Durante el siglo XI se produce una encarnizada lucha por conseguir controlar la Tierra Santa entre cristianos y musulmanes. Ante la amenaza que supone este avance del islam el Papa pide una cruzada en nombre de Dios a todos los reyes y caballeros europeos cuyo objetivo es conquistar Jerusalén, Pero están las tropas cristianas luchando sólo en nombre de su cristiana fe o tienen algún otro propósito? Las cruzadas, la guerra santa para los musulmanes, marcará la historia durante los próximos dos siglos.
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00:00September 11, 2001
00:04Terrorists who call themselves warriors of God against the crusaders of the West.
00:14Two religions that preach peace, however, make war throughout history.
00:31Times of confrontation and collaboration.
00:38Peoples and powers that fight in the name of God, but fight for supremacy on earth.
00:44The Holy War
00:55In the 11th century AD, a monumental conflict broke out over the control of the Holy Land.
01:01Christians are under threat.
01:04The Pope asks for a crusade in the name of God.
01:10The objective is the conquest of Jerusalem.
01:14But are Christian knights really fighting only for their faith?
01:20The so-called Holy War against Muslims will continue for two centuries.
01:26Crusade to Jerusalem
01:31Jerusalem, June 1099
01:35The crusaders reach the city walls.
01:38For the first time, these so-called armed pilgrims glimpse their final destination.
01:51They have been traveling for three years.
01:57Many thousands of crusaders had left for the Holy Land with a number ten times larger.
02:03Only a third have reached the Holy City.
02:07For now, all difficulties seem to have been forgotten.
02:16The Pope promised all the crusaders the remission of their sins,
02:20and they went to the aid of their Christian brothers in Palestine
02:24and liberated the sacred places of Muslim domination.
02:27Commanders such as Raimundo de Toulouse and Godofredo de Buillon have a burning desire in common.
02:38They are determined to restore the Christian dominion in the Holy Land,
02:44especially over Jerusalem and the tomb of Christ.
02:49According to contemporary belief, this was the land of the Lord and his legacy.
02:54Jerusalem had been ruled by Byzantine Christians for centuries.
02:59In 638, the city was conquered by the followers of Muhammad.
03:04Muslim domination was essentially tolerant with Jews and Christians,
03:09but in the 11th century there had been testimonies of repeated attacks against Christian pilgrims.
03:15The crusaders want to put an end to this situation.
03:19News of the siege reaches Damascus, 240 kilometers north.
03:31The Muslim herald Al-Sulami wants to receive information of the last hour of the Christian army.
03:38What do you want?
03:40A messenger informs him that the Christians are attacking Jerusalem.
03:44They carry crosses and pray to God to invoke his help, and they are very numerous.
03:49They have surrounded the city, praying and singing, and they ask for help from their God. There are many, sir.
03:55Al-Sulami is convinced that the attack of the European Christians is not an ordinary campaign.
04:07He realizes that we are not alone.
04:11He realizes that they have not only come to plunder, but to make war, in the name of God.
04:26The siege of Jerusalem is in its fifth week.
04:30There are no negotiations for a peaceful surrender.
04:34The defenders of Jerusalem have powerful weapons to avoid a breach in the city walls.
04:41The Greek fire consists of burning oil that cannot be extinguished with water.
04:52The leader of the crusaders, Godfrey of Bouillon, knows that his knights are being pushed to their limits.
05:04Many of his men die outside the city walls.
05:14They will go straight to paradise, or so the crusaders believe.
05:20Soon you will be with God. Intercede for us.
05:25If Jerusalem is taken by the Christians, the Muslims will be taken by the Greeks.
05:30If Jerusalem is taken by the Christians, the Muslims will lose one of their most sacred places.
05:36They will also look bad in the eyes of Allah.
05:39According to the Islamic law of war, the territories conquered by the Muslims should never be lost.
05:47In the 11th century, the Islamic empires extend from India to Spain.
05:52The Holy Land and Asia Minor, formerly ruled by Byzantine Christians, have been conquered step by step.
06:00When the Christians of the East ask the Christians of the West for help,
06:04the Pope of Rome takes the initiative while he is visiting a city in France.
06:11It is the year 1095, in Clermont, four years before the siege of Jerusalem.
06:15In a passionate speech, the head of the Catholic Church will call a crusade against the Muslim conquerors.
06:22It is the Pope Urban II.
