What is the True Reasons of the Crusades?

[Lord Of The Knights]

What is the True Reasons of the Crusades?

"In popular stereotype, the interruption of the pilgrim traffic was the primary reason for the Crusades. As usual, the real reasons are more complex and a good deal more interesting." - Steven Dutch

it is true that the Real reason of the Crusades was to hold the holyland and save Jerusalem ?

Please share your thoughts about the true Reasons of the Crusades

[iudas]

1. Political reason
The pope wanted to extend his influence, possibly over Byzantium, showing that he could recover Byzantine lands instead of their former owners.
Moreover, Europe was experiencing the height of Feudal Anarchy, so the monarchs of Europe would profit from their nobles' departures.

2. Economic reason
The Europeans would plunder what they found in the Middle East. Rumours that they had previously unseen wealth circulated in Europe. The Holy Land was also in a good place for trade.

3. Spiritual reason
Of course, this is the most obvious, although the least important IMO. The Holy Lands were Holy, hell yeah. But this was a mask to the Crusades. If Europe was full of resources, unified, and with a society that could sustain a civilisation for 5000 years, the Holy Lands wouldn't have mattered that much.

[Icefrisco]

Power. You could be a Baron in Europe but a Duke in the Levant.

[Lord Of The Knights]

Christians commonly try to defend the Crusades as political or at least as politics being masked by religion, but in reality sincere religious devotion — both Muslim and Christian — played a primary role on both sides. It's little wonder that the Crusades are so often cited as a reason to regard religion as a cause for violence in human history. The most immediate cause for the Crusades is also the most obvious: Muslim incursions into previously Christian lands. On multiple fronts, Muslims were invading Christian lands to convert the inhabitants and assume control in the name of Islam.

[iudas]

The commoners were driven by religion. But religion itself would never allowed slaughtering followers of another faith like it happened during the Crusades.
Not to mention Muslims were tolerant with people they conquered, not trying to convert them as Christians would try.

[Janissary]

It was a concoction of several reasons. Islam had been beating back Christianity in several aspects: terrain, science, culture and conquest. After the final blow at Manzikert the Christians felt really threatened and the Byzantine Emperor cried out for help; which was really sad, since Alp Arslan set the captured Emperor free with the words: Alp Arslan: "What would you do if I were brought before you as a prisoner?"
'Romanus: "Perhaps I'd kill you, or exhibit you in the streets of Constantinople."
Alp Arslan: "My punishment is far heavier. I forgive you, and set you free."'

Of course it was also a religious quest, because in the Christian eyes this infidel religion was threatening the true religion: 'Christianity', so measures had to be taken to prevent the further destruction of Christianity in the East.

And of course the Pope's personal interests also played a role in launching a Crusade. This way he could centralize the Christianity and spread his authority all over Europe and the Middle-East or you can call it: 'intensify it'

At the arrival of the Christian forces. The Middle-East was split apart from Seljuk rule and local dynasties were fighting each other, so the first so called succesfull crusade was truely a joke, before Saladin it wasn't even taking so seriously. The local sovereigns chose to fight each other first than the 'Crusaders'.

[jabo0511]

The true reason behind the crusade: POWER

Pope Urban felt that Western Europe should conquer more lands and gain wealth by occupying the middle east which is in the center of the trade route between africa, europe and asia. Of course while doing this they will also restore Christianity in the middle east but this is really just a secondary objective IMHO.

The same thing with Islam when they conquered the middle east, it's not because they wanted to control the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem but they want to control the trade route which of course will give them more money and power.

[AngryTitusPullo]

Crusades is just a continuation of earlier conflict between east and west since back in the ancient days. The religion of Islam and Christian just gives the medieval flavor.

[morteduzionism]

The Crusades, like most human ventures, started over something small and got blown out of proportion. Somebody asked the Pope for help againsts the Arabic expansion into Asia Minor...next thing you know it's a 2 centuries later and...

It's little wonder that the Crusades are so often cited as a reason to regard religion as a cause for violence in human history.

