VIDEO: Why did the Crusades end? w/ Harald Baldr

VIDEO: Why did the Crusades end? w/ Harald Baldr 

REAL CRUSADES CHANNEL

Godfrey of Bouillon: Leader of the First Crusade and Liberator of Jerusalem

Godfrey of Bouillon

The leaders of the Christian armies which now quitted the West were already celebrated by their valor and their deeds. At the head of the great captains who commanded in this crusade, history, as well as poetry, must place Godfrey de Bouillon, duke of the Lower Lorraine.

Children of the Crusades

Children of the Crusades 

Dr. Helena Schrader 

Latest Real crusades videos within...

Today, on 710th the anniversary of Philip IV's "coup" against the Knights Templar and before readers are totally distracted by "Knightfall", I wanted to reflect on the origins of the great "militant orders" of which the Knights Templar were the most prominent.

LATEST REAL CRUSADES HISTORY VIDEOS...

LATEST REAL CRUSADES HISTORY VIDEOS...

 So many misconceptions and myths surrounding the Crusades.  Educate yourself...

The Battle on the Litani: June 1179

The Battle on the Litani: June 1179

SOURCE
Includes the video Caliphs and Kings: Islamic Spain, 796-1031

The Battle on the Litani has not received much attention in the history of the crusader states. It is often completely ignored or acknowledged with no more than a passing mention. While it is true that this battle was only one in a series of indecisive engagements between Salah ad-Din and the forces of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in the decade before the disaster at Hattin in July 1187, it was a sad precursor of things to come and is not entirely uninteresting. 

The Powerful Women of Outremer

The Powerful Women of Outremer 

Dr. Helena Schrader

In addition two videos on the Crusades (Pope Urban II & St. Bernard)

The crusader states, established at the beginning of the 12 century, rapidly developed unique political institutions and their own legal traditions. One of the most interesting ways in which they set themselves apart from contemporary societies was the prominent role played by women.  In the surrounding Muslim world, of course, women had neither names nor faces, much less a voice, in public. In the Byzantine Empire, while women enjoyed considerable freedom, wealth, education and influence, they did not directly hold power.  Western Europe in the 12th century saw several very powerful female rulers, notably the Empress Matilda and Eleanor of Aquitaine, yet the crusader kingdoms stand out because the high status of women in the Holy Land was more comprehensive and institutionalized than in either the Eastern Empire or Western Europe.

Liberation or Oppression? Native Christians and the Crusades

Liberation or Oppression? Native Christians and the Crusades 

SOURCE

It is commonplace for people to portray the crusaders not only as barbarians vis-à-vis their Islamic enemies, but as “oppressors” of the native Christian populations that lived under crusader rule.  These popular views have their roots in books by scholars such as Runciman, Smail and Prawer, all of whom have argued to varying degrees that the crusader elites, like colonists, lived segregated lives from the natives of the Holy Land, and (as Prawer put it) practiced a form of “apartheid.” Yet, other historians have argued quite the opposite, claiming those crusaders who settled in Outremer soon “went native” and became “more oriental than European.” Based on the most recent research and archaeological evidence, the picture of crusader-native relations is undergoing a revision again.

Archaeologists discover a treasure-laden shipwreck from the Crusades

Archaeologists discover a treasure-laden shipwreck from the Crusades

SOURCE

Video included: Top 5 Myths About the Crusades

The year 1291 A.D. was a dark year for Christian Crusaders in the Holy Land. When the Crusader capital of Jerusalem was lost to Saladin in 1187, the Haifa Bay port of Acre became the new landing site for European soldiers, knights, and horses as well as an international trading hub for the export of sugar, spices, glass, and textiles back to Europe. But by the spring of 1291, an Egyptian sultan, Al-Ashraf Khalil, had moved in with 100,000 cavalry and foot soldiers to banish the Crusaders from the Holy Land once and for all.

The "Leper King" - Baldwin IV of Jerusalem

The "Leper King" - Baldwin IV of Jerusalem 

Dr. Helena Schrader

Baldwin IV was arguably one of the Kingdom of Jerusalem's most able kings, effectively beating back no less than three invasions led by Saladin. Tragically, he has gone down in history as the "Leper King" simply because he was suffered from leprosy throughout his reign and succumbed to the disease before he reached his 24th birthday.

Baldwin IV as depicted in Ridley Scott's film "The Kingdom of Heaven"

Baldwin was born in 1161, the second child of Amalric of Jerusalem and Amalric's first wife, Agnes de Courtney. At the time of his birth, his father was the younger brother and heir apparent to the childless King Baldwin III of Jerusalem. 

The "Conquest" of Edessa: Crusader Adaptation and Assimilation

The "Conquest" of Edessa: Crusader Adaptation and Assimilation 

Dr. Helena Schrader

New Crusade video within...Why Did King Richard Execute the Muslim Garrison at Acre?

The establishment of the crusader “county” of Edessa is often ― at least implicitly ― treated as a “conquest.” The impression conveyed is that the crusaders (or Franks) invaded, seized control of territory by force, and established a state (in this case styled a “County”) that was controlled by Latin elites. But Baldwin of Boulogne was accompanied by just sixty knights when he followed an invitation from a local warlord, Thoros, to go to Edessa. As Christopher MacEvitt makes clear in his meticulous study The Crusades and the Christian World of the East: Rough Tolerance, the crusader County of Edessa was more a complex network of local alliances than an invasion ― much less a colony.