06:30In November 1095, the successor of St. Peter gathers more than 200 bishops from France, Italy and Spain.
06:38The culminating point of the papal synod is a ceremonial service.
06:42Several thousand believers, including nobles and gentlemen, have responded to the Pope's call.
06:48The competition is so great that the service is carried out in a meadow, outside the cathedral.
06:54Urban paints a panorama of intimidation and threats.
06:57Appeal to the faithful and their brothers and sisters in Christ.
07:01The unfaithful are stealing the territories of the Christians.
07:05Many of them are murdered or deported, without mercy.
07:10They have our churches, our churches.
07:14They have our churches, our churches.
07:18They have our churches, our churches.
07:22They have our churches, our churches.
07:25They have our churches, our churches.
07:29The churches are on fire and Jerusalem has been devastated.
07:33The Christian Byzantium is in danger.
07:37It is the duty of every Christian to go to the aid of his brothers in the East.
07:43The term brothers and sisters refers to the Byzantine Eastern Church.
07:48In reality, at that time, Christianity is deeply divided between Catholic Christians and Orthodox Christians,
07:53whose center is Constantinople.
07:58Since the Seljuk Turks expelled the Byzantines from Asia Minor,
08:03the Christian world feels threatened.
08:06The nomadic riders constitute the new great force of the Islamic world.
08:11As they advance, local Christians and pilgrims heading to the Holy Land are attacked.
08:17The Seljuks also threaten the capital of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople.
08:23The metropolis of Bosphorus was in the past the center of power of the Christian world.
08:30It is the reason why the Byzantine emperor Alejo
08:34has repeatedly asked the Pope for help in the fight against the Seljuks.
08:38In the summer of 1095, he writes to Urban II.
08:42His letter does not go unnoticed.
08:51Any type of military protection.
08:54Alejo asks the Pope Urban for military support against the Muslims
08:58to save his empire and all Christianity.
09:02For our empire and for all Christianity.
09:06In Clermont, the Pope places the call for Byzantine aid in the center of his sermon.
09:14According to Urban, he is attacking the Christians of the East.
09:18They are being enslaved and the men and women are being outraged.
09:22The Muslim pagans have reached the gates of Constantinople.
09:26All the Christians are indignant.
09:29They want to destroy the Byzantine Empire.
09:31If you do not stop them, they will end up subduing us too.
09:40The Pope, evidently, gave a very effective sermon.
09:45Full of great gestures and very well argued.
09:49No, I'm not the one who gets it, it's God.
09:53I'm the one who gets it.
09:56I'm the one who gets it.
09:58No, I'm not the one who gets it, it's God.
10:01The Pope insists that it is God himself
10:04who is asking all Christians to take the cross
10:07and go to war against non-believing Muslims.
10:10Expel those unworthy infidels.
10:18An assistant to the synod, Bishop Lamberto de Arras,
10:21writes a story about the Pope's speech in Clermont.
10:25He describes how Urbano promotes the campaign to the Holy Land.
10:31Those who march to Jerusalem for reasons of piety,
10:35not to earn honor or money, can expect heavenly rewards.
10:43After the speech, those present burst into a warm applause.
10:50They embroidered cloth crosses on their clothes
10:52to show that they had taken the cross for the love of God.
10:58According to ancient sources, they shouted,
11:01this is the will of God.
11:04God wants it.
11:09God wants it.
11:13God wants it.
11:16Urbano declares the liberation of the Holy Land
11:19a penitential pilgrimage.
11:22He wants to unite Christians divided under one banner.
11:26The power of the Church must reign over the secular power.
11:30The Pope will be the protector of all Christianity,
11:34the true representative of Christ on earth.
11:38Urbano's plan worked,
11:41perhaps better than the others.
11:43The response was massive.
11:46When the participants in the Council returned to their dioceses,
11:51they made sure that the news of the Pope's call
11:54was spread throughout the region.
12:03The Christian pastors call for a crusade to Jerusalem,
12:07the land of the children of the Israelites.
12:09Bishops and preachers announce the Pope's message in their churches.
12:13Itinerant preachers take him to the field.
12:16There is no doubt that Urbano II
12:19touched the sensitive fiber of the time.
12:22There is no other way to explain the movement of masses
12:26that even surprised the contemporaries.
12:29Hundreds of thousands,
12:32guests or not guests, are on their way.
12:35They are with us.
12:37Everywhere Christians are asked to liberate Jerusalem
12:40in the name of God.
