The Three Major Societies During The 11th Century C. E.

During the 11th century C.E., there were three major societies that were centered around the Mediterranean. The first society was the Catholic Kingdoms which was located in Western Europe (Crusades Map). The Catholic Kingdoms followed Christianity and the pope was established as the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Popes also claimed papal supremacy which gave them authority over other secular rulers (Ellis 193). These secular rulers practiced feudalism which was a system where lords divided their land amongst lesser lords, also known as vassals. A feudal contract was developed in which the lord granted his vassal a fief, or piece of land, including towns or buildings already on the land and the people who lived there in return for protection, military service, money payments, and advice (Ellis 186). The second society was the Byzantine Empire which was located in Eastern Europe (Crusades Map). The capital of the Byzantine Empire was Constantinople which commanded trade routes linking
Both sides were primarily motivated by religious fanaticism. For example, one Crusader describes how God “has wanted to offer the faithful a chance of safety, nay a cause of salvation, so that they who would give up all things for him will find him to be all things for all men” (Reflections of a Crusader Concerning the Sacredness of their Mission). He meant that God is giving them a chance to redeem themselves and prove that they are worthy of salvation. Also, God is seeing who will be faithful and willing to sacrifice themselves for this cause. Many other Crusaders were also motivated by the Crusades being God’s will. Loyalty to God was of utmost important to many, if not all, Christians and not participating in the Crusades was seen as disgraceful. The quote also meant that they were under God’s protection so they would be safe in battle against the