Crusading Conundrum Trivia Quiz

Answer: Against Heretics

The Drenther Crusade was fought from 1228 to 1232. It was authorized by the Papacy and led by Willibrand of Oldenburg, whose bishopric had long-lasting conflicts with the inhabitants of Drenthe over their religious practices, which did not comply with Catholic dogma, were said to incorporate Pagan elements of worshiping waxen images, and over their reluctance to accept the territorial claims of the bishopric.

It did not result in a clear-cut victory for either side, since the lord of Drenthe, Hendrik van Borculo, retained his fiefdom, but the community built a nunnery in accordance with the bishopric's demands.

Answer: Against Heretics

The Albigensian Crusade was fought in the early 13th century, against the Cathars in southern France. Apart from Cathar differences from Catholic dogma, especially in terms of rejecting Church hierarchy and preaching salvation only for those renouncing worldly possessions, the French crown was interested in suppressing the Counts of Toulouse whose power was increasing all over the region.

Some scholars consider the Albigensian Crusade as an act of genocide, because of the numbers of the Albigensians killed and the scale of brutalization against the inhabitants of the areas under the jurisdiction of Toulouse.

Answer: Against Heretics

The Aragonese Crusade was fought in the 1280s, by France, Navarra and Genoa against Aragon. The Aragonese were declared heretics because their King was excommunicated after refusing to accept the outcome of the Synod of Lyon, which pertained to the conditions on which the Western and Eastern churches would reunite under the primacy of the Pope.

The invading French forces fared poorly and failed to bring the Aragonese to heel, who later negotiated with the Holy See and the excommunication against their king was lifted after certain concessions and payments of tithes.

Answer: Against Heretics

The Bosnian Crusade was fought from 1235 to 1241. Bosnia was the seat of a Church that was viewed as heretic both by Rome and Constantinople, because of its idiosyncratic hierarchy and many ritual differences in the manner of praying and in fasting periods. Hungary also had a pragmatic interest in occupying lands belonging to Bosnia and used the Crusade as a pretext to attempt a land grab, which was only partially successful and was fully reversed when Hungary was invaded by Batu Khan.

Answer: Against Pagans

The Wendish Crusade occurred in 1147, and was the first of the Northern Crusades or Baltic Crusades, aimed at various pagan peoples occupying the shores of the Baltic Sea. The Wends were living on the easternmost states of Germany and part of Polish Pomerania.

The 1147 expedition was criticized even by Catholic chroniclers, like Helmold of Bosau, who observed that little talk was made of Christianity, with Saxon leaders like Henry the Lion being interested only in material gains.

Answer: Against Pagans

The Livonian Crusade began in the last years of the 12th century and continued for a substantial part of the 13th. Livonia was the medieval name for modern-day Latvia and Estonia. It was during this century-long Crusade that the harbor of Riga was founded by the missionaries in the land of the Letts (the ethnic group that gives its name to Latvia), who were the first target of the crusade, followed by the Estonians. One of the most important sources for the first half of the campaign is the chronicle of Henricus de Lettis (Henry of Latvia).

Answer: Against Pagans

The Prussian Crusade occurred during the 13th century. The Old Prussians were not of German stock, unlike the German inhabitants of the later Kingdom of Prussia, but a Baltic people, culturally and linguistically akin to Latvians and Lithuanians. The crusade for their conversion was initiated by Poland and specifically the ducal house of Masovia, but quickly the initiative passed into the hands of the Teutonic Knights, who established their headquarters in Koenigsberg (modern-day Kaliningrad) in the process, combating both the pagan natives and the Polish crown at times.

Answer: Against Pagans

The Lithuanian Crusade was fought in the 13th century. It was fought by the Teutonic Knights and the Polish Crown against the Lithuanians, who were the last Pagans of Europe. It culminated in 1387, when Grand Duke Jogaila of Lithuania became a Catholic and married Jadwiga of Poland, inaugurating the Jagiellonian Dynasty and creating the prerequisites for the creation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Answer: Against Muslims

The Norwegian Crusade was fought from 1107 to 1110. The Norwegians were fighting against the Muslims in order to fulfill the aim of bringing the entire Holy Land under Christian control. It was a victory for the Crusaders and resulted in the creation of the Lordship of Sidon in Phoenicia, modern-day Lebanon.

The crusading initiative was tacitly supported by the Byzantine Empire, while some military aid to the Norwegians was provided by Venice.

Answer: Against Muslims

The Barons' Crusade was fought from 1239 to 1241. Contingents from all over Catholic Europe took part and succeeded in briefly recapturing Jerusalem (which had been lost after the Muslim emir Saladin had defeated a huge Crusader army in 1187), the area of Gailiee and Ascalon. Ultimately, the gains were reversed three years after the end of the Crusade, making the dream of a Christian-controlled Holy Land an even more distant possibility.