Why did the Crusades happen?

Question

It’s been close to five centuries since the last Crusade ended, but it seemed that there are still a lot of questions that are left unanswered about these supposedly holy wars. Why did the Crusades really happen?

Answer 1

This is a question that has been asked millions of times. And yet, there is still no definitive answer even from the hundreds of historians who spent countless hours poring over the documents and artifacts left by both the Crusaders and the Jihadists.

On the one hand, there is the argument that the Crusades were necessary in order to repel the threat of the advancing Muslim invaders. Without the countless knights and ordinary folks taking up arms to defend Christianity, it is entirely possible that the whole Europe would have fallen to the swords of the enemies.

On the other hand, there are historians that cite records of Crusaders pillaging, murdering, raping, and doing all evil things. For them, the real reason for the Crusades is the insatiable greed of the Crusaders and the people backing them.

If there is one thing that they agree, it is that the Crusades were launched against Muslims. As to why, that is the hardest part to answer.

For more information, you could check out the following links:

http://www.history.com/topics/crusades

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04543c.htm

http://history-world.org/crusades.htm

Comments

awesome! this is very informative

Answer 2

Why did the Crusades happen? The answer depends on who you asked. Christian defenders will quickly point out that the Crusades, and the atrocities that resulted from them, were necessary wars in order to protect their faith against the Muslim invaders.

The first Crusade was organized as an answer to the call for help of Constantinople’s Emperor for all Christians to defend their brothers and sisters in the east who are under attacks from Muslims.

Pope Urban II commanded the Crusaders to perform two things. One is to rescue their Christian brothers and sisters in the east from oppression. The second one is to liberate the Kingdom of Jerusalem, which Christianity views as central to its origin, from the clutches of the Muslim invaders.

As all wars go, atrocities were committed by Christians and Muslims alike including massacres, looting, murders, and rape. Not every Crusader marched into battle believing in a holy mission. Some risked their lives for personal gains. Some went because of greed. As a result, what started as a holy war became known as one of the darkest chapter in the history of Christianity.