If You Thought the Crusades Were Evil, Think Again

If you think you know enough about the Crusades you’re probably wrong. As a matter of fact, what everyone “knows” about the series of historical events known as the Crusades may not be true. In fact, from the many popular notions about them, let’s pick four and see if they bear close examination. The four myths to be dealt with are the following:

1. The crusades represented an unprovoked attack by Western Christians on the Muslim world.
2. Western Christians went on crusade because their greed led them to plunder Muslims in order to get rich.
3. Crusaders were a cynical lot who did not really believe their own religious propaganda; rather, they had ulterior, materialistic motives.
4. The crusades taught Muslims to hate and attack Christians.

And here is how they can be demystified. A very useful read well worth the time.