Too many popular Myths about the Crusades are pushed by anti-christians. In truth were it not for the Crusades, the world would probably be largely Muslim by now.
The Crusades were called primarily because of devastating Muslim attacks on Christianity in the east.
From Pope Urban II's call for a crusade at the Council of Clermont in 1095
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/urban2-5vers.html
Freshly quickened by the divine correction, you must apply the strength of your righteousness to another matter which concerns you as well as God. For your brethren who live in the east are in urgent need of your help, and you must hasten to give them the aid which has often been promised them. For, as the most of you have heard, the Turks and Arabs have attacked them and have conquered the territory of Romania [the Greek empire] as far west as the shore of the Mediterranean and the Hellespont, which is called the Arm of St. George. They have occupied more and more of the lands of those Christians, and have overcome them in seven battles. They have killed and captured many, and have destroyed the churches and devastated the empire. If you permit them to continue thus for awhile with impurity, the faithful of God will be much more widely attacked by them. On this account I, or rather the Lord, beseech you as Christ's heralds to publish this everywhere and to persuade all people of whatever rank, foot-soldiers and knights, poor and rich, to carry aid promptly to those Christians and to destroy that vile race from the lands of our friends. I say this to those who are present, it meant also for those who are absent. Moreover, Christ commands it.
For a continuous period of 1,000 years from its foundation, Islam waged an unending war of conquest against Christianity. Millions of Christians were killed, tortured, raped and enslaved by the Muslims between 650 Ad and 1700 AD in Syria, Palestine, Anatolia, Armenia, Byzantium, Greece, Hungary, Turkey, Lebanon, Tunisia, Serbia, Croatia, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, Cyprus, Romania, Serbia, Hungary, France, Portugal and Spain.
CASE IN POINT:
Muslim attack on Armenia, 1059, 30 years before the Crusades.
On Sunday 6th August the siege of Sebastea began, as did the slaughter; thousands of corpses littered the ground. What a dreadful scene. The bodies of highly renowned men were piled in a heap as if a forest of trees had been felled. and the ground was soaked with blood...
They ruthlessly massacred an immense number of people, carried off booty and took untold numbers of captives, men and women, young boys and girls, whom they sold into slavery... Fateful day! In a matter of minutes sebastea and the surrounding plain were bathed in blood. The clear waters of the River Kizil Irmak which cuts through the city walls, suddenly flowed red.
In 1064 the Turks returned. He made his way towards Armenia and entered the country; the inhabitants were put to the sword and driven into slavery. The infidels were so numerous that they covered the plains and closed off al the escape routes. Then he invaded Georgia, bringing death and slavery wherever he went. .. The Turks exterminated all the inhabitants, men, women, priests, monks and nobles; the young boys and girls were taken away captive into Persia.." Chronicle of Matthew of Edessa.
Then the Muslim attack on Byzantium came in 1071, 20 Years Before the Crusades. They killed and slaughtered thousands in the cities of Anatolia. reaching to the very gates of Constantinople.
From The Alexiad of Princess Anna Comnena
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/AnnaComnena-Alexiad15.html
And I think that men who lived then and associated with him must even now be marvelling at what was done then and think it was not real, and it must seem a dream and mere vision to them. For ever since the time when shortly after Diogenes' accession the barbarians first overstepped the boundaries of the Roman Empire and he at first start, [419] as they say, made his disastrous expedition against them, from that time right on to my father's reign the barbarian power was never checked, but swords and spears were whetted against the Christians and there were battles, wars and massacres. Cities were wiped out, countries were laid waste, and the whole Roman territory was defiled with the blood of Christians. For some perished miserably by darts or spears, while others were driven from their homes and led away captive to the cities of Persia. And dread seized them all and they hurried to hide themselves from the dangers that threatened, in the caves and groves and mountains and hills. Among these some lamented aloud over the ills which their friends who had been taken away to Persia were suffering; the few others who still survived in the Roman lands were sighing deeply, and lamenting, one for a son, another for a daughter; or weeping for a brother or a nephew cut off before his time, and shedding bitter tears like women. In fact there was no condition of life free from tears and groans. Of the Emperors not one except a few, I mean Tzimisces and the Emperor Basil, before my father's time ever dared touch the land of Asia at all, even with their toes.
