The Crusades kept all Europe in turmoil for two centuries (1095-1291). Aiming to regain control of Jerusalem from the Muslims and to impede the expansion of Seljuk Turks into Anatolia, Christian Western Europe engaged into a series of military campaigns that cost Christendom millions of lives. Interestingly enough, despite the war, suffering, disorder and crime, the Crusades contributed immensely in the history of the progress of civilization in Europe. At the same time, they greatly affected the Arab world. For many, the effects of Crusades on the Arab world are still visible today.
In particular, the effects of the Crusades are said to have an influence on:
> Increased trade and economy in Europe
One of the most important effects of the Crusades was the increased trade and economy. During the Crusades, many Crusaders were fascinated by the luxury goods they found in the Middle East and took them back home as soon as the Crusades ended. European merchants and traders decided to travel to Middle East and trade tea, coffee, sugar, spices, silk, cotton, tobacco, and porcelain, among other goods. This created the need for the establishment of many port cities throughout Europe. Over time, European economy got stronger and stabilized, shifting from a barter economy to a money economy as more and more people were improving their living standards and becoming wealthy. As the European middle class acquired immense power, the need for a structured banking system appeared. Thus, with the institution of the first banks, the economy flourished, the food production increased and the European population grew even further. This led to an increased demand for homes and shelters, which eventually led to the establishment of new towns and cities.
Moreover, in the process of trade, Africa was circumnavigated, Asia was more elaborately mapped, and the Pacific Ocean, the Americas, and Australia were discovered. In this context, the Crusades were influential to create new opportunities in the modern world.
> Decline of Feudalism in Europe
The establishment of money economy in Europe caused an indirect undermining of feudalism. Kings, barons and knights were forced to sell their properties in order to raise funds for the Crusades. Many of them engaged in private warfare, a common practice during the Middle Ages, but declined in influence and feudal lords. Feudalism began to plunge into debt, which along the growth of the royal authority, inevitably led to the release of the peasants who were wealthy and could support the system. Little by little, along with the increase of trade, people were free and did not need the support of kings to survive, neither the land of a lord to live in because they could buy their own land. All these social changes forced kings to build armies and to dismiss knights. Through the stabilization of societies, people became more independent and opened their eyes to new cultures. In the later years, this led to the thriving period in European history known as the Renaissance.
> Increased wealth of the Catholic Church
Without any doubt, the wealth of the Catholic Church and the power of the Papacy experienced a vast increase because of the Crusades. The role of the Popes became more prominent allowing their involvement in the enterprises, armies and resources of Christendom. The Papacy’s authority and influence was naturally fostered by their social and intellectual involvement to the public life, which accustomed the people to consider Popes as guides and leaders. Moreover, as the kings, barons and knights who were ready to go on the expeditions were selling their land to the church, the wealth of the churches and monasteries increased tremendously. People viewed at the Catholic Church as an asylum to boost their broken spirit and regain their health. Besides, the religious fervor that characterized the period even before the Crusades amplified even further the power of the Catholic Church.
The intellectual development of Europe cannot but be attributed to the influence of the Crusades. The cultural horizons of many Europeans were liberalized widely as a result of their encounter with other cultures, more enlightened than the Western civilization at that time. By traveling in strange lands and meeting new people, the Crusaders stumbled upon great cities, picturesque villages, imposing castles, marble palaces, splendid dresses, and elegant manners; they brought home broader ideas and they learned to be more tolerant with other cultures. Moreover, the Crusaders led to a great stimulus of the Latin intellect. The influence of Arab texts and translations of classical Greek and Roman literature led to the great intellectual explosion that became known as the Revival of Learning and the period of Italian Renaissance. Also, a broader knowledge of the science ranging from art, astronomy, math, medicine and geography to papermaking technique and the refining of alcohol and sugar, helped in the mental awakening of Western Europe.
> Need for preservation of Muslim culture
Although the Crusades resulted in a great failure for the European armies, the Muslims also paid a heavy price. More than the human and material losses, the Arab world suffered also psychologically. Before the Crusaders it had been the Turks and after it had been the Mongols who had occupied Middle East. All these successive invasions made the Arabs harder against other cultures and infused in them the belief that they should preserve their culture by all means. In the following centuries, while Western Europe was creating its high civilization, the Arab world was resisting adaptation, thus putting Muslims in a disadvantageous position in the modern world. This dilemma of whether or not to modernize and conciliate with Western culture is an issue that still divides the Arab world today.
