Novus America wrote:Nea Byzantia wrote:I disagree. The original purpose was to get a piece of the pie in the Silk Road; but that doesn't exactly get the knights of Europe to sign up for your cause; introduce the Liberation of Jerusalem, a Papal Indulgence, and Let's-Lick-Those-Muslims-Over-There; and you've got yourself a devoted fighting force.
But I do agree that Islam was a threat to Europe; and you could make the argument that many of the later wars against the Ottoman Empire; striving to halt their advance into Central and Eastern Europe constitute Crusades in it of themselves.
Well whose original purpose are we talking about?
There were many different parties involved.
For the Italian banking clans sure. But they did not do it alone.
That's right, they used the Franks and Germanics as patsies.