What Were the Crusades?

Here is a very basic answer to that question.                                                                                                                                    


In 1054, a great schism occurred in the church. It was now divided into two sects: the Christian Orthodox Church (the Byzantine sect, that is) and the Roman Catholic Church. But soon, the two would be forced into uniting with one another.
 

Throughout 1071-1094, the Christian Byzantines were continually harassed by the Muslim Turks---or, as the Christians called them, Saracens. Four-hundred years before, the city of Jerusalem had been in Christian control, but finally fell to the aggressive barbaric and invading Seljuk Turks that victoriously swept across the Middle East. The Turks were proclaiming their Jihad, (Jihad is the Turkish word for struggle) on the innocent Christians. But Christendom would respond in a holy war that would pass down through history as legend and would never be forgotten. It would be termed the Crusades.


The word "crusade" is not always applied presently with its original definition. This is not the story of Indiana Jones. It was something that really happened. The Crusades are a true story of real events that really happened.


Although today Henry V,  the most famous of all English monarchs, now stands number one on the list for the most renowned of England's royal history, he was not always the top guy. The most famous Crusader, who led tens of thousands of mebearing the famous sign of the red cross, one of the prominent leaders of the Third Crusade, who knew the Scriptures and quoted the Scriptures in front of his men, King Richard the Lionheart of England, was for centuries recognized as the greatest of all kings; it was not until recent years that he has started to become ''the bad guy'' because of the political correctness credited to Muslims today.


What many books fail to mention today is that the Crusades only began because Muslims then and now, have always tried to enforce their religion upon others. The only reason the Crusades ever began was to protect innocent Christians.


Romans 13 tells us that the government does not carry the sword for any vain reason. Would that reference not also support Christians fighting in war from time to time? I want my books to be enjoyed by my readers, but I also want my books to change peoples' minds on the Crusades.


I hope that my post has been helpful to anyone on here, who is not familiar with the Crusades, and I invite my readers to share any further thoughts!