Lecture 15

       Jerusalem was under Christian rule for less than 100 years; it was a time called the crusade. It was an attempt to retake Jerusalem from the Islamic rule. Some of the factors contributing to the crusades was the emergence of the holy roman empire in western Europe, the split of Christianity in 2 ways, a late reaction to the persecution of Christian population in Jerusalem, the holy sepulcher was set on fire and the dome collapsed, and Al Hakim destroyed the holy sepulcher. 1099 CE is when the Christians actually took Jerusalem. The first crusade took place in 1095 CE and the second in 1147 CE. A crusade is an expedition authorized by the pope on Christ’s behalf. The crusaders took Jerusalem and changed the Islamic monuments into Christian ones by adding a cross to the Dome of the Rock and the Al- Asqa mosque. They restored the byzantine churches and created new churches (42 new ones). In 1187 CE Saladin conquered Jerusalem at the Horns of Hattin. Saladin allowed the residents to leave and go free if they chose to, but if they stayed it would be under his rule. The church of Holy Sepulcher was given to Greek orthodox, and Christian topography was replaced with Muslim shrines. In the 5^th crusade the walls of Jerusalem were dismantled; 6^th crusade the Jews retook control of Jerusalem; Jews lost to the Muslims in the 7^th crusade. It was a tug of war over control of Jerusalem.