Seven Myths of the Crusades
by Alfred J. Andrea and Andrew Holt, eds.
Cambridge, Mass.: Hackett Publishing, 2015. 248 pp. $54 ($19, paper).
As the editors make clear in their preface, Seven Myths of the Crusades is presented as an antidote to the “outpouring of exaggerations, misperceptions, errors, misrepresentations, and fabrications” that proliferate in popular discourse about the Crusades. In the course of seven chapters, each written by a specialist and supported by scholarly notes and fresh research, this short primer examines and exposes the many anachronisms around the Crusades.
Andrea, professor emeritus, University of Vermont, and Holt of Florida State College make their basic assumption clear from the outset stating that the “notion that medieval people … were ‘just like us’ and acted out of motives very much like our own … has led to some basic misunderstandings of the crusades and the people involved in them.”
While not all chapters are equally enlightening, the more useful ones deal with large and important themes including whether the Crusaders were motivated by “proto-colonialist greed, irrational fanaticism, or sincere piety.” Paul Crawford examines whether the First Crusade was an “unprovoked offense or overdue defense” against Islam while Mona Hamad and Edward Peters question whether modern-day Muslims actually still hold a grudge against the West because they have “a nine-hundred-year-long grievance.”
A few sections—such as those dealing with the Children’s Crusade and Templar myths—while intrinsically interesting, are less sweeping in their significance. Others do not so much debunk myths as provide up-to-date scholarship: Daniel P. Franke’s “The Crusades and Medieval Anti-Judaism: Cause or Consequence?” for example, does not minimize the plight of European Jews but rather places it in historical context.
Despite President Obama down-playing ISIS atrocities by invoking the Crusades in February 2015, this book convincingly demonstrates that his view runs “counter to the mainstream of today’s scholarly interpretation—a general consensus built upon decades of research, reflection, and debate.”
[A book review, Middle East Quarterly]

Champ says
The Truth About the Crusades – Christian Resistance Against Islamic Jihad
Video includes a map of these battles:
Angemon says
God bless Bill Warner.
ECAW says
I contacted Professor Holt recently to ask for a historian’s view of Bill Warner’s battle map and he confirmed that is accurate.
His site is full of useful information such as these views of historians about Karen Armstrong’s version of the Crusades:
https://apholt.com/2016/06/01/crusade-historians-and-karen-armstrong/
Keys says
Perfect visual for this article, Champ.
Mark Davidson says
Excellent!!!!
Will Doohan says
Thanks for the video champ
Tommy says
College students are being lied to, and they could care less
somehistory says
Probably most of them couldn’t care less. It’s fairly hard to care less when one does not care at all.
When a person knows the truth, it places a responsibility upon them that many don’t wish to carry or try to fulfill.
Nigel GFF says
God’s Battalions: The Case for the Crusades, by Rodney Stark is, in my opinion, a good intro’ to this thorny subject.
Michael Johnson says
The crusades need to return the Christians need to retake lands taken from them
Pal says
Michael, AMEN!
Will Doohan says
I agree. If Muslims can say that any land that they have ever occupied is theirs forever, then the “Christian” West should proclaim the same principle and retake North Africa.
eduardo odraude says
Bernard Lewis says Jihad is an unlimited offensive to bring the whole world under Islamic law; Christian crusades a defensive, limited response to, and imitation of, jihad
From pp.233-234 of (LINK:) The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2000 Years:
quotingislam.blogspot.com
eduardo odraude says
Not only that. But the vicious aspect of the behavior of Spanish conquistadors can surely be traced, in part, to the 700-year influence of Islam’s jihad culture in Spain. The Spaniards had only managed to kick the invader Muslims out of Spain shortly before Columbus sailed for the Americas.
Baucent says
Churchill correctly noted that Islam was the most retrograde force in the World. In places where Christian civilization was displaced by Islam, those nations are backward, socially, economically and academically. There are places in Turkey, once part of the Byzantine empire, that today the villages don’t have running water. They are built on the ruins of Roman and Byzantine cities that once boasted aquaducts and advanced engineering, irrigation and magnificent buildings with running water. All destroyed by the muslim hordes now aped by ISIS Islamists in place like Palmyra. The potential economic wealth that was lost to the world in the old Eastern Roman empire because of Islam is breathtaking. Just look at the countries of the Western Roman Empire, all now Ist world powerhouse economies. The only difference is Islam’s influence until recent decades has been small in these countries. Islam is the retrograde force that destroys rather than innovates.
rappini says
Great piece but how about we start another Crusade today and finish this Jihad.
vivienne Leijonhufvu (@goldaleijonhufv) says
I was correctly educated Mr. Ibrahim it is a pity many of today’s members of society are not. ISLAM has been the scourge of the world since the 7th Century. Saudi since ’73 has ratcheted up this backward looking religion exponentially since 73 as has Iran. The world just didn’t see it coming – none so blind as idiots.
Myron J. Poltroonian says
I’ve made this observation now for the past several years. I wasn’t being prescient, just being real. It was the “Nation” of Turkey’s Caliphate and its ideological descendants, whose actions in the name of “The Religion Of Peace”, that are what inspired me to pen what I call “Nation Renaming”:
How about this. Instead of “Nation Building”, after throwing out their terrorist supporting regimes in the Middle East and/or the so called “Tribal Areas”, let us try (preemptive) “Nation Renaming”. Yes! Lets let them be known as “NukeStan” [pronounced: Nuke’-Es-Stan.] (Only until or unless they change their evil ways, of course.) Two or three examples should be enough. If not, then reduce to molten glass those places they hold most dear. (Mecca, Medina, etc. .. .)
