In Defense of the Crusades
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- Опубліковано 11 лют 2021
- Music written and generously provided by Paul Jernberg. Find out more about his work as a composer here: pauljernberg.com
Real Crusades History Channel: / realcrusadeshistory
Christians and Catholics are supposed to think of the Crusades with shame and regret. It’s the kind of thing that detractors mention when they want to put us in our place if we get too assertive, especially in the political sphere of life but I can honestly say that the Crusades don’t bother me.
In saying that, I’m not saying that the evil or unjust things that happened during the crusades don’t bother me, but rather the fact that the Catholic Church called for the crusades and the fact that they took place in principle, from a Christian perspective, doesn’t bother me and I hope that by the end of this video, you’ll understand why.
But I can already anticipate some of you saying that of course I’d take this position because I’m Catholic and biased towards a more flattering interpretation of all things Catholic.
But, even if I am biased, it doesn’t follow that I’m wrong about my interpretation of these and other historical events related to the Church. To say that it does is to indulge the genetic fallacy which claims that an argument is invalid because of some perceived defect in its source. I can be biased and right at the same time.
But I’d argue that whatever biases I do carry, they don’t come naturally to me. I was saturated in influences throughout my formative years that reinforced the same popular conclusions as most people which is that the Crusades are just one of many atrocities that shape the bad character of the medieval world and the Catholic Church.
I was formally educated in this idea at school and it was relentlessly reinforced through popular culture in whatever superficial commentaries I would encounter or through movies like The Kingdom of Heaven which depict Medieval Christendom as a desaturated, dark, and superstitious society while the Islamic world, by contrast, is vibrant, tolerant, and prosperous.
And any time the Crusades are mentioned, whether it’s in a UA-cam pop education video or a Barack Obama speech, it’s taken for granted that it was a grave evil without ever considering or examining the details.
That’s the first indication that something’s amiss - that everyone has a moral opinion about it, but very few people know any meaningful details about it. That’s the worst kind of ignorance. It’s like racism. You hate something you don’t understand because you’ve been taught to hate it.
In my experience, it took a lot of personal study to overcome those same prejudices and they were dispelled not by forming new irrational prejudices clouded by ignorance, but by coming to terms with the actual historical facts that shaped those events.
Part of the reason people are so easily swayed to think of the Crusades as a stain on the character of Christianity is because we tend to interpret things we don’t understand by associating them with things we do understand.
And one general impression that a lot of people have about history, especially European history, is that in that far off time known as the olden days, white Europeans, were in the habit of attacking and colonizing peaceful nations composed of less pasty citizenry.
And since we all have this general impression of history, it’s very easy for someone who doesn’t like Christianity or the Catholic Church to tell the story of the Crusades with very selective details which reinforces that narrative.
And so it usually appears like this: In 1095, Pope Urban II with the aim of conquering peaceful Muslims in the Middle East because they were different, rallied all the principalities of Europe to align themselves in this cause and to march East. And so they did, joining up with the Byzantines along the way before arriving at Jerusalem in 1099 in which they captured the city and slaughtered everyone inside.
But as I indicated, that’s a very selective presentation of the events. The truth is, the Crusades were primarily a defensive war waged as a response to hundreds of years of Islamic expansion and aggression against Christian peoples which was now threatening to overwhelm Europe.
So when I say that the Crusades are a good thing, I mean that in the same way that the fact that the Allies decided to fight WWII against Nazi was a good thing.
But the Allies committed war crimes and killed countless civilians in their campaigns against the Axis powers. Yes, that’s true, but that doesn’t mean that the war itself was, in principle, wrong.
They had every moral right to fight back because if they hadn’t, you and I would be goosestepping our way to and from work and school shouting Heil Hitler every chance we get - assuming that our ancestors weren’t gassed.
So the question of the crusades, for me, isn’t did bad things happen. It’s mhether or not the crusaders were right in choosing to fight that war at all.
As popular historian Christopher Tyerman said:
"With every new century,comes a new bias towards the crusades"
haha yea. reminds me of "every year white people add a decade to how long ago slavery was"
@@aaronmiller5912 That's funny, I have nothing to do with that point in American history, yet my European, first generation Polish American, actual Nazi evading and killing skin color somehow implicates me into that intellectually flawed word salad you just produced as if the crusades are even remotely relatable to enslaving African Americans.
Oh 😳 The siege of Jerusalem by the first Crusade was bloody and Barbaric even by mediaeval standards thou
O.O And the tragedy of the third Crusade marked the end of Christian faith in balkans
@@rebeccaanderson5626 no Christians in the Balkans?
@@gvibration1 I meant the collapse of self rule in Balkans and the rise of Muslim majority European states
Kosovo:- 97.4% Muslim , Albania : - 61% Muslim , Bosnia and Herzegovina :- 51% Muslim
I don't think of the crusades with shame.
The pope actually excommunicated that army after siege of Zara. An already Catholic city before they sacked Constantinople.
@@reactorhamster3323 Yes the army repented and were welcomed back before the sacking Constantinople for which they were excommunicated again and they did not repent so far as i am aware
@@shadow9495 a point easily forgotten by detractors.
