L’idée de croisade au cours des XIème - XIIème siècles: eléments déterminants
The Idea of Crusade in the XI-XII Centuries: Core Elements

Summary/Abstract: The complex phenomenon of the Middle Age holy wars was received and analyzed in the academic literature through many levels: political, religious, military, cultural and social. Triggered in response to the Muslim conquests initiated as early as the seventh century, these were gradually integrated in the context of the Christian beliefs and rituals. The crusade was defined by the representatives of the traditional conception as an armed pilgrimage for the release the Holy Places and for the help of the Eastern Christians, holding a penitential value, sanctioned by giving a plenary indulgence. Unlike the traditional perspective, the followers of the pluralist doctrine emphasize the idea that the crusade represented a holy war against the internal and external enemies, aiming at recovering the property of the Christendom and protecting the Church and the Christian people. Considering the two sides, it is necessary to highlight the different historical conventions, because the religious medieval wars were based upon a certain ideology and spirituality and they created their own institutions. This study intends to analyze the main elements that contributed to the defining and crystallization of the crusade’s characteristic doctrine.

• Details
• Contents