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The Crusades: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
By maryann in The Culture of Life
July 12, 2008

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Many a discussion on Christian history centers around the Crusades, which began in 1095.

It has been customary to describe the Crusades as eight in number:

This division is arbitrary and excludes many important expeditions, among them those of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. In reality the Crusades continued until the end of the seventeenth century, the crusade of Lepanto occurring in 1571, that of Hungary in 1664, and the crusade of the Duke of Burgundy to Candia, in 1669. (New Advent.org [see Crusades]).

 

 

 Why did the Christian armies feel a need to pack up and fight the Muslims a continent away?  Some would say that it all had to do with the greed of the popes and gaining land for an empire, while others proffer that keeping the Holy Land open for Christian pilgrims and defending the Christian lives in Jerusalem was the original idea. From my point of view, the Crusades started out defensive in nature, but some over time, horrendous deeds were committed along the way. All of this gives a portrayal of the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Crusades.

(Information for this blog is taken primarily from Patrick Madrid’s book, Pope Fiction, 1999, from the chapter “The popes and the Crusades.”)

 

Since the beginning of the 4th century, pilgrims made their way from Europe to the Holy Land.  I think it’s clear that some Christians do feel a need to keep a certain contact with their religious roots and the places where God made Man walked.

 

All went relatively well between Christians and Moslems until the beginning of the 11th century with the Caliph of Egypt, Al Hakem, who ordered the destruction of the Holy Sepulcher (where Jesus was buried) and the removal of the Christian presence from Jerusalem in 1009 a.d.  (The Crusades  London: Secker & Warburg, 1960  by Regine Pernoud, p. 15 as quoted by Madrid.) 

 

From that point on, persecution of Christians (both residents and pilgrims) was almost constant. In 1071 the Seldjuk Turks overran and captured Jerusalem. (Pernoud, pp. 16-17.)

 

“After being heroically patient in the face of this Muslim onslaught and hoping for a peaceful solution, Pope Urban II could finally take no more of this unacceptable mistreatment of Christians in Palestine. In 1095 he ordered the first Crusade, for the protection of all Christians in the Holy Land.” p. 192

 

From all over Europe the armies of Christian crusaders marched upon Jerusalem.  After a number of battles, the Crusaders conquered the Muslim defenders of Jerusalem on July 15, 1099. However, upon entering the city, the Christian invaders killed every inhabitant they could find. This was a horrible atrocity, and is unexcusable. Author Patrick Madrid states of these horrendous acts: “This kind of atrocity, committed by Catholics in the name of Christ and the Catholic Church, is a sin that the Church deeply regrets and apologizes for.  Pope John Paul II has repeatedly asked forgiveness in the name of the Catholic Church for crimes, like this one, committed by Catholics in the name of the Faith.”  p. 192

 

Although after this Crusade pilgrims were free to travel to Jerusalem and the Christian residents of the area were safe from Islamic oppression.  Sadly, though the Crusades had begun with a noble idea, over time the Crusaders forgot why they had started the mission in the first place. The sack of Constantinople in 1204 by Catholic armies, with the money being split between the armies of the Venetians is another ugly chapter.  Again, the author, Madrid states: “Catholics should never attempt to deny or sweep under the rug the fact that this and similar sins have been committed by Catholics in the name of the Church.  Rather, as a genuine step toward reunion with our Orthodox brethren, we should recognize and grieve with them over these wicked acts, and then seek forgiveness to heal these old wounds in a spirit of fraternal repentance and forgiveness.” p. 193

 

Patrick Madrid states that a few points about the Crusades need to be made. First, the original intent of the Crusades was the protection of pilgrims and the Christians in the Holy Land.  The Muslims were the initiators of the violence back with the Caliph Al Hakem.  In this way, the Crusades were defensive in nature. Also, one can see that the warfare in the East weakened the Muslim armies significantly, preventing them from an inevitable invasion of the West, that did come at Lepanto, Otranto, and the siege of Vienna. Had these invasions been successful and long-lasting, Western culture would have been exterminated and most of the freedoms we have now we would not know. I as a woman would certainly not enjoy the freedoms I do. I see this as the good.

 

Yet, there is plenty of the bad and the ugly.  Personal vendettas by the Catholic commanders and individuals were pursued, and greed often held sway.  Also, according to Madrid, the rage and insanity of warfare gave way to some truly grotesque acts of brutality- which are absolutely inexcusable for Christians.

History is incredibly important, and we learn lessons from past mistakes or we will repeat those errors.