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Dbq War

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How can a war be truly just? Even if the war begins with good intention, innocent people can be harmed or killed and their property and land destroyed. Many people feel that all violence is wrong while there are many who accept war as the only option in a particular circumstance. For example, many people who joined the First Crusade felt as though they were doing the right thing. After all, Jerusalem was the home of Jesus, so Christians felt the fight was justified. However, this fight for the Holy City was not merely a religious battle because the motives were not limited to religious beliefs. There was intense hostility between the Byzantine Christians and Muslims as the Muslims were conquering many Christian lands. When the First Crusade began in 1095, after a request from Emperor Alexuis I, Pope Urban II urged Christians to go to war to aid the …show more content…

Jerusalem was originally conquered in 638 under the control of Omar. At this time the Pact of Omar was written in order to establish a sense of peace between Muslims, Jews, and Christians. Christians wrote to Omar seeking the protection of the Muslims. The Pact of Omar revealed the Christians’ promises to the Muslims in order to keep pleasantries between them. Some of theses promises dealt with the building and affairs of churches. Others were focused on the way Christians behaved and raised their families. One segment in the pact states, “that we will not prevent any of our kinsmen from embracing Islam, if they so desire. That we will honor the Muslims and rise up our assemblies when they wish to take their seats.” This shows the sense of openness and peace that existed among these groups living in Jerusalem during the Early Middle Ages. It is clear that this mindset of harmony and mutuality was nonexistent to the Byzantine Christians during the time of the First

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