12:43Fanatic monks assume the responsibility
12:46of promoting the crusade in the name of Christ.
12:49People come to them en masse,
12:52citizens on foot, peasants,
12:55artisans and members of the low nobility.
12:58Not exactly the knights requested by Byzantium,
13:02nor the warriors of God that Urbano II
13:04had in mind.
13:07It is an improvised army,
13:10without a previous plan,
13:13of about 15,000 people in total.
13:16The so-called crusade of the poor
13:19was a reaction to the advertising
13:22for the crusade,
13:25which the itinerant preachers
13:28and others took to the north of France,
13:31the Netherlands,
13:34and Renania.
13:37This army of plebeians
13:40does not want to wait until the day of departure
13:43marked by the Pope.
13:46Some nobles also want to leave immediately.
13:49The desire to achieve salvation
13:52was shared by rich and poor alike.
13:55It seemed to be an increasing concern
13:58in the 11th century.
14:01The notion of penance for personal sins
14:04in order to redeem oneself.
14:10It is a time of fear at the end of the world
14:13and the final judgment,
14:16but also of hope in salvation.
14:21To fight for the honor of Christ,
14:24to take revenge on any dishonor
14:27that may have been caused to him.
14:30These are beliefs
14:33that had gained ground in the 11th century
14:36and that paved the way
14:39for the surprisingly powerful reaction.
14:44The so-called crusade of the people
14:47crosses cities like Spira,
14:50which are shopping centers along the Rhine.
14:53They house numerous Jewish communities.
14:56Suddenly they are in danger.
15:00In the Middle Ages,
15:03many Jewish communities had established themselves
15:06in obituary cities like Colonia, Maguncia, Worms or Spira.
15:10The Jews played a preponderant role
15:13in the economic growth of these cities.
15:19As merchants and lenders,
15:22the Jews play an important role in the medieval economy.
15:25They pay taxes to the emperor
15:27and receive their protection in return.
15:30At least, in theory.
15:33We know that many of the participants
15:36in the first crusade were not nobles or rich gentlemen,
15:40but people without resources.
15:43The attack on Jewish communities
15:46was an easy way for them to get rich.
15:49Jewish neighborhoods in several cities are attacked.
15:53A systematic manhunt begins.
15:55Despite the official protection of the emperor
15:58and the local bishops,
16:01the authorities fail to prevent the looting
16:04and mass execution of Jews.
16:07Around 5,000 people are victims of the pogroms of 1096.
16:17The Jews were portrayed
16:20as the descendants of the murderers of Christ.
16:22It may sound cynical,
16:25but the people of the time believed that they would please God
16:28if they attacked the so-called infidels or pagans in their country.
16:32But this particular crusade also has suicidal qualities.
16:37Most of the crusaders are poorly armed
16:40and poorly prepared for a long march.
16:44Few participants in the Crusade of the Poor will arrive in Jerusalem.
16:53This makes it more important
16:56for the clergy and the high nobility
16:59to make sure they are well prepared themselves.
17:07In the castle of the Duke of Baja Lorena,
17:10preparations are made for the long journey to the unknown.
17:14Sewing crosses on the clothing for the march to Baja Lorena
17:18is also a symbol of a new beginning.
17:28One of the people to take the step is Godofredo de Bullón.
17:32The Duke is impressed by the spirit of the monasteries.
17:37They are places of contemplation
17:40at a time when many are waiting for the coming of the Lord.
17:43It is said that wearing the suit of a knight
17:46is like wearing the tunic of a monk.
17:54Previously, Godofredo had paid little attention
17:57to the advice of the Pope
18:00and was not reluctant to mundane temptations.
18:03However, he is full of doubts
18:06in these times of spiritual turbulence.
18:09He decides to continue the journey to Baja Lorena
18:12He decides to follow the call of the Pope to the Holy Land.
18:16His brothers Eustachio and Balduino join him.
18:21Are you ready, Godofredo?
18:24It will be a long journey.
18:27Godofredo is aware of the dangers that lie ahead.
18:30If he dies on the way to Jerusalem,
18:33he wants to be buried with the mantle of the Crusader
18:36who wears the cross of Christ embroidered.
18:39Leave it.
18:42Take care of your business.
18:47No one knows if any of them will return.
18:50While preparing for the trip,
18:53they also liquidate their goods.
18:55I have engaged our castle with the bishop of Liege.
18:58You have sold our castle?
