Chris Stonecipher
CCOT
3/2/2012
5th period
Between 1000 C.E. and 1750 C.E., Islam had a great impact on Europe, which affected it politically, economically and culturally. Islam brought and took political power to/from the Church and king through the crusades, affected the economy through new innovations, and finally affected Europe’s society and culture through the Renaissance. Islam absolutely affected Europe in both positive and negative ways, but without a doubt changed the whole order of things for the continent.

The Crusades started in 1095, once pope Urban II demanded all the nations in Europe to unite for a single cause. Before this point, Europe had never really been completely united due to civil wars and other disuniting conflicts. The Crusades were directed towards more radical Muslims, focusing heavily on the city of Jerusalem. In addition to unifying Europe, the first few Crusades brought extreme power to the pope and consequently the church. However, the later Crusades were less successful which took away power and popularity from the pope. Before the Crusades against Islam, kings had little power; the land was divided among rich aristocrats who had many small armies. However, many of these aristocrats died on battle without leaving an heir, which would entitle their land to the king. These massive gains of land greatly increased the kings’ power.

Islam had a huge impact on Europe’s economy. Before the Crusades, Europe’s technology was very primitive and below its time. At the time, Islamic groups had some of the most advanced technology available. Europeans adopted many of these technologies from their enemies, many of which helped to greatly facilitate trade. For example, Europeans learned how to build better ships and use the compass through Islamic groups. Islam also introduced the use of a coin system in Europe, which helped the