The shifting perceptions of 1096, particularly when seen against the backdrop of the historical "reality, have much to teach us." The development of the Rhineland Massacres, often looked at in history as a linear first example of official Jewish mass persecution by the Christians, wavers in importance to the modern scholar, as well as the modern Jew and Christian. Was it a warm up for mass persecution, or a warm up

Kilij Arslan, having seen saw how easily his army had defeated the Frank invaders at minimal cost, grossly underestimated at his great cost the much more disciplined and formidable European crusading armies that followed. (McFall 5, "Ill-Fated Crusade....") The Second Wave The 'second wave' of crusaders -- elite contingents of effective military force led by local leaders and knights from different parts of Europe took a little longer to organize and

Crusades Motivating Factors Of the several theories about motivating factors for the Crusades, the most interesting one is that the late eleventh-century people were in the West suffered from anxiety "verging on alarm" related to their salvation.[footnoteRef:1] In fact, the prevailing theory along this line is that Pope Urban II successfully co-opted the collective apprehension of the faithful in his 1095 clarion call.[footnoteRef:2] Urban convinced the people that they could win remission

" In fact, the support of the burghers was critical to the slaughter of the Jews in Mainz, for they unlocked the city gates for the crusaders. Despite the fact that the fortifications around the Jewish population could only protect them so much, no where in Speyer's decree does it say that others would come to their aid in another situation like Mainz. A paper signed by the Bishop can only