Crusades - background

Fatamids

Shia Caliphate based in Cairo

Abbasids

Sunni Caliphate based in Baghdad

Seljuks

a Turkish group who migrated into the Abbasid Empire in the 10th century and established their own empire in the 11th century

Manzikert

Seljuk Turk victory in 1071 over Byzantium; resulted in loss of the empire's rich Anatolian territory.

Alexius Comnenus

Byzantine emperor who appealed to the pope for Christian knights to fight against the Turks

Caliphate

Islamic empire ruled by those believed to be the successors to the Prophet Muhammad.

Emir

"commander" in Arabic, a title used by Muslim rulers in southern Spain and elsewhere.

Atabeg

hereditary title of nobility of a Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch and charged with raising the crown prince

Sultan

Military and political leader with absolute authority over a Muslim country

Caliph

successor to Muhammad as political and religious leader of the Muslims

Peter the Hermit

preached the crusades; poor friar; successfully lead the People's Crusade through Alps, across Europe; smelled awful

Council of Piacenza

Precursor of first crusade, Pope Urban asks for people to help Alexius and the Byzantines reconquer land from Turks (wants a papal army of his own most of all)

Council of Clermont

Meeting at which the Pope called for the first Crusade in 1095

Purgatory

A state of final purification or cleansing, which one may need to enter following death and before entering Heaven

Indulgence

A pardon releasing a person from punishments due for a sin

Patriarch

Highest Church official of the Orthodox Church

Anatolia

A large peninsula at the western edge of Asia; also called Asia Minor

Pilgrimage

A journey to a place considered sacred for religious purposes.

Penance

Atonement for sin often involving suffering and hardship.

Great Schism

The official split between the Roman Catholic and Byzantine churches that occurred in 1054

Constantinople

Capital of the Byzantine Empire and centre of the Orthodox church

Reconquista

The retaking of the Iberian Peninsula by Spanish forces from the Moors from the tenth century.

St. Augustine of Hippo

Proposed the idea of a just war in about 400 AD

Remissio Peccatorum

The remission of all sins following a crusade.

Imitatio Christi

The belief that one should copy the lifestyle of Christ. Focusing on poverty and prayer.

Cluniac Reforms

A series of changes within medieval monasticism focused on removing lay influence, pilgrimages and protecting the church from violence through peace.

Jerusalem

A city in the Holy Land, regarded as sacred by Christians, Muslims, and Jews.

Shia

the branch of Islam whose members acknowledge Ali and his descendants as the rightful successors of Muhammad

Sunni

A branch of Islam whose members acknowledge the first four caliphs as the rightful successors of Muhammad

Jihad

A holy struggle or striving by a Muslim for a spiritual,political or military goal

Invitatio

A public appeal or 'invitation' to take the cross