@P K yes i know, but excamunication is public except in cases of automatic excommunication, repentance for which is also public so that a priest in good standing can give the sacraments to the one who has formerly been excommunicated
@P K you misunderstand me, after attacking zara they were excommunicated then they repented. Done. Then afterwards sacked Constantinople for which they were excommunicated again and so far as I am aware the did not repent again. That is all I'm saying. I am not saying I know their minds and hearts at all.
I'm glad people are seeing past the one-sided modern telling of the Crusades. Thank you Brian!
Did you draw your profile picture?
@@spidernymph8964 Unfortunately not, I wish I had skills like that.
@@villentretenmerthjackdaw4205 Same
What's the modern day telling of the crusades?
It's either history or is not.
Opinion needs to be honestly held.
@@wolfthequarrelsome504 it’s “blah blah blah crusaders bad, blah blah muslims good”
real crusades history is only for those serious about history. great channel
agreed, best crusades history channel
True
If you're a Christian, conservative, republican or even libertarian please go ahead and cancel your Disney subscription or anything with Disney. Boycott them to the fullest.
This was the last straw. I need all you conservatives to start preparing for the worst. It's crystal clear now half of American populus wants you dead and they'll do anything to punish or banish us from the same society our forefathers have created for us. This isn't about holding the line anymore! It's about striking back and protecting your family from everything that seeks to destroy you. If you were waiting for sign. Well this is it. I have big plans in to bring us together in the next few months and you should start too. God bless all the Patriots and people that love this country and even my enemies. You're gonna need it.
A great channel. Guy puts in a lot of work.
Which is why those who hate word of God use the crusades as an attack against Christianity. Those who hate the word of God either hate the truth or they don't care about the truth. No wonder those same individuals don't care about the historical facts of the crusades since they don't care about the truth.
The Crusades were a moral obligation of Christians at that time. Necessary for the defence of the Christian faith and the existence of the kingdom of God here on earth and also, to defend the beautiful European civilization which has shaped the world today. If not, the whole world might be Islam as we speak. Deus Vult. Viva Christo. From an African Christian. Love from Ghana.
Deus Vult, Viva Christo.
muslims had no write to enter rome or any church i think the crusades were morally very right
about time someone defends our faith.
@Jacob Posego : Nuts? "IT TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE!!! Now get lost little boy!
fuck the crusades
Yeah like if I defend Lutheran Protestantist Christianity I will get a lot of hate from the expanding threat of Islam (No offense to them they are just a threat to the good will of God)
@@Jonslau They are really good at expanding into other monothestic religion's territories, then blaming them when they defend themselves (The Crusades, and Israel-Palestine Conflict for example)
@@gokusamm Yes because killing innocent women and children is self defense.
I’ve been a Protestant for 12 years, preached an evangelical gospel to prisoners for many of those years and even started a M.Div from Liberty University but dropped it because of theological reasons. I have come back to the Catholic Church (baptized as an infant) and am in the process of getting confirmed. Thank you Brian Holdsworth for helping me see the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and the validity of the Papacy.
Praise the Lord! Welcome home.
Thank you for sharing! If you don't mind my asking, what were some of the theological reasons that caused you to drop your M. Div? Thanks in advance!
@@danielviets4427 the M.Div was from a Protestant seminary. I couldn’t pursue a career in theology from a Baptist seminary any longer because of my new Roman Catholic convictions. Although I felt a calling to become a minister as a Protestant, I am taking a hiatus as a new catholic to reinvent myself, raise our children (a 1 year old and another on the way) and see where God takes us from here. Also, I’m married so the priesthood is not an option.
Heart warming.
Liberty University is a fake university anyways. Good thing you dropped out.
You shouldn’t judge history by today’s biases.
I don't have anyone else's bias to use.
Besides, those who judge such things usually do so from a Christian perspective, even if they don't believe it. Christian values underlie Western Democracy.
One does need to beware of Saul Alinsky's tactics. One of his rules was to always hold his opponents to their highest standards while lying, cheating, and stealing himself. Always make it about how evil his opponents were. This does not lead to a balanced view of history. I, as a white male am a mass murderer, while Stalin was a saint according to the Left's narrative.
Saul Alinsky's rules are the handbook for community organizers i.e. communist agitators. Everyone should learn them. Know your enemy.
@@jwrosenbury , I know that you think that was a thoughtful statement but I don’t understand what you are trying to say. Historians all agree that judging history by modern standards doesn’t work well.
@@chairde If history is anything other than a dalliance for bored aristocrats, someone, somewhere is using to inform their decision making. (Reviewing past decisions is an important part of the decision making process.) Since it is impossible to make decisions without some frame of reference about what a good decision is and what a bad decision is, value judgements must be made.
Historians can all agree that judging history by any values is bad. This defuses any responsibility they might have for doing good or useful work, ensuring their paycheck. Any narrative they invent or push can be praised since there are no values associated with anything. I understand that. But the people actually using the data they collect do need to use standards. One cannot act or make decisions without choosing a set of values to differentiate between expected outcomes.
It is smart of historians to place the value of their paychecks above the value of their work output. But the rest of us aren't so lucky.
The refusal to apply standards is at the heart of Post-Modernism. It is Nihilistic and evil, from a Christian perspective.
@@jwrