What Were The Crusades ?

The Crusades were a series of Holy Wars launched by the Christian states

of Europe against the Saracens.

The term 'Saracen' was the word used to describe a Moslem :

during the time of the Crusades.

The Crusades started in 1095 :

when Pope Claremont preached the First Crusade at the Council !!

The purpose :

To rescue the holy places of Palestine

from the hands of the Mohammedans  !!!

The First Crusade :

The first crusade, which lasted from 1095-1099 :

established the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, providing more lands

for the crusading knights, who often travelled across Europe

to try their fortunes and to visit the Holy Sepulchre.....

We now in 2012 :

Crusaders dont LEARN !  .... ::arab::

Were the Muslims ever defeated during the Crusades ?

Yes, for a time.

The Muslims got it back after a while, though.

The battle of Dorleaum in modern Turkey,

The conquest of Antioch

The conquest of Jerusalem

can be given as examples of Crusader victories.

all dis took place between 1096 and 1100 !

Also, in the 1190s, Richard the Lionhearted:

pretty much helped save the crusader states and let them live on

for another hundred years...

Then came :

Saladin, the Muslim leader  :cool:

The Crusaders introduced Westernaggression to the peaceful Middle East

and then deformed theenlightened Muslim culture, leaving it in ruins ....

only parts of the muslim culture was ever a beakon and that was the Kurdish part . Salhadin was a  Kurd and even to this day Kurds are a foward progressive people .
Unfortunately the Kurds are being supressed in all the Arab lands but whenever they have a chance for autonomy as in Northern Iraq , they flourish. Arabs on the whole are a backward people with non oil  exports accounting for less than 5 percent.
They made no scientific breakthrough in 500 years and when the oil runs out they will revert back to a nomadic roaming lifestyle.
These will always be a tribal component to these people and they will never fit into the  mordern age