorecapture（夺回）

thechargeofJerusalembackfromMuslim.CrusadeisnotonlyareligiouswarthatChristiantriggeredtotakethe“HolyLand”back.TherootcauseoftheCrusadesheadedbythefeudalRomanCatholicChurchistoalleviate（缓解）

socialcontradictionsandtosolvethesocialcrisis.ThustheymayenhancetheauthorityoftheRomanPopeandcontributetotheestablishmentofChristiandomination.Religious

BackgroundEconomicBackground

Social

SituationTheBackgroundofCrusades

ReligiousBackground

—ThePrecipitating（诱发）

FactorBytheendofthe11thcentury,WesternEuropehademergedasasignificantpowerinitsownright,thoughitstilllagged（落后于）farotherMediterraneancivilizationsuchasthatoftheByzantine（拜占庭）

Empire(formerlytheeasternhalfoftheRomanEmpire)andtheIslamicempireoftheMiddleEastandNorthAfrica.

Meanwhile,ByzantiumwaslosingconsiderableterritorytotheinvadingSeljukTurks,whodefeatedtheByzantineArmyatthebattleofManzikirtin1071andwentontogaincontrolovermuchofAnatolia.Afteryearsofchaosandcivilwar,thegeneralAlexiusComnenusseizedtheByzantinethronein1081andconsolidated（巩固）

controlovertheremainingempireasEmperorAlexiusI.TheGreatSeljukEmpireatitsgreatestextentIn1095,Alexiussentenvoys（使者）

toPopeUrbanIIaskingformercenary（雇佣兵）

troopsfromtheWesttohelpconfrontthe

threats

fromSeljuk

Turks.ThoughrelationsbetweenChristiansinEastandWesthadlongbeenfractious,Alexius’requestcameatatimewhenthesituationwasimproving..InNovember1095,attheCouncilofClermontinsouthernFrance,thepopecalledonWesternChristianstotakeuparmsinordertoaidtheByzantinesandrecapturetheHolyLandfromMuslimcontrol.PopeUrban’spleametwithatremendousresponse,bothamonglowerlevelsofthemilitaryelite(whowouldformanewclassofknights)aswellasordinarycitizens;itwasdeterminedthatthosewhojoinedthearmedpilgrimage（朝圣）

wouldwearacrossasasymboloftheChurch.God

Wills

ItUrbanaskedwesternChristianstoaidtheByzantineEmpirebecause“Deusvult”(“Godwillsit”)andpromisedabsolutiontoparticipants;accordingtoothersources,thepopepromisedanindulgence（恕罪，赦免）.Intheaccounts,UrbanemphasizesreconqueringtheHolyLandmorethanaidingtheemperorandlistsfrightful

offencescommittedbyMuslims.ThecrusadewaspreachedacrossFrance;EconomicBackground

EarlierbeforethewesternEuropeanbusinessenteredthetradebetweenthewestandeast,thoseprofitableoneswerehoggedbyArabiansandByzantine.Besides,rightafterthewesternEuropeancitiesbegantoparticipateinthetrade,theexpansionofSuljurkTurksweakenit,soinordertoincreasetheprofits,especiallyinthosecitiessuchasVeniceinItaly,Pizza,etc.,itwasinclinedtograbthebusinessharborsandmarketsfromArabiansandByzantiumandexpeltheSuljurkTurksformwestEurope.ThustheWestEuropeanChristianwereinfavoroftheCrusades.SocialBackground

--TheKnightsand

Peasants采邑制的普及，使得封建领主遍布，他们买得起包括战马在内的作战装备，这些领主以及随从们被称为“骑士”，成为贵族阶层的一个象征，建立在日耳曼崇尚勇武、荣誉和忠诚传统上的骑士制度逐渐成形。封建主阶级极力的鼓动骑士参加十字军东征,向富裕的东方进发。另外,中世纪的骑士阶层也是当时西欧封建社会上的一个重要集团,而当时西欧的封建社会实行的是嫡长子继承制。当时社会上出现了许多无世袭封号、无财产和领土的由次子组成的骑士阶层,他们整天无所事事、到处游荡、生活放纵。当城市兴起后,商品货币经济迅速发展,他们十分羡慕城市琳琅满目的商品和东方各种各样的奢侈品,需求日益增加,但手里的钱却越来越不能满足他们的开销。因此,大批骑士渴望到东方去劫掠财物和夺取土地,所以积极地参加了十字军东征，这也极大地增加了对Pope

Urban的响应度。

生活恶化的农民壮大了十字军东征的队伍。随着城市经济的逐步兴起与发展,西欧各国的对外商品贸易也得到迅猛发展，伴随着贸易,东方各种各样的奢侈品大量流入西方市场，使西方开始由实物地租向货币地租转变。因此，农民为赎买自己不得不向领主交纳大量的货币，更加重了他们的经济负担。同时,伴随着西欧封建制度的形成与确立，农民遭受的盘剥更加繁重，封建主除了向农民征收徭役外，还征收名目繁多的税。绝望的处境使西欧的农民大量的逃亡，导致土地更加荒芜，也有很多地区的农民公开抢劫封建主的事件。在现实生活中看不到希望、找不到活路的农民,很容易轻信罗马教廷关于圣战的号召,他们真的以为参加东征可以改善自己的处境,使自己走向富有,参加了十字军东征。