The crusades, as even the briefest history lessons will tell you, were a complete failure. In the 11th century a concern amongst Christendom was the continuous Muslim growth in the Middle East. Saracen armies had taken the Holy Lands of Israel and the passage for European pilgrims had become unsafe. The concern gave Pope Urban II an idea. Christen armies of peasants lead by priests would march against the Muslims and reclaim the lands in the name of Jesus. So staggeringly stupid was this notion that the monarchs of Europe quickly intervened and sent real armies with knights to accompany them. What followed was 200 years of gore filled history that has haunted Christianity to this day. Although many crusades to the Middle East were mounted each was less successful than the one that came before. A factor Urban perhaps failed to realize was the animosity European Christens showed towards the Jews of those times. In some cases Christens hated Jews for being "partial believers" more than they did Muslims. When the army of the first crusade entered Jerusalem, the Pope was horrified to discover that they killed as many Jews as they did Muslims. The third and most famous crusade lead by King Richard the Lion Heart of England faired better for the people involved, but did not manage to capture Jerusalem. The rest of the crusades were all disasters. The Middle East eventually became the powder keg it remains today while the history of the crusades has become the strongest selling point of why religion is holding society back despite communist and fascist genocides of the 20th century revealing that the ideals of atheists fare no better for the people.
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The crusades, as even the briefest history lessons will tell you, were a complete failure. In the 11th century a concern amongst Christendom was the continuous Muslim growth in the Middle East. Saracen armies had taken the Holy Lands of Israel and the passage for European pilgrims had become unsafe. The concern gave Pope Urban II an idea. Christen armies of peasants lead by priests would march against the Muslims and reclaim the lands in the name of Jesus. So staggeringly stupid was this notion that the monarchs of Europe quickly intervened and sent real armies with knights to accompany them. What followed was 200 years of gore filled history that has haunted Christianity to this day. Although many crusades to the Middle East were mounted each was less successful than the one that came before. A factor Urban perhaps failed to realize was the animosity European Christens showed towards the Jews of those times. In some cases Christens hated Jews for being "partial believers" more than they did Muslims. When the army of the first crusade entered Jerusalem, the Pope was horrified to discover that they killed as many Jews as they did Muslims. The third and most famous crusade lead by King Richard the Lion Heart of England faired better for the people involved, but did not manage to capture Jerusalem. The rest of the crusades were all disasters. The Middle East eventually became the powder keg it remains today while the history of the crusades has become the strongest selling point of why religion is holding society back despite communist and fascist genocides of the 20th century revealing that the ideals of atheists fare no better for the people.