Battles of the Crusades: The Road to Dorylaeum

Battles of the Crusades: The Road to Dorylaeum

SOURCE

I'm pleased to present the first entry in the "Battles of the Crusades" series by Rand Brown II. Rand will be bringing us short essays on some of the most important battles of the crusades at irregular intervals. For each battle, he plans to provide a discussion of the circumstances, leadership, forces and objectives in one entry and a description of the battle, its aftermath and consequences in a second. He starts with the Battle of Dorylaeum in the First Crusade.

Popular Misconceptions about the Crusades: A Rebuttal

Popular Misconceptions about the Crusades: A Rebuttal

SOURCE

Readers of this blog will be familiar with (and annoyed by) popular misconceptions about the crusades -- such as blaming the rise of the Islamic State  on the alleged "atrocities" and "aggression" of the crusaders, or lumping the crusades together with the "holocaust" as one of the worst crimes against humanity in human history. Nevertheless, you may find the following concise rebuttal of common myths useful in your own discussions with people who have fallen victim to persistent misinformation.

Montgisard, November 25, 1177

Montgisard, November 25, 1177 

Dr. Helena Schrader 

On November 25, 1177 a Frankish army under the command of a 16-year-old leper routed the army of the mighty Sultan of Cairo and Damascus, Salah ad-Din. It was a surprise victory to say the least, and won by a mere fragment of the Frankish chivalry (because a large portion of the knights of the kingdom were campaigning in the north) and the hastily summoned, amateur infantry of the arrière ban. 

 

Pope Pius III & A Day That Sparked The Crusades

Pope Pius III & A Day That Sparked The Crusades

Nobility.org

 B. at Siena, 29 May, 1439; elected 22 Sept., 1503; d. in Rome, 18 Oct., 1503, after a pontificate of four weeks. Piccolomini was the son of a sister of Pius II. He had passed his boyhood in destitute circumstances when his uncle took him into his household, bestowed upon him his family name and arms, and superintended his training and education. 

War by Other Means: Diplomacy of the Third Crusade – Part I: Testing the Limits

War by Other Means: Diplomacy of the Third Crusade 

– Part I: Testing the Limits 

Dr. Helena Schrader 

The German military philosopher, Carl von Clausewitz, famously described war as “the continuation of politics by other means” and as “an act of force to compel the enemy to do our will.” Diplomacy on the other hand is the attempt to obtain political objectives without the use of force. War and diplomacy, however, are intimately related because every military leader seeks to obtain his objectives (both military and political) with the minimum casualties. A diplomatic victory that delivers an important military objective bloodlessly ― whether it’s as small as a bridge or as big as a kingdom ― is always preferred over a bloody battle or all out war.

Sacred Scripture Praises Wars Against the Enemies of the Faith

SOURCE

What Popes, Saints, Doctors and Theologians Think Regarding the Lawfulness of War (contd.)

The Death of Agag, by Gustave Doré. God had commanded Samuel to “completely destroy” the Amalekites.

Francisco Suárez, S.J., a theologian of renowned authority in traditional Catholic thought, writes in De Bello, his famous compendium of the Church’s doctrine on war:

TradCatKnight Radio, Dr. Bill Warner "Islamic Expose: Jihad vs. Crusades"

TradCatKnight Radio, Dr. Bill Warner "Islamic Expose: Jihad vs. Crusades"

Talk given 10-13-16   (aprx 1 hr 5mins)

Disclaimer: Not all the views of my guests represent the TradCatKnight/Catholic position.

Note: Audio quality is dependent upon skype connectivity which is typically not great. Maximize the volume on both your computer and the youtube video itself.

Dr. Bill Warner has been a physicist, businessman and professor. He is the director of the Center for the Study of Political Islam. He is the first person to use the scientific method to produce a Koran that can be easily understood.
He made the other two sacred texts of Islam, the Sira (Mohammed’s biography) and the Hadith (his Traditions) simple to read and understand. He has written a dozen books on Islam. His Sharia Law for Non-Muslims is an international best seller.
He developed the first self-study courses on Islam -- The Foundations of Islam and a three level training—A Self-Study Course on Political Islam, that explains Islamic political doctrine.
Dr. Warner is a renowned national and international speaker on the topics of Islamic doctrine and history.

Francis: 'to kill in the name of God is satanic'

Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) "Pope" Francis on Wednesday morning celebrated Mass for the French priest of Rouen, Fr. Jacques Hamel, whom he described, is part of the chain of Christian martyrs that runs throughout the history of the Church.
Father Hamel was murdered while celebrating Mass in his Parish Church by two men swearing allegiance to the so-called Islamic State in July.

Video of the Day- Why Were the Crusades Fought?

Video of the Day- Why Were the Crusades Fought?

Real Crusades History takes us back in time as they answer why the Crusades were fought.  There are many false Christians who try to make it appear as though the Crusades were evil when in fact they were holy.

The Crusades: A Concise Overview for Students 

Video Series by Real Crusades History

 This is a good overall summary of the Crusades for newbies and experts alike.  Please take time out to watch the videos and help circulate them.  Can anyone doubt that new Crusade needs to be called?