Crusades :: Crusades Research Papers

Crusades The chapter on The Crusades gives the proper dates of the Holy War, yet does not discuss in detail the information it has. The text is watered down for the grade level and it is written from a Western European viewpoint. A viewpoint that never discusses the feelings and motives of those who were being attacked. The chapter emphasizes the Christian's motives for starting The Crusades as a way to defend their territories and to "free the Holy Land from the Muslim infidels" (Armento, 296). The text never discusses the underlying reasons such as "the ambition of princes' to carve a principality in the far East, [the] interest of Italian towns to acquire the products of the far East more directly and cheaply, and thousands [of people's] hope of acquiring [spiritual enlightenment]" (Barker, 11) by participating in The Crusades. Many of the leaders wanted to be known and many of the people were interested of the spices, silks and luxury items that could be found only in the Far East. The Holy Wars were meant to "reestablish the Roman Catholic Christianity in the Eastern Mediterranean basin, [but] The Crusades [were in reality] wars of European expansion" (Bentley, 474). Not only did believers feel that the Holy Land must be returned to them but in the process other territories would be conquered i n the name of the Roman Catholic Christianity. The text refers to the Crusades as "eight wars Europeans fought to free the Holy Land from the Muslims"(Armento, 296) and only communicates the Western European viewpoint. No other viewpoint is brought into the text to show both sides of the story. The text does not inform the reader about the Crusades as "eight wars the Muslims fought to defend Jerusalem." In Across the Centuries, Saladin is given power as ruler by the caliph. According to Elizabeth Hallam, "[Saladin] abolished the Fatimid caliphate and brought Egypt under the rule of the powerful sultan, [and when Nur ad-Din and his son died], Saladin made himself uncontested ruler of a unified Muslim Levant"(156). The information of how Saladin rose to power came incorrect from the lesson. There is not much said in the lesson about Saladin and none of his background is mentioned in the text. Once again the only the Western European viewpoint is portrayed to the readers. Not only is the text based only on the Western European viewpoint, but also omits information.