All this happened before the first crusader set foot in the east.
The Crusades were called primarily because of devastating Muslim attacks on Christianity in the east.
From Pope Urban II's call for a crusade at the Council of Clermont in 1095
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/urban2-5vers.html
Freshly quickened by the divine correction, you must apply the strength of your righteousness to another matter which concerns you as well as God. For your brethren who live in the east are in urgent need of your help, and you must hasten to give them the aid which has often been promised them. For, as the most of you have heard, the Turks and Arabs have attacked them and have conquered the territory of Romania [the Greek empire] as far west as the shore of the Mediterranean and the Hellespont, which is called the Arm of St. George. They have occupied more and more of the lands of those Christians, and have overcome them in seven battles. They have killed and captured many, and have destroyed the churches and devastated the empire. If you permit them to continue thus for awhile with impurity, the faithful of God will be much more widely attacked by them. On this account I, or rather the Lord, beseech you as Christ's heralds to publish this everywhere and to persuade all people of whatever rank, foot-soldiers and knights, poor and rich, to carry aid promptly to those Christians and to destroy that vile race from the lands of our friends. I say this to those who are present, it meant also for those who are absent. Moreover, Christ commands it.
For a continuous period of 1,000 years from its foundation, Islam waged an unending war of conquest against Christianity. Millions of Christians were killed, tortured, raped and enslaved by the Muslims between 650 Ad and 1700 AD in Syria, Palestine, Anatolia, Armenia, Byzantium, Greece, Hungary, Turkey, Lebanon, Tunisia, Serbia, Croatia, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, Cyprus, Romania, Serbia, Hungary, France, Portugal and Spain.
CASE IN POINT:
Muslim attack on Armenia, 1059, 30 years before the Crusades.
On Sunday 6th August the siege of Sebastea began, as did the slaughter; thousands of corpses littered the ground. What a dreadful scene. The bodies of highly renowned men were piled in a heap as if a forest of trees had been felled. and the ground was soaked with blood...
They ruthlessly massacred an immense number of people, carried off booty and took untold numbers of captives, men and women, young boys and girls, whom they sold into slavery... Fateful day! In a matter of minutes sebastea and the surrounding plain were bathed in blood. The clear waters of the River Kizil Irmak which cuts through the city walls, suddenly flowed red.
In 1064 the Turks returned. He made his way towards Armenia and entered the country; the inhabitants were put to the sword and driven into slavery. The infidels were so numerous that they covered the plains and closed off al the escape routes. Then he invaded Georgia, bringing death and slavery wherever he went. .. The Turks exterminated all the inhabitants, men, women, priests, monks and nobles; the young boys and girls were taken away captive into Persia.." Chronicle of Matthew of Edessa.
Then the Muslim attack on Byzantium came in 1071, 20 Years Before the Crusades. They killed and slaughtered thousands in the cities of Anatolia. reaching to the very gates of Constantinople.
From The Alexiad of Princess Anna Comnena
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/AnnaComnena-Alexiad15.html
And I think that men who lived then and associated with him must even now be marvelling at what was done then and think it was not real, and it must seem a dream and mere vision to them. For ever since the time when shortly after Diogenes' accession the barbarians first overstepped the boundaries of the Roman Empire and he at first start, [419] as they say, made his disastrous expedition against them, from that time right on to my father's reign the barbarian power was never checked, but swords and spears were whetted against the Christians and there were battles, wars and massacres. Cities were wiped out, countries were laid waste, and the whole Roman territory was defiled with the blood of Christians. For some perished miserably by darts or spears, while others were driven from their homes and led away captive to the cities of Persia. And dread seized them all and they hurried to hide themselves from the dangers that threatened, in the caves and groves and mountains and hills. Among these some lamented aloud over the ills which their friends who had been taken away to Persia were suffering; the few others who still survived in the Roman lands were sighing deeply, and lamenting, one for a son, another for a daughter; or weeping for a brother or a nephew cut off before his time, and shedding bitter tears like women. In fact there was no condition of life free from tears and groans. Of the Emperors not one except a few, I mean Tzimisces and the Emperor Basil, before my father's time ever dared touch the land of Asia at all, even with their toes.
All this happened before the first crusader set foot in the east.
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