Abstract
This paper examines the first and third Crusades in terms of their success and failure and ultimately their impact on Christian-Muslim relations in the Middle East. The author describes the first Crusade and the eventual internal conflicts among the Christians that allowed Muslims to rise up against the Europeans. Leaders on both sides are described, especially Saladin. The paper gives historic details of various battles, with particular emphasis on the fight for control of Jerusalem. The paper includes a discussion of anti-Western attitudes by Muslims that may have developed as a result of the Crusades.

From the Paper
" Generally speaking, the First Crusade was ignited in 1095 by predominantly French Christians whose main intention was to seize the sacred city of Jerusalem from Muslim control. This First Crusade was considered as a magnificent success in 1099, due to the crusaders conquering Jerusalem and maintaining control of the Holy Land for seventy-eight years despite much Muslim restlessness and bitter resentment. Internal conflicts among these crusaders then began to increase as a result of more nations joining in their actions against the Muslims. Some of these conflicts include arguments on leadership, political differences and war strategies."

Tags:Crusades, Muslims, Jerusalem, Holy, Land, Saladin, Richard, the, Lionhearted

Abstract
The paper asserts that most people in the West have only a partial understanding of the people of the Middle East and too often see those people through their own social and historical prism. The paper discusses how this was recalled when the current war in Iraq began and U.S. government officials were cautioned against using the term "crusade" to refer to the war being fought against terrorists and others in the Middle East. The paper explains that this term has a neutral coloration in the West, while it recalls the earlier Crusades to the people of the Middle East and has an aura of imperialism and Western superiority. The paper looks at how much of this is analyzed in the book "The Crusades Through Arab Eyes" by Amin Maalouf.

From the Paper
"Most people in the West have only a partial understanding of the people of the Middle East and too often see those people through their own social and historical prism. This was recalled when the current war in Iraq began and U.S. government officials were cautioned against using the term "crusade" to refer to the war being fought against terrorists and others in the Middle East. The term has a neutral coloration in the West, while it recalls the earlier Crusades to the people of the Middle East and has an aura of imperialism and Western superiority. Much of this is analyzed in the book "The Crusades Through Arab Eyes" by Amin Maalouf. Amin Maalouf is a Lebanese journalist and novelist. His native language is..."

Tags:crusades, arab, maalouf

Abstract
This paper gives a historic overview of the Crusades from an Islamic perspective. Additionally, the author considers the Crusades from political and religious perspectives. The paper traces the consolidation of the Muslim world and the mass conversions to Islam. Also presented are the changes in Islamic outlooks from being open to outside influences such as science to a more dogmatic faith. The paper concludes by contrasting the centralized European church with the more factional Islamic world.

From the Paper
"The Western powers fought the Crusades against the Muslims for several reasons, of which the religious element was only one. The Muslim world at the time was divided into factions, and Muslim Spain had started to go its own way in the eighth century. Much of the Muslim world was by then under attack from the Seljuk Turks, but the Muslims were also in control of the Holy Lands, the seat of Christianity. In the eleventh century, European Christians set out on the Crusades to recapture the Holy lands, especially the city of Jerusalem. The Crusaders saw an opportunity because of the divisions within the Muslim world at that time. The Christian world also suffered its own divisions, such as the splitting off of the Byzantine Empire because of the disintegration of the Holy Roman Empire. This left the Greeks in power in the East, while the remains of the Roman world were in power in the West. The Church now had eastern and western factions."

Tags:Crusades, Christianity, Islam, Muslims

Abstract
The paper discusses the main motivators of the Crusades. The paper further examines how the historian Riley-Smith reminds us that violence was normal and widespread during this historical period and how the Church was unable to distance itself from this violence. The paper analyzes the historical relationship between the Christians and the Muslims.

From the Paper
"The main motivators of the Crusades were many and various. The historian Riley-Smith reminds us that violence was normal and widespread during this historical period (i.e. the Middle Ages), and furthermore that the Church was unable to distance itself from this violence. He also points out that although the common people of the time had some prejudices against Muslims, regarding them as idolatrous polygamists, they did not have such a complete set of prejudices that they would have been motivated to go off and fight a long way from home. However, what was important was that over a period of centuries, society had become thoroughly militarized."

Tags:crusades, christian, muslims

Abstract
This paper contends that the cause-and-effect patterns of the crusades are the most critical observations for the analytical observer and historian of the period. The paper explains that the crusades was a period of closely linked causes and effects. Malcolm Billings, in his historical work, "The Crusades: Five Centuries of Holy Wars," attacks and categorizes these causes and effects with gusto and relentless energy. The paper examines how Billings diffuses myths that the crusades was a dark ages type period.

Outline
Introduction
Cause/Effect in The Crusades
Change and Continuity
Ideas in The Crusades
Interpretations of The Crusades

From the Paper
"Another strength of the narrative is the way in which Billings deals with change and continuity and also the concept of ideas. The crusades period, after all, was a period of immense technological and social change against the continuity of five centuries of war, so any examination of the period must include an analysis and commentary on the juxtaposition of the two. Also, with that backdrop of religious fervor and the missionary belief structure, the crusades also were one of the first eras with respect for new ideas in western history. Billings deals with the concept of ideas and their ramifications and their acceptance or denial throughout the work."

