Who were the Crusaders?

Geoffrey de Renneville was footsore, thirsty and covered in dust. He joined the Crusade for the adventure it held. These men had travelled for weeks and and were beset by flies, disease, bandits, poor food and very little drink. The cavalcade stopped and the weary men dropped into an uneasy slumber. Suddenly they were awoke by a cry "Help for the Holy Sepulchre!!" One by one the knights took up the cry. Shouting together, Geoffrey was reminded of the Crusade's purpose.

The transformation of Medieval society began with a holy war over the city of Jerusalem. European Christians undertook a series of 9 military expeditions to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims. These were the Crusades, to take up the cross. Jerusalem was a city for people of 3 faiths. Jews treasured it as Zion. To Christians the city was holy because of the crucifixion and resurrection. Muslims regarded it as the 3rd holiest city after Mecca and Madina.

Jerusalem and the entire region of Palestine fell to Arab invaders in 600 AD. The Arabs tolerated other religions. In late 1000 AD, the Seljuk Turks took Jerusalem. Their conquest left Palestine in chaos. In 1095 the pope asked for military aid from the West.

Pope Urban11 addressed Christians from a mounted platform, his voice shaking with emotion.
"I exhort you to strive to expel that wicked race from our Christian lands, Christ commands it. Remission of sins will be granted for those taking up the sword. Go forth as believers against those infidels."

This 1st Crusade increased already existing hatred of non— Christians and marked the start of a long period of Christian persecution of the Jews. During the first Crusade, which began in 1096 AD, 3 armies of Crusader knights and volunteers travelled separately from western Europe to the Eastern Mediterranean. On their way many of them massacred whole Jewish communities in the name of God. That made them the infidels.

At the close of the 2nd Crusade, the so called Christians were easily defeated by the Seljuks. These Crusaders thought that they were doing what was right, but they caused bedlam which in my opinion caused most of the problems in the Middle East. The Crusaders had a tough time, at times some would die of exhaustion, hunger disease or by the sword. As a Christian, I tend to find them abominable. Did they think that they could convert anyone by force and that the conversion will remain? I guess in those ancient times, love was not figuring yet.

A diplomatic and forceful leader, named Saladin, united the Muslim forces and then captured Jerusalem in 1187 AD. The 3rd Crusade also ended in disaster. Joined by emperors and kings, King Richard of England had to face the enemy alone with his soldiers when his allies died or returned home. After 3 years of battles, Richard signed a truce with the Muslims and tried to persuade Saladin to return Jerusalem to the Christians. This was the reply.

"To us Jerusalem is as precious, aye and more precious than it is to you, in that it was the place whence our Prophet made his journey by night to heaven and is destined to be the gathering place of our nation in the last days. Do not dream that we shall give it up to you. It belonged to us originally and it is you who are the real aggressors."
Saladin did allow peaceful Christian pilgrims access.

More Crusades followed, but with no success. By this time, western Europe had lost sight of the religious goal. They were now more concerned about political and economic gain. The outcome was that the Crusades had less impact on the Muslims. Crusader states were weak in an area divided among powerful Arabic rivals. The arrival of the Crusaders, however, helped unite the Arabic world against a common enemy.

Sources : National Geographic, Webster encyclopedia, World History, Own content, Pixabay.