1) What were the reasons behind the Crusades? Evaluate their results. The most important reasons behind the Crusades include religious zeal, increasing European population, and an impressive number of knights eager to fight in battle. Of these motives, religious zeal was the greatest. The Crusaders were already more than willing to fight against the Muslims before Alexios Komnenos asked Pope Urban II to provide him with Norman mercenaries in 1095. Western Europeans detested the Muslims who ruled the Holy Land, especially the holy sites of Palestine. The saying “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” summarizes the situation experienced by Christians both in the East and in the West. Both factions realized that without helping each other, they would share the same fate of falling into the hands of the Seljuk Turks. In addition to Christians fighting for God, the constantly increasing population of Europe also needs more land to live on. European territories had to be expanded. With land shortages, the expansion of feudalism, and the will to fight on the part of influential leaders such as Pope Urban and St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the sons of knights and nobles desired to conquer new lands. While there were many outcomes of the Crusades, some stand out more than others. The biggest of these is the fact that the European crusaders failed to permanently capture Jerusalem or Palestine. The fall of Constantinople marked the end of the Byzantine Empire. Overall, the First Crusade was the most successful of all the other Crusades. 2) Compare and contrast the development and function of the three major representative assemblies of the Middle Ages: Parliament (England; Parliament of Paris (France); and the Cortes (Spain). In retrospect, all three were even allowed to continue trading .The Ottomans were also the intermediaries between Europe and the Middle East. They were supported by both sides in battle greatly the territory of the empire. In addition to the efficiency of the rulers, their subjects had the utmost respect for them because the sultan was believed to be the successor of Muhammad the most powerful living humans rulers, a problem that plagued many medieval states Finally, the Janissaries were a big reason for the success of the sultan's army. They began to become a force to be reckoned with starting in the 15th century.