19:01It was wise to sell the castle of the family.
19:04The brothers agree that they will not return.
19:07Why are we going back?
19:10They will find their own sacred kingdom in the Holy Land.
19:13A Christian kingdom.
19:16God wants it.
19:19God wants it.
19:22God wants it.
19:25God wants it.
19:28God wants it.
19:31God wants it.
19:33God wants it.
19:40It is the will of God.
19:43That is the motto of the Pope when he declares
19:46that the campaign to Palestine is a holy war.
19:49Many are willing to follow his call
19:52in search of salvation, but also in search of fame,
19:55glory, power and wealth.
19:57The personal motivations that trigger the beginning
20:00of the period of 200 years of the Crusades
20:03are full of contradictions,
20:06but many people participate from all levels of society
20:09and from all over Europe.
20:18Finally, hundreds of thousands of people
20:21embark on the dangerous journey,
20:24rich and poor,
20:27gentlemen and nobles,
20:30gentlemen and workers, peasants and urbanites,
20:33men and women.
20:36The summer of 1096 marks the beginning
20:39of the greatest military effort of the Middle Ages.
20:44Tens of thousands of Crusaders,
20:47mostly French and Germans,
20:50follow three different routes,
20:53through Italy, bordering the Adriatic
20:55and the mountain range of the Balkans.
20:58Their first common destination, the path of the Holy Land,
21:01is Constantinople.
21:04Since the 4th century AD,
21:07the city has been the capital of the Byzantine Empire
21:10and the metropolis of all Orthodox Christians.
21:13It was here that Emperor Alejo
21:16wrote his call for help to the Pope Urban.
21:19Finally, the Crusader army is near.
21:22Alejo expects the Pope to send him
21:25some units of mounted mercenaries
21:28that will later be put under his command.
21:31Instead, a huge army has arrived
21:34at the gates of the city walls,
21:37which poses a threat to the capital.
21:42Alejo urges Godofredo and the Crusaders
21:45to sow fear among their people,
21:48to appropriate anything they need
21:51from the tyrants and plunderers.
21:54He brings the Crusaders without warning,
21:57but they do take into account
22:00the Emperor's requests.
22:03Alejo wants the Crusader leaders
22:06to swear loyalty to him
22:09and return all the territories
22:12conquered by Byzantium.
22:15The Emperor insists.
22:18He demands a oath of loyalty.
22:21Without any reservation.
22:24Why are we going to do it?
22:27The Crusaders have already sworn loyalty to the Pope.
22:34Alejo does not care.
22:39I will not allow you to continue the journey.
22:43Only if you swear allegiance to him,
22:46will the Emperor of Byzantium
22:48grant permission to cross the Bosphorus.
22:51No ship will pass without my consent,
22:54and in no case will it be yours.
23:02It is your choice.
23:10The Crusader leaders give in,
23:13at least for now.
23:19Let's go.
23:22Our destination is Holy Land.
23:25They have no choice if they want to reach Holy Land.
23:34The oath of loyalty of the Crusaders has been coerced.
23:39Later, they will not return any conquered territory,
23:43but they will try to establish their own kingdoms in Holy Land.
23:46The fraternal aid to Byzantium
23:49is overshadowed by imperial rivalry.
23:53But there is still a long way to Jerusalem.
23:56On the way to their final destination,
23:59the Crusaders find a strong resistance from the Seljuks.
24:03In Dorilea, the first Crusade is in danger of being annihilated.
24:09The troops of Sultan Kilic Arslan
24:12attack one of the units of the Crusader armies.
24:17From a distance, the Seljuk archers
24:20shoot the Christian warriors.
24:23The Muslim ruler has 50,000 men under his command.
24:27The situation of the defenders seems desperate.
24:31Thousands of Crusaders die in the narrow valley,
24:35but Christian messengers have been sent in search of help.
24:39The reinforcements arrive just in time.
24:42Godofredo de Buillon and his cavalry
24:45attack the attackers from the rear.
24:48They tilt the scale in their favor
24:51and obtain a key victory on the way to Jerusalem.
25:09Godofredo, the popular and respected leader of the Crusades,
25:13erects wooden crosses along the route
25:16to show the way to future pilgrims.
25:19But how do Muslims react to the advance of the Franks,
25:23a name that these Europeans who speak Latin receive?
25:27Only a few realize that the Crusade
25:30is different from ordinary campaigns,
25:33whose objective is looting and plundering.
