Introduction

Wars have been present in our society thousand years ago. One of the cause of unending
conflicts is the difference between religions. The continuous war between the Muslims and
Christians are still evident nowadays, and these wars resulted to millions of fatalities, billions of
dollars of damages, and unending trials of peace talks from different religious groups.

Religious wars existed way back 1096 and ended in 1291, and these are called as crusades.
According to History.com, crusades “were a series of religious wars between Christians and
Muslims started primarily to secure control of holy sites considered sacred by both groups.”
These Crusades were no different than the World Wars because these religious wars were
described by Blaydes and Paik as “the lasrgest-scale military mobilizations of the medieval
period (2); and also described as “bloody, violent and often ruthless conflicts” by History.com.

According to Blaydes and Paik, the Crusades started when the well-known Muslim prophet,
Mohammed, died and the Romans ruled mostly the Mediterranean basin. Due to the
proliferation of Islam followers in which the religion reached the Iberian Peninsula and the
Byzantine capital of Constantinople, and the assistance of Pope Urban II to the Byzantine
emperor who was under the threat of being overruled by the Muslims, Pope Urban II ordered
military troops to regain Jerusalem and the Holy Land (2).

Century of continuous Cursades happened and it was only in 1291 when the last Crusader cities
fell from power over the Muslims, and resulted to the fall of Europe according to History.com.
This gave rise to the Renaissance period in which the art, literature, and music of Europe greatly
influenced the world.

The Renaissance Period

It was during the Renaissance Period that the European artists came to spotlight. The word
“Renaissance” means rebirth, and even the Eurpeans’ failure to capture Jerusalem and the Holy
Land, it was during this period when they successfully increase the numbers of Christian
followers and spread Catholicism. Most of the arts during the Renaissance period focused on
the Catholic Church’s designs. Some of the well-known artists during this era, according to
History.com, were Massacio of the Trinity in the Church of Santa Maria Novella, and Brancacci
Chapel of the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine; Lorenzo Ghiberti of the bronze doors of the
Baptistery of the cathedral of Florence; and Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper.

Conclusion
The fall of the Europeans during the course of Crusades brought rise to the Renaissance Period
which was the golden era for the arts, literature, and culture of Europe. Even today, many
artists, writers, and researchers are still studying about the artifacts during the said era. This
can only show how influential the Europeans during the Renaissance Period which is an effect
of the Crusades.
References

Blaydes, Lisa, and Christopher Paik. "The impact of Holy Land Crusades on state formation: war
mobilization, trade integration, and political development in medieval
Europe." International Organization 70.3 (2016): 551-586.

Cartwright, Mark. "The Crusades: Consequences & Effects." Ancient History Encyclopedia.

Ancient History Encyclopedia, 09 Oct 2018. Web. 04 Mar 2019.

History.com Editors. “Crusades.” History, https://www.history.com/topics/middle-

ages/crusades#section_10. Accessed 03 March 2019

History.com Editors. “Renaissance Art.” History,

https://www.history.com/topics/renaissance/renaissance-art. Accessed 03 March 2019