Motives behind the Crusades

Knights Templar a.k.a.
Freemasons (wink..wink..)

          The primary motives for the Crusades were religious convictions, opportunity for adventure, stemming violence at home, and economic benefits including new fiefs and lands.  Examining each motive individually, we can see that one did not necessarily take precedent over the others, but instead, each was part of a broad mosaic, with certain groups giving weight to specific reasons that benefitted them the most.

          Religion can be considered a primary reason for the Crusades among many involved, while at the same time secondary to others.  There were many pious bishops and priests that used their own zeal to motivate warriors and knights who in turn felt their own holy duty to “take the cross”.  There were also undoubtedly many bishops and priests who sought vassals to gain new holdings for them, using religious language to shroud more selfish motivations.  The Crusades lasted for two-hundred years.  It is hard to believe that economic reasons alone could sustain such an endeavor, especially considering that a whole continent participated.  What unified Europe was Christianity.  And it was through Christianity that generations of families went to war in the east.  This is not to say that religion was the only motive for everyone involved.  In fact, many – maybe even most – saw an opportunity for vast material gain, and for some it was just a matter of having something to do.
          Late marriage habits among men in the Middle Ages meant that there was a lot of restless testosterone present Christian Europe.  This translated into violence between neighbors and even amongst families.  Young men who were trained to fight found themselves with no real way to express their identities.  This setting provided for two other motivations to partake in the Crusades.  No. 1; Kings and Lords happily sent these anxious fighters to the east, giving them a real war and a real enemy.  No. 2; The warriors in turn gladly accepted the call out of little more than a need to feel excitement and adventure.
          It is also impossible to think about any conflict in the history of humanity without considering the economic motivating factors, and in this the Crusades were no different.  The most obvious of these is land and the agricultural wealth that comes with it.  Opportunistic nobleman saw in the east fresh chances to gain new fiefs, and by fighting hard and winning glory for their Lord or King, their chances at being granted more holdings increased.  Even the commoners at home found ways to achieve economic gain.  Nobles often put up ground as collateral for loans from members of the middle-class, and if they didn’t make it back these working folks could gain new wealth and move up the social ladder very quickly.

Saladin, hero of the Muslims.
Also, great-great-great-great-great
great-great-great-great grandfather
of Osama Bin-Laden

          One of the main consequences of the Crusades was the migration of Europeans to the east.  Although the manors and pseudo-states they formed in Palestine and Syria were eventually taken back by the Muslims, remnants of the lives these people established still remain.  The commercial ties they formed proved to be more lasting, with Muslim and European (especially Italian) merchants continuing to do business well into later centuries.  There were also truly unfortunate consequences; namely, the bitterness established between Muslims and Christians, and the treatment Jews received.

          In Western Europe Jews were viewed with increasing disdain.  They were often referred to as “Christ killers” and were accused of using the Eucharist in their own counter-rituals.  Christian merchants saw their Jewish counterparts as a threat to business and in turn spewed accusations at them that led to blood rivalries.  Eventually, Jews would be altogether expelled from England and France. 
          The effort to conquer and convert Muslims permeated Christianity throughout history, and the effects of the Crusades can be seen in contemporary society.  Just recently, President George W. Bush’s use of the term “crusade” to describe the United States’ war on terror caused an outcry among many Arabs as they saw America’s actions as just another holy war being perpetrated against them.  The Jewish people are also again caught up in the legacy of the Middle Ages.  The modern state of Israel is seen by many middle-eastern states as a twentieth-century manifestation of the Crusades.  So even today the two-hundred year Holy War burns in the consciousness of many people, and the legacy of the Crusades can be gleaned in such contemporary terms as infidel, Zionism, and terrorism.