25:39The Islamic erudite Al-Sulami
25:42explains the difference in the Great Mosque of Damascus.
25:52The spiritual leader of the Franks
25:55has called a crusade against the Muslims.
26:00It is a campaign in the name of faith, according to Al-Sulami,
26:04similar to an armed jihad.
26:06They want to get to Jerusalem,
26:09not as pilgrims of peace for prayer,
26:12but as armed warriors.
26:15Many Muslims feel outraged
26:18because foreigners eat pork and drink alcohol.
26:22And there is something worse.
26:25They want to expel all Muslims from the Holy City and enslave them.
26:29The Crusaders fight in the name of God
26:32and in the name of faith.
26:34They believe they will be rewarded with paradise.
26:37They are determined to wage war against the Muslims,
26:40by any means.
26:44But for Al-Sulami and his people,
26:47hell will be their real reward.
26:56The Crusaders have been traveling for three years.
27:00Many have died in combat or in battle.
27:02Many have succumbed to illness and exhaustion.
27:05Some have founded new settlements along the way.
27:09Less than a third of the original army
27:12arrives at their longed-for destination, Jerusalem.
27:17As they prepare to attack the fortified city,
27:21many expect salvation as a reward.
27:25Masses are held and psalms and songs of praise are sung
27:28as the Crusaders prepare to assault the city walls.
27:47The procession in front of the gates of Jerusalem,
27:51shortly before the attack on the city,
27:54says a lot about the mentality of the Crusaders
27:56and about the vision they had of themselves.
28:03The defenders of Jerusalem, the Fatimids of Egypt,
28:07are surprised by the Christian rituals.
28:10It is evident that the Crusaders are not ordinary conquerors.
28:14They saw themselves, and some sources show it,
28:18as the new people of Israel.
28:21They followed the tradition of the Old Testament.
28:26But Godofredo de Buillon knows that prayers
28:30will not be enough to tear down the city walls.
28:38The defenders are superior in number.
28:41However, the Crusaders consider the attack on the Holy City
28:45a divine mission.
28:49They surrounded the city three times in a process of purification.
28:53This is how they cleaned themselves.
28:56This is how they cleaned themselves.
29:05The Muslim defenders also invoke the help of Allah.
29:13The Christians have little water and food.
29:16Many Crusaders have fallen ill.
29:18The time has come to attack.
29:21We have to attack.
29:23I think he's right.
29:26They also lack wood to build the siege machines.
29:30The only thing they have been able to gather is two towers of assault.
29:34They will have to settle for that.
29:37Mother of God, may the Lord help us.
29:40In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
29:43None of their previous battles has been fought in such adverse conditions.
29:48The beginning of the conquest was very difficult.
29:51The Crusader army had been significantly reduced in number.
29:54And Jerusalem was a large and well fortified city.
29:57Organizing a classic siege, in which the city is subdued by hunger,
30:01was a very complicated undertaking.
30:04And the Christians knew that the Muslim defenders of the city
30:08would have asked for reinforcements.
30:11They assumed that an Egyptian relief army, Fatimid,
30:14would soon be on its way.
30:16This implies that the Crusaders had little time.
30:20The attack on Jerusalem has begun.
30:23It is July 15, 1099.
30:26The defenders use devastating weapons against their attackers.
30:38The Greek fire, as it is known,
30:41makes it difficult to climb the walls of the city.
30:45Do not retreat!
30:47Do not retreat, men!
30:50God wants it!
30:52Come on!
30:54Everyone up!
30:56Fast!
30:59As the attackers are outnumbered,
31:02they direct the attack towers towards some sections of the city walls.
31:06With one of the siege towers,
31:08the Duke of Baja Lorena and his men
31:11manage to place themselves short distance from the city walls.
31:14Finally, the troops led by Godofredo de Buillon
31:18achieve their goal.
31:20It seems that Godofredo was in the tower,
31:23but contrary to what is written sometimes,
31:26he was not the first to reach the city wall.
31:29There were two of his followers.
31:39Despite suffering numerous casualties,
31:41the Duke and his men charge against the Almenas.
31:55A few crucial minutes will be decisive
31:58for the defeat or victory of the crusaders.
32:05The fate of the sacred city,
32:07for both Muslims and Christians,
32:09hangs by a thread.
32:12Both sides trust in their faith
32:15and hope to receive the help of their God.
32:21For both religions, peace is sacred.