It's because "religion" was used as justification for the violence. It[religion] was propaganda. Like the other post said a Baron in Europe became a Duke in the Levant. They[Europeans] weren't simply going to acquire more land/riches...they were on a holy mission, yada yada yada

The most immediate cause for the Crusades is also the most obvious: Muslim incursions into previously Christian lands. On multiple fronts, Muslims were invading Christian lands to convert the inhabitants and assume control in the name of Islam.

Don't you think the desire and acquisition of land was more of a motivating factor than converting people to Islam?

[jabo0511]

Don't you think the desire and acquisition of land was more of a motivating factor than converting people to Islam?

You're absolutely right.

[Lord Of The Knights]

y mean Muslims were invading Christian lands to make the islamic empire larger?
if yea, ok this was not the primary reason to take it ,the muslims in the first age of islam were afraid of islam being lost ,so they were need to conquer the near lands to destroy islam's enemy (romans,persians) to make a safe place to the new religion (islam),this was in the first , but after that the muslims needed to make the empire larger, and a new enemys appeared (byzantine empire,franks,spanish people (visigoths)...) so they start conquering land after land ,y are right when y said to coverting is not the factor , but not the primary factor

[Farnan]

Ummm....The Early Islamic Caliphates did not convert people to Islam. It was in their interest for a majority of their subjects to be non-Muslim.

[AngryTitusPullo]

You're absolutely right.

Indeed. The Islamization process of these conquered territories wasn't happening in an instant but more in 100-200 years. Either these local population converted because they see the value of Islam or simply wanted he same rights of other muslims (depends on your view ) it's usually a gradual process.

[Lord Of The Knights]

Ummm....The Early Islamic Caliphates did not convert people to Islam. It was in their interest for a majority of their subjects to be non-Muslim.

in the The Early Islamic Caliphates the primary factor to conquer lands was to covert people to islam , not by force first, if they had agreed,its ok and they were being one part of the empire , if not then the muslims were conquering the land.......... (sorry about language)

[Lord Of The Knights]

ok people DONT BE FAR FROM THE MAIN POINT OF THE THREAD

Farnan y said "We must stop the Blacks Jews Catholics Irish Muslims before they destroy good Western culture."
excuse me man but this sentence is wrong , here is the right:
this culture y are talking about is stolen from the islamic culture by your grands

y know

[jabo0511]

in the The Early Islamic Caliphates the primary factor to conquer lands was to covert people to islam , not by force first, if they had agreed,its ok and they were being one part of the empire , if not then the muslims were conquering the land.......... (sorry about language)

After the death of Muhammad his close friends (Abu Bakr, Umar Ibn Khattab and others) continued to spread Islam throughout the middle east, not by force of conquering but by preaching much like the apostles back in the time of Jesus.

The problem of course much like what the Romans did to the Christians, the Persians which were a powerhouse in the region would not allow a new religion spread and taking over their old belief (conflicting religion will make the people harder to control) so they retaliate with military power. Unlike the christians who believed pretty much in pacificism the moslems fought back just like when they're fighting the Quraish tribe of Mecca. After that they basically adopted 'the best defense is a good offense' doctrine and tried to conquer the whole middle east to ensure the safety of their new religion.

[Lord Of The Knights]

im wrong ? where?
im indeed with yr thoughts!!!

[Farnan]

ok people DONT BE FAR FROM THE MAIN POINT OF THE THREAD

Farnan y said "We must stop the Blacks Jews Catholics Irish Muslims before they destroy good Western culture."
excuse me man but this sentence is wrong , here is the right:
this culture y are talking about is stolen from the islamic culture by your grands

y know

You will notice that Blacks, Jews, Catholics, and Irish are struck through, as in someone wrote them don't then crossed it out. The idea is that people are making the same type of arguments against Muslims as they were making against other groups.

[Lord Of The Knights]

ok senator maybe i understood yr sentence wrong ,so sorry

[Vuk]

The crusades was a military responce to almost a millineum of muslim conquest. It was masked by religious reasons which were used to motivate the common man.

Vuk