The Crusades and their effect on Europe specifically England - Research Paper Example

In this crusade, Christian warriors were urged to move into Palestine and free Jerusalem from Muslims Turks (Hallam 17-19; Crawford 1). The attack against the Muslim caliphates of the Near East was successful, and marked the onset of other subsequent crusades. However, for the subsequent crusades were not all victorious. Some ended up in defeats while others ended in compromises (The Christian Broadcasting Network 1) The Crusaders, who settled first in Palestine, underwent numerous challenges.

They were in hostile territory i.e. surrounded by unified Islamic forces that were constantly seeking means of eliminating them. They lacked proper means of nominating or electing a widely accepted leader, and had no clear guidance on how to coexist after the victory. Thus, they lived in small factions rather than a unified entity (Butler 1). Most of the Christian crusades were as consequence of joint operation under the popes’ instruction. Even though in Europe most of the crusaders were mainly from England France and Germany, other European Christian localities also availed crusaders whenever the pope gave a directive for a crusade (World History Center 1).

As consequence, the crusades’ effects were nearly uniform across ‘Christian Europe’. Crusades and visits to Palestine, Egypt and the Arab world was not just a mere expedition in which people went and fought but where people learnt various aspects of the Islamic World and incorporated them in their culture The crusaders in Palestine had adopted the locals’ way of dressing and housing architecture(Crawford 1). The dressing style and housing structures were the same as those of the Muslims.

It was common to find “harems with veiled women wearing makeup” and Muslims neighbors praying in Christian chapels (Dutch 1). As consequence, there was a huge cultural gap between the crusaders in the holy land and those who lived