Tags:five, centuries, war

Abstract
The paper discusses motivations, reasons and causative factors for the Crusades. The paper describes the seven crusades and their outcomes. The paper examines the view that the Crusades were a power-driven and imperialistic attempt to take over other regions under the guise of religion. The paper shows how the various Crusades had a profound effect on the social, cultural and political development of the world and were possibly the precursor to the era of European expansionism and eventual colonization.

Outline:
Abstract
Introduction
Motivations, Reasons and Causative Factors for the Crusades
Consequences of the Crusades
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The Crusades were an historical event that are often understood in conventional terms to have been a "fulfillment of a solemn vow, to deliver the Holy Places from Mohammedan tyranny." (Crusades) However the crusades from a contemporary point of view are often debated and seen from different perspectives. For example, the Crusades are also described as "...war-pilgrimages proclaimed by the Popes on Christ's behalf and waged for the recovery of Christian territory or people, or in their defense." ( Riley-Smith, J. 2000, p.20) The reasons and the underlying historical facets are complex and the historical significance of the various crusades has had a profound and complex effect on the modern world."

Tags:Middle, Ages, Pope, religion

Abstract
The paper reveals that although many people have romantic notions of the Crusades, in reality, the Crusades were a series of military campaigns. The paper describes the nine Crusades that were religious in nature. The paper explains that the Crusades began as a Roman Catholic effort to recapture the Holy Land from the Muslims, but also targeted other religions and minority groups within Europe, including Jews and non-Roman Catholic Christians. The paper explains that while the Crusades were unsuccessful at their goals of ending Muslim occupation of the Holy Lands, they did play an important role in the history of Western Europe and the Middle East.

From the Paper
"Given the political events of modern times, it is not difficult to understand the type of religious fervor that would give rise to a religious-based military campaign. However, one can better understand the Crusades if one understands the developments that were happening in Western Europe throughout the Early Middle Ages. (Wikipedia). While much of the Dark Ages was characterized by constant struggles between European countries over borders, by the Early Middle Ages borders had stabilized. In addition, during the Dark Ages, much of Western Europe was still under the influence of pagan religions. However, by the Early Middle Ages, the Vikings, the Slavs, and the Magyars had been converted to Christianity."

Tags:Dark, Ages, religion, Muslims, Jerusalem

Abstract
The paper reviews the book, "The Crusades", where Hans Eberhard Mayer presents a comprehensive history of the Crusades. The paper shows how Mayer uses the context of the societies that produced the crusaders to explain how and why they happened. The paper also discusses how Mayer dispels the notion that the Crusades were a single movement carried out by a united European front on a monolithic Muslim people. In addition, the paper explains Mayer's idea that there were many Crusades that happened for many different reasons and produced many different and mostly disastrous results.

From the Paper
"In his book, The Crusades, Hans Eberhard Mayer presents a comprehensive history of the Crusades. Although this book was first published in Germany and translated into English in 1965, its subject has taken on new and deeper relevance now, forty years later. Mayer uses the context of the societies that produced the crusaders to explain how and why they happened. As Mayer describes it, the people of the emerging states of Europe had existed largely in isolation since the heyday of the Roman Empire. They had literally come to believe that they were the center of the universe. The fact that the pope and the capitals of the eastern and western empires (Rome and Constantinople) were all in the northern Mediterranean region was proof of this. According to Mayer, the crusades changed European consciousness towards the Muslim people and culture beyond their borders."

Tags:Muslims, Christians, Jerusalem, Europeans, Holy, Land

Abstract
This paper discusses the Crusades, one of the major activities of Christianity during the Middle Ages which began in 1095, triggered by the desire to reach and conquer the Islamic believers who were occupying the Holy Lands. It attempts to understand what the purpose of the crusaders was and whether they were successful at achieving that goal. Through a literature review, it shows how historically, there isn't even a complete agreement about what actually happened during the Crusades, or even exactly when they took place and what the overall impact of the Crusades was and whether or not they were successful.

From the Paper
"The Fourth Crusade, although technically under the Pope's control, was actually never responsive to his authority. Their decision to take over the already Christian Constantinople made it abundantly clear that the goal of strengthening and uniting Christianity was not paramount. Although the Fifth Crusade was assembled with the deliberate aim of restoring power and authority over the Crusades to the Pope, it too was basically a failure. It was the diplomatic strategy of Frederick II during the Sixth Crusade that finally resulted in even a small gain of territory for the Christians. However, as we have seen earlier, the Crusades themselves had actually been considered a basic failure by this time."

Tags:islam, christianity, pope, holy, land

Abstract
This paper explains the period in history, known as the Crusades, where Western European Christians led a series of wars against the Muslims in an effort to reclaim Jerusalem. The paper also explains that, while the term Crusades literally refers to the period when the Christians were fighting the Muslims over Jerusalem, it also has come to refer to the general efforts that Western European Christians led against non-Christian religions. The paper also describes the economic and social consequences of the crusades.

From the Paper
"The most significant effect of the Crusades was economic (Origins pp). Italian cities prospered, replacing the Byzantines and Muslims as merchant-traders in the Mediterranean as trade passed through Italians to Western Europe at a substantial profit (Origins pp). This commercial power became the economic base for the Italian Renaissance and also encouraged Atlantic powers such as Spain and Portugal to seek trade routes to India and China (Origins pp). The efforts of such explorers as Vasco da Gama and Christopher Columbus, helped to initiate and expand most of the world to European trade dominance and colonization, as well as to shift the heart of commercial activity from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic (Origins pp)."

Tags:holy, land, military, effort, christendom, religion, military, enterprises, caliph, umar