32:29But for the faithful of both sides,
32:32war is a way to defend their own true religion
32:35against enemies and unbelievers.
32:41However, the Christians have declared
32:44their own crusade against the Muslims,
32:46a holy war ordered by God.
32:54This triggers the bloodiest religious war
32:57the world has seen so far.
33:03And turns the battle for Jerusalem
33:06into an orgy of violence.
33:11What happened later inside the city
33:14was a massacre.
33:17The population was exterminated,
33:20Jews and Muslims alike.
33:24At the same time,
33:27the leaders of the crusade
33:30tried to secure the important enclaves
33:33of the city.
33:36The massacre in the narrow streets of Jerusalem
33:38was absolutely horrible.
33:41There was no respect
33:44for gender or age.
33:52Even the Christian witnesses
33:55do not hide what happens.
34:03Immediately after crossing the walls
34:05the knights rushed to the streets
34:08and public places.
34:11All the enemies they encountered
34:14were stabbed.
34:17No one was saved.
34:20Everything was covered in blood.
34:23The news of the fall of Jerusalem
34:26spreads like wildfire.
34:29The French have killed everyone in Jerusalem.
34:32It has been a real massacre.
34:35They spent several days killing everyone they found.
34:39Al-Sulami considers the French
34:42wild beasts.
34:4730,000 people die,
34:50including the Jewish residents of the city.
34:53Even the Christians of the place are murdered,
34:56accused of collaborating with the Muslims.
34:59Memories of the bloody siege of Jerusalem
35:02exert a permanent pressure
35:05on the relations between the two religions.
35:13One of the most common reasons
35:16to explain the thirst for blood
35:19that the crusaders showed during the capture of Jerusalem
35:22in the year 1099
35:25was their inability to control their religious enthusiasm
35:28and the prolonged efforts and tensions of the journey.
35:34But the real reasons behind the crusades
35:37may have played an even more important role.
35:42If we examine more closely
35:45the reports on the proclamation of the crusade
35:48of Pope Urbanus,
35:51we discover that in it he called for revenge
35:54against the non-believers who had occupied
35:56and in his opinion profaned
35:59the sacred places of Christianity.
36:06Shortly after the conquest of the Holy City,
36:09Godfrey of Bouillon will be crowned
36:12first king of Jerusalem.
36:15But there are certain reservations,
36:18since it was here that Christ had worn the crown of thorns.
36:21In his place, the conqueror accepts the title
36:23of protector of the Holy Sepulchre.
36:26He renounces the throne, but not the claim of power.
36:29He has saved us from the wrath of our enemies.
36:34In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
36:40However, the reign of Godfrey does not last long.
36:43He will die a year after the conquest of Jerusalem,
36:46being buried in his favorite place,
36:49the church of the Holy Sepulchre.
36:54His legacy will not remain intact.
36:57Can the Muslim forces accept
37:00that this sacred ground will be taken away from them forever?
37:03After the conquest of Jerusalem by the Christian forces,
37:06most of the Arabs were astonished.
37:09What should be done? The Muslim world was divided.
37:12How should they react to the capture by the Christians
37:15of one of the most important Arab cities?
37:20In Damascus, al-Sulami extracts conclusions
37:23from recent events.
37:26Why has Allah denied us victory?
37:29Allah is testing us.
37:32According to al-Sulami, God uses the defeat of the Muslims
37:35to test them.
37:38They have sinned, they have disobeyed their orders,
37:41and they have disputed among themselves.
37:44They have not been able to defend the Holy Land.
37:47Only in the event that the Muslims overcome their divisions
37:49and fight shoulder to shoulder,
37:52the enemy will be defeated.
37:55If we fight together,
37:58we can defeat our enemies.
38:01Al-Sulami is an interesting figure.
38:04He is not only a religious erudite,
38:07who sometimes gives sermons in Damascus.
38:10He is also one of the few contemporaries
38:13of the time
38:15who understands that Christian military expeditions,
38:18whether in Sicily,
38:21in the Iberian Peninsula,
38:24or in the Middle East,
38:27have religious motives.
38:30At least this is what he writes
38:33in a treatise on the Jihad,
38:36which he wrote based on his conclusions.
38:39In his book, Kitab,
38:41Al-Sulami describes the attack on Jerusalem
38:44as an attack on Islam.
38:47There were calls,
38:50mainly among the Muslim erudites,
38:53to the unity of the Muslim world
38:56and to the expulsion of the Christians from Jerusalem.