I do have a serious question though: Have you ever stopped to examine why so many of you had the reaction to this thought you just did? The only reason I can come up with is the fear (based on reality) of real world, barbaric, pre-planned violence, committed against civilians where you and other innocents live. You are asking for civil, restrained “reactive defense” towards those who despise you for living and breathing on the very same planet as they. We, in the West, view reporters and artist’s, women and children, Doctors and Nurses, their patients and the elderly, for example, as “hold harmless” bystanders and completely off limits in any combat. The radical terrorists, practicing the “Religion of Peace”, as it is referred to by the politically correct in charge of leading us in this war declared on the West, do not so consider it to be. To Jihadist’s, it is a holy call to arms. A call to subjugate or destroy all nonbelievers. It is a war which has been declared against all of humanity (not just the West) that either does not believe as they do or submit to their will. They only gain strength and power in their world, by our appearance of weakness, and revel in the throat-slitting, baby-killing, Mosque; Church; Synagogue; Temple; Alter desecration and marketplace bombings, as well as the suicide killings of any and everyone in or around such places committed by these vermin who hide behind women’s skirts (or burkah’s (sic)) and set up rocket launchers in or next to Mosques, schools and hospitals, et cetera.
The only difference between Christianity and Islam (other than the fact that Jesus and Mohammed were about as polar opposite as “Prophets” as one could get) is the fact that Christianity has undergone it’s Reformation during the Age of Enlightenment and Islam has not. And It never will until it’s so-called moderate coreligionists get over their extremely real fear of retribution and scourge the fanatics from their midst. Thus far, unfortunately, they seem “under motivated” to do so. It appears that without a very real consequence for their immoderate inaction, they will remain ineffectively on the sidelines, awaiting to see who will win so they may claim loudly and enthusiastically, they were with them all along. I, for one, intend it to be us and not the barbarians who are on the winning side. As I’ve noted before: “If you want to know what life would be like under a Caliphate, ask an Armenian”.
Addendum:
In a recent posting of this commentary I was gently taken to task for conflating Islam with Christianity by someone’s reply, as if I viewed both as being strictly religions only (which Christianity has primarily become since the Reformation), whereas Islam is, strictly speaking, not just a religion, but a Socio/Political-Religious-Political System. I wrote what I did in a manner to try and breach the western mindset’s fog of presumption that, “Everyone basically wants the same things we do, so all we have to do is try to reach out a little harder with kindness to win them over to our ‘Enlightened’ mindset of tolerance”.
This was my response:
Er, I know all this. I also know that the western mind (developed over the past three to four millennia) is reticent to accept the reality of the middle eastern religio-political thought process and mindset. A process and mindset that has, I might add, been subtly refined on the surface (the “Two Faced” part) but reenforced and ingrained to achieve one goal – total domination – over the past millennia and a half.
My grandparents on my father’s side came to this country to escape the tender mercies of the Ottoman Empire back around the turn of the last century. They acculturated, had and raised three children here and insisted on speaking only English and practicing American customs (except, of course, for some of the food) in their home. They never taught their children, and my cousins and I never were raised, to hate the sons and grandsons of those who murdered 1½ million Armenians. After all, it wasn’t their fault what their parents or grandparents did. All that changed for me on September 11, 2001.
There is only one way for this to be over and, as I noted before, I intend for us – Western Civilization – to be on the wining side. What-Ever-It-Takes. Harsh? Yes. Vital? Absolutely!
Addendum Ad Addendum: When will any atrocity finally awaken the (hopefully) “Sleeping Giant” of Western Civilization? Or, will the slumbering giant be cowered into somnambulant submission and shuffle off the stage of enlightenment and sink into the pits of seventh century darkness? Never to return.
Geraldine says
“stating that the “notion that medieval people … were ‘just like us’ and acted out of motives very much like our own … has led to some basic misunderstandings of the crusades and the people involved in them.”
This of course applies equally well to people who have been brought up with the same mindsets as medieval people.
somehistory says
There is an episode of “Law and Order” where a Jewish lady is on the stand and tells McCoy that there are no “Palestinians” as before Israel was allowed back on their land, part of the territory was considered Egypt and part was Jordan. No Palestinians. Lies are told to make Israel look bad to those who don’t know the truth.
Lies about the Crusades abound because it is a convenient way for those who oppose Christianity and wish to absolve moslims of their terrorism, endeavor to equate the two. (the Crusades vs terrorism/unholy wars to annihilate all non-moslims)
Thankfully, just as Christ said, all things secret are revealed, even when some try to keep them hidden. The truth always comes out.
Wakeup says
Somebody should write a book about Obama and his life of Jihad by stealth.
larry morris says
we in the west will most sorry to say jews wouldwill lose the war we have got in our thoughts that a hug will make the muslims like us not true after reading there holy book i was not sure if i wanted to vomit for one to believe that crap one needs to be dumb as a rock its sad for most people live there lives with the head in the sand when the jews would not make him a holy man he looked for killing them all a socialpath he was if we dont kill them they will us