History of Crusades Arts in Medieval Ages

Abstract

The Crusades campaigns were known as The Franks wars, which began in the late eleventh century to the beginning of the last decade of the thirteenth century A.D. (1096-1291). They were so named as they were religious campaigns whose participants waged the war under the banner of the Cross. They aimed to defend the Cross, the Christian symbol, to prevent the wrath of the Lord and to achieve their primary objective of controlling the Holy Land which was under the Islamic rule. The research begins with a historical introduction about the situation in the east and the circumstances of the Western European states at that time. It explains the motives of those political, religious, social and economic wars. It covers these campaigns from the first to the ninth Crusades. The search reviews the Crusader military architecture built or occupied by the Crusaders, which was one of the most important achievements of these campaigns such as strongholds, forts, towers and castles in Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Lebanon. The research also deals with the art of Western mural painting (Fresco and Mosaic) in, for example but not limited to, Cressac San Genis and San Giovanni Evangelista Churches. They demonstrate the history of the Crusades from the viewpoint of the Europeans which embodies the features of the Romanesque art style and then the Gothic art. The researcher selected some important books, manuscripts and miniatures which are the best evidence of recording those campaigns including the books of History of France, the manuscripts of Venice ,The Hugue and Manesso Codex, and miniatures of Lautrel Psalms, the Virgin's Chant , the Vices thesis and manuscript of Oversea history. The research problem: Are there special arts used to record, date and originate the events of the Crusades in Western Europe in the Middle Ages? Are there influence and impact between the arts of the West and East during that important era? The research aims: to study the history of the Crusades various arts from architecture, painting, sculpture and fashion as well as the factors impacting on them, effects of contemporary arts especially the arts of the East and to deduce the aesthetic values of these artworks. This research importance: it can make an addition to the Arabic library. Its topic has not taken sufficient study artistically as previous studies have been concerned only with history. Research Methodology: Historical descriptive analysis