Crusader Jerusalem

The early Islamic Kingdoms ruled from 638 to 1099 BC. In 1099, Jerusalem was conquered by Godfrey de Bouillon, the beginning of the Crusaders “The Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem” from 1099 to 1291 BC. The Crusades were basically Holy Wars. They were battles between Roman Catholic forces against the Muslims. Crusaders took vows and were granted penance for past sins, called indulgences. The Crusades were launched in response to westward expansion of the Muslim Seljuk Turks into Anatolia.

There were political and religious causes of the Crusades. Politically, it was a reaction against expansion of Islam in Europe. Religiously, it was a late reaction to persecution of Christian population of Jerusalem. Pope Urban the Second, preached at Clermont in 1095, called for Crusades as a mean to free the Lord’s heritage and as pilgrimage. In 1100, Baldwin became the “King of Jerusalem.”

During Crusader Jerusalem, existing Islamic monuments were modified. The Dome of the Rock became Templum Domini and the Al-Aqsa Mosque became the Templum Solomonis. There were rebuilding of ruined Byzantine churches, such as the churches of the Holy Sepulcher, the Ascension, St. Mary, and St. Lazarus. Crusader Jerusalem were separated into four quarters. The Patriarch’s quarter consisted of the Holy Sepulcher, Muristan, Tower of David, and the Tancred’s Tower. The Templar’s quarter consisted of the Templum Domini, Templum Solomonis, and Solomon’s stables. The Syrian quarter was mainly Christians from Syria after expulsion of Jews. The last was the Armenian quarter.

The Second Crusade, which went from 1147 to 1149 BC, was preached by St. Bernard at Vezelay in 1146. In July 4, 1187, Salah ad-Din routed the Crusaders at the Horns of Hattin (Galilee).