Christianization of War: Church Reform, Armsbearing Elites, and the Holy Land

• In Event: State, Religion, and Violence

Abstract

Why did European armed elites sell their property, imperil the prospects of their lineage, and risk their lives to participate in Holy Land crusades? This paper argues that the eleventh-century church reform movement incentivized its lay supporters to go on crusades. This relationship was strongest for the First Crusade; it weakened for subsequent crusades as the new and revolutionary ideas about the crusades as an armed pilgrimage became widely accepted following the surprising conquest of Jerusalem in 1099. Using data on the location of crusaders between 1096 and 1192—and instrumenting for proximity to the church reform movement using distance from its place of origin (Cluny Abbey in Bourgogne)—we provide evidence in support of this argument. Our findings show how religious ideas can be reinterpreted to justify warfare, and they indicate that in the absence of the church reform movement, the initiative behind the crusades would have been lacking.

Authors

• Jonathan Doucette, Aarhus University

• Jorgen Moller, University of Aarhus