One of the most vital aspects of Christianity's history, the Crusades were a perpetual series of ongoing 'holy' wars – wars that went for a long period and were authorized by successive Popes and were originally waged by the Christians. The time period of the wars of the Crusades ranged from about 1095 to the late 13th century, almost the end of it.
The main purpose behind the waging of the Crusades was to recover the Holy Sepulchre that was located in the holy city of Jerusalem and other sacred places from the Mohammadens. The literary comprehension of the word is actually a derivation from the Spanish cruzada that means 'marked with a cross'.
Basically there were three factors that led to the Crusades. The first cause was the definite menace that the pilgrims endured while travelling to the Holy Sepulchre from the Seljuk Turks, who had overrun Syria, Palestine and even Anatolia. Secondly, the war pronounced a desire to expand territory and acquire complete control of the trade routes. And the last reason, the reason why the Crusades are referred to as 'holy' wars was to establish Christianity as the universal religion of the world, even if that takes them to use force. A modern version of the Crusades is the 'war against terrorism', whose apparent title thoroughly belies its purpose that could be clearly observed in the cruelty and bloodshed this war 'against' terror has brought in the states of Afghanistan and Iraq.
The main purpose behind the waging of the Crusades was to recover the Holy Sepulchre that was located in the holy city of Jerusalem and other sacred places from the Mohammadens. The literary comprehension of the word is actually a derivation from the Spanish cruzada that means 'marked with a cross'.
Basically there were three factors that led to the Crusades. The first cause was the definite menace that the pilgrims endured while travelling to the Holy Sepulchre from the Seljuk Turks, who had overrun Syria, Palestine and even Anatolia. Secondly, the war pronounced a desire to expand territory and acquire complete control of the trade routes. And the last reason, the reason why the Crusades are referred to as 'holy' wars was to establish Christianity as the universal religion of the world, even if that takes them to use force. A modern version of the Crusades is the 'war against terrorism', whose apparent title thoroughly belies its purpose that could be clearly observed in the cruelty and bloodshed this war 'against' terror has brought in the states of Afghanistan and Iraq.
