Causes of the Renaissance

===== The Crusade in AD1095-1270 =====

    ~In 1071 Muslim Arabs captured Jerusalem. It is a holy city for Muslims, Jews and Christians. In 1095 the Pope called Christians in Europe to go and fight the Arabs. These wars were called Crusades.

   ~ The Europeans set up kingdoms in Palestine ( now Israel). They lived among the Arabs for 200 years. They learnt much from the Arabs, but they did not get back Jerusalem.

===== The Arabs taught the Europeans=====

  ~ In many ways the Arabs were more modern and civilized than the Europeans. The Arabs knew more about medicine, mathematics, science and the stars. They had learned these things from the ancient Greeks and Indians. They also showed the Europeans many new things that made life more comfortable, such as : astrolabe, maps, Arabic numbers, steel for weapons, silk and cotton, carpets, glass mirrors, violin, playing cards, chess, etc.

===== Changes in the Church =====

~ In the Middle Ages the Church told people how to behave. But some churchmen behaved very badly. People wondered if there could be better ways to worship God.

  ~ Most Europeans knew very little about the world. They believed everything the Church told them. But the new ideas from the Arabs were different. Scholars wondered if the Church could be wrong.

===== The Decline of the feudal system =====

  ~ In the Middle Ages Europe was ruled by the feudal system.

  ~ In the 14th century the Black Death killed about one-third of the people and animals in Europe.

  ~ The feudal system began to die out. Nobles could not get enough people to work on their land. Peasants wanted more money and freedom. They did not want to stay in one village and work for the lord all their lives.

  ~ The nobles were also tired of fighting all the time. They wanted more comfortable homes and more luxuries.