Bernard z Clairvaux i wyprawy krzyżowe
Bernard of Clairvaux and the crusades

Summary/Abstract: The crusades are often the study subject of historians of the Church, however the historians tend to look at them out of context of their religious and political background, in spite of them being – like all wars – conditioned by all fighting sides. Where to look for the cause of crusades? According to the methodology of historical sciences the subsequent periods are always caused by their preceding times. The cause and effect relationship is very closely linked with the succession of events. The article pointed out two causes of the crusades. The first is the muslims taking over the Christians’ holy places, and the second the meaning of these places for the Christians, which is what Bernard of Clairvaux wrote about. It’s worth noticing that Bernard of Clairvaux set very high requiring moral standards for the Christian knights. The article’s conclusion: it would be a rather good thing to present the crusades in the light of medieval just war theory.

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