What were the Crusades?
Christians throughout Europe were shocked when the Arabs captured Jerusalem during the Middle Ages. In 1095, the pope of the Roman Catholic Church called for a series of crusades to recapture the Holy Land, believing that they would unite Europe’s warring kings and knights. The first was the Peasants’ Crusade, whose members were untrained and poorly armed. The crusaders did not reach beyond Turkey, where they were all killed.
Later crusades were better organized, but many crusaders were more interested in power and riches for themselves than in any religious purpose. By 1099 the conquering crusaders reached Jerusalem. The need for travel to the Holy Land led to improve ships, the development of maps and compasses, and international trade throughout the Mediterranean.
Have there ever been two popes?
The power of the popes rivaled that of kings in Western Europe. Kings became involved in religious affairs, and popes played a part in politics. Some popes gave way entirely to kings and surrendered their authority completely.
In 1309, a French pope decided to base the Church in Avignon, in France, where it remained until 1377. Meanwhile, French kings had managed to persuade the Church to support them. However, in 1378 the cardinals were unable to agree about the election of a new pope. Two rival popes declared themselves as official heads of the Church, and for a while there was also a third pope. This odd situation continued until 1417, when a single pope was elected and based in Rome once again.
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