Henry Smith claims that no other wars have been as destructive as the Crusades. He claims that on principles, morals, and politics, the Crusades "cannot be justified" (Smith 1909, 468)
No one could have imagined what the Crusades meant from the first to the last. Peter Charanis notes that the motivating factors that prompted the Crusades were "many and complex" (Charanis 1952, 123) and also "difficult to determine" (Charanis 123)
While the goal was to save Christianity from Muslim influence, after the Crusades ended this was not the case. In addition, the Crusades did not establish a way of life in Europe "that had not already begun or that would not have been brought about without these protracted and wasteful wars' (Mansbridge 1973, 109)
Noble contends that while the Crusades did not create anti-Semitism, they "worsened it" (Noble 418). Interestingly, Craig points out that the "long-term achievement" (Craig 2000, 344) of the first three Crusades had "little to do with their purpose" (344)
He sniffs at any sympathetic portrayals of Muslims of either the middle ages or today. Instead he condemns "the steady Muslim conquest of Christian lands over the centuries," which excuses the crusades as a means of "securing borders" between the states dominated by the two religions (Madden 213)
e. penance for their sins)" while also urging the Crusaders to adhere to the battle cry of Deus volt," meaning "God wills it" (Brehier, "Crusades," Internet)
First of all, Muslims considered the Frankish/Crusader kingdoms, towns and other settlements as "alien and illegitimate," due to being "established at the expense of the native population which had been displaced or massacred." Overall, Western Christians after the Crusades were viewed by the Muslim world as "ruthless, bloodthirsty and barbaric," due in part to the murders of thousands of Muslims at the hands of Christian Crusaders (Dajani-Shakeel, Internet)
On July 15, a large contingent of Crusaders crossed from one of the siege towers to the top of the city walls and then fought their way to the gates which were soon opened to allow thousands of Crusaders to enter the city. After a five-week siege, "the Holy City was taken amid a horrible massacre of the inhabitants" (Spielvogel, 276), an event which has come down as one of the bloodiest in Western civilization
The wool sector was the source of development for major ports and towns within the country; however poor infrastructural facilities hindered the development of the large scale industry sector but this was later to change in the period of 18th -19th century as the railway systems and canals were developed. According to (Aberth, 56-78) the development of the transport system in England in the 18th century, positioned the country to become the first industrialized country in the world
Currently the service industry is the largest sector of the economy in the country and the city of London is reportedly currently the world's largest financial centre. The era of crusades in England According to (Abulafia, 156-183) during the middle ages or the era of crusades, England was not as mighty as it is today, it was a small nation, poverty stricken and it had a deficiency in natural resources
The kings of England back then perceived it to be a resource centre for man power, and thou it was financial unstable it was still able to organize a larger army than any other country like France could, this army was trained to fight in France and across the continent. The Kings of England during the era of crusades were also known as the Duke of Normandy, at other times they were also referred to as the Duke of Gascony, Count of Anjou and (Astill and John, 234-253) stated in their studies that the Kings also held titles which meant that they had promised to fight for and be loyal to the French King in exchange for the right to hold on to their land The crusades were mainly called for in the middle ages to defend territories of England against invasion, rebellion and hostility from unfriendly nations, this meant that much of the English wealth, energies and time were spent of crusades
The notable Kings during this era were William II who ruled in the period of 1087-1100, Henry I of 1100-1135, King Stephen of 1135-1154, Henry II of 1154-1189, Richard I OF 1189-1199, John of 1199-1216, Henry III of 1216- 1272 and lastly Edward I of 1272-1307. Impact of crusades on the economy According to (Barron, 101-109) the key major impact of the crusades to England was the opening up of the country to other countries and trade routes which resulted to an increase in trade between England and other countries, this saw Englishmen engage in trading activities as a source of their livelily hood and they also produced goods
The economy experienced growth in business and food security since other trading partners could supplement in food supply when it was insufficient. (Bartlett, 1023-1038) in his studies attribute the development of the World monetary economics to England, which was also the pioneer for the money system and the banking industry
Since the crusades largely depended on finances in order to accomplish their mission, the Kings had a well established taxation system of which they could collect revenues from fines, profits earned in re-minting coins, customs and land taxes. (Blanchard, 323-333) noted in his studies that the period of 12th and 13th century which was also the mid-medieval era saw England experience a tremendous economic growth and its' total population count increased from 1
The coins, had to be minted more in order to satisfy the demand and supply of money in the growing economy. It is important to note that the main four minerals that were mined for commercial purpose in this era were silver, lead, tin and iron (Bolton, 89-93)
The middle class economy also grew as feudalism system declined and on the other hand, money came to be viewed as a source of power, this was later to be known as the foundation of modern day capitalism. The crusade era was also the age of exploration and the development of the mercantile system by the Englishmen this positively impacted the country's economy as Kings of England appointed sailors and explorers who were mandated to find new and quicker methods of trading with the East (Dobbin, 432-449)
The rise of London city as an economic hub for England can also be attributed to the crusade era. Back then the Kings established the city as centre were luxury goods and services were produced and consumed and as early as 1170 London produced exotic products such as furs, gems, incense, palm oil, spices and foreign weapons (Hatcher, 289-301)
This quest resulted into wars, formation of new alliances and the establishment of trade and business relation with other countries. England once perceived to be a poor country that lacked sufficient natural resources was able to rise and become a rich and a powerful nation due to these crusades (Hinton, 67-81)
It was carnage. For three days they put people to the sword, killing more than a hundred thousand people and taking many prisoners" (Sindi)
They didn't have regular showers, did not speak English, and they stank. Under these conditions it's easy for guards to come to think of the prisoners as animals, and dehumanization processes set in" (Zimbardo, 2013)