The Crusades Through Arab Eyes

The Crusades were a series of Christian holy wars from the late 1000s to the 1300s that brought Europeans into conflict with the Muslim world. These Crusades largely occurred outside of Europe, but Crusading ideology was also directed internally, at heretical Christian populations and northern European pagans.

Pope Urban II called for the First Crusades in 1095 at the Council of Claremont in France and commissioned wandering preachers to spread the word. The First Crusade’s genesis is multifaceted. It was called in response to the Byzantine request for support against the Seljuk Turks; a desire to liberate the Holy Land from Muslim control; and a desire to permeate lay society with monastic values. The Church justified the violence that occurred by claiming it was not inherently evil to commit brutal acts if one’s intentions were selfless. Moreover, the Church offered indulgences (forgiveness for sins) for those who went on Crusade, guaranteeing their entrance into heaven should they perish.

Religious ideology was important to the Crusaders, as Maalouf’s Arab historians observed. The West framed the Crusades as the “Great Pilgrimage” since Jerusalem was the ultimate site of Christian pilgrimage, given its association with Christ’s life and death. The First Crusade was launched in three waves, with only the last, the Princes’ Crusade led by the French barons, having any real success.