The Crusades Were A Series Of Religious Wars In The Medieval Period That Was Initiated By The Latin Church. The Best Known Of These Crusades Are Those To The Holy Land In The Period Between 1095 And1291. What Is Interesting, However, Is That It's The Event Which Had Taken Place Almost 1000 Years Ago And Is Still Used By Different Groups For Their Respective Benefits. For Example, Radical Islamist Terrorists Distort The History Of Crusades To Further Their Cause Among The General Muslim Population. Radical Far-Right Groups In The West Often Call For A New Crusade Against The Terrorists, Which, According To Them, Is Synonymous With Annihilating All Muslims.
However, The Actual Facts Of The Crusades Are Far From The Myths Around Them. Here Are Four Such Myths That Need To Be Busted. The Most Important Myth About The Crusades Is That They Were Called To Convert Muslims To Christianity. However, Crusades Were Called In 1095 For Recovering The Land, Which Was Previously Under The Control Of Christians But Later Conquered By Muslims. We Almost Forget That Up To The 7th Century Ad, North Africa, Turkey, And Much Of The Middle East Was Predominantly Christian Before Arab Armies Overran Them. The Original Five Patriarchates Of The Early Church Were Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, And Jerusalem. By The Time Of The First Crusade, Only Rome And Constantinople Remained In Christian Hands.
The Second Important Cause Of The Crusades Was The Attack, Torture And Enslaving Of Christian Pilgrims To The Holy Sites In Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Galilee, And Other Parts Ofancient Israel In The Years Before The Crusades, While They Were Allowed For Centuries By Themuslim Rulers. These Attacks Blocked The Pilgrimage Of Christians To The Holy Sites, Whichmotivated The Crusaders To Re-Establish The Access Of Christians To Their Holy Sites.There Is Another Myth That Crusaders Were Motivated By The Greed Of Acquiring New Land Andwealth, Which Is, In Fact, A Myth As There Was No Such Wealth Or Cultivable Land In Those Areas.In Fact, The Motivation Was Their Devout Faith In Christianity.Saladin Was A Remarkable Political Leader Who United The Muslim World And Defeated Most Ofthe Crusaders. However, Some Believe That He Was More Christian Than The Christiansthemselves. In Fact, His Political Character Helped Him Accumulate Immense Wealth, Whichserved Him The Most.
The Most Important Characteristic Of The Crusade Was The Clash Between Two Cultures, The Western And The Muslim World.