38:59But it had to pass time
39:02before they were heard.
39:05Islam was now being used
39:08as a political instrument.
39:11Several decades will pass
39:14before a Muslim force
39:17is able to reconquer Jerusalem.
39:20Towards the end of the twelfth century,
39:23an experienced warlord
39:26turns his declared objective
39:29the expulsion of Christians from the Holy Land.
39:32His name, Saladin, Sultan of Egypt,
39:35not only recovers the land lost in Palestine.
39:38In 1187,
39:41he also forces Christians
39:44to leave the Holy City.
39:47Saladin trusts in the power of his faith.
39:50He convinces the high cleric
39:53to declare the fight against the Crusaders.
39:56A Jihad.
39:59Buried in a large mausoleum in Damascus,
40:02he is revered as a hero to this day.
40:05Is the Muslim Jihad comparable
40:08to the Christian Crusades?
40:11The Crusades and the Jihad
40:14are often compared.
40:17Although experts in the Middle East
40:20and in Islam
40:23have clearly shown that the Jihad
40:26is based on a much broader concept.
40:29Not only to promote military campaigns
40:32like the Crusades,
40:35but also the spiritual advance of Islam.
40:42The fall of Jerusalem triggers new Crusades.
40:45But all Christian attempts
40:48to reconquer the Holy City
40:51end in failure.
40:54The German emperor Frederick II
40:57of the Staufer dynasty
41:00chooses a different path as a mediator between cultures.
41:03He denies the sword,
41:06knowing that he cannot conquer Jerusalem by force.
41:08During negotiations
41:11with the Sultan Al-Kamil of Cairo,
41:14a compromise is reached.
41:25There will be peace for 10 years,
41:285 months and 40 days,
41:31as commanded by the Muslim calendar.
41:34Tablas, my friend.
41:42In this truce between Christians and Muslims,
41:45Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth
41:48are supervised by Christians.
41:51Frederick II has achieved his goal
41:54without shedding blood.
42:04Thanks to his education,
42:07Frederick is different from other European kings.
42:10He grew up in Palermo,
42:13a crystal of cultures.
42:16His royal palace is a meeting point
42:19for Byzantines, Italians, Arabs and Germans.
42:22Both for Christians and Muslims.
42:28The cultural exchange
42:30between the representatives
42:33of the different religious communities
42:36began to appear early.
42:39It is well documented in terms of material culture,
42:42including architecture and confection,
42:45as well as in terms of music,
42:48literature and poetry.
42:51Also everyday objects and luxury items.
42:55All this makes it clear
42:57that the Crusaders brought elements
43:00of material culture,
43:03from the Islamic world to the Christian world.
43:09Arab technology was clearly superior to European.
43:12For example,
43:15the fruitful supply of fresh water
43:18to the cities that were surrounded by arid land.
43:21It was the precondition for economic growth
43:24and prosperity.
43:27Works of art, science and literature
43:30were created.
43:33There are new publications,
43:36research and experimentation in the fields of physics,
43:39mathematics, medicine and astronomy.
43:42The exchange between the East and the West
43:45produces a unique flow of knowledge.
43:52But the memories of the religious war
43:54are usually more powerful than the knowledge
43:57of the common cultural roots.
44:00For 200 years,
44:03Christian knights remained in the Holy Land.
44:06Hundreds of thousands of people died in the Crusades.
44:09Christians, Muslims and Jews.
44:13The result of the Crusades is ambivalent,
44:16although the events of the time
44:19were marked by violence.
44:21Violence that emanates
44:24mainly from Christians,
44:27although the historical context must be taken into account.
44:30The Seljuks had blocked the route
44:33of pilgrims from Europe to Palestine,
44:36so that Christians do not use
44:39violence in a totally arbitrary way.
44:42The Crusades were part of a history
44:45of centuries of conquest and counter-conquest.
44:48Powerful fortresses still bear witness
44:51to ancient battles.
44:54They were considered part of a holy war
44:57and shaped the relations between the two religions
45:00for many centuries.
45:03The historical memory of the Crusades
45:06was rescued during the period of European colonialism.
45:09Especially during the 19th and 20th centuries,
45:12the stories of the Crusades
45:14were resurrected and updated.
45:17As a result, they are still very much alive today.
45:22Not only for some Muslims,
45:25the period of the Crusades
45:28has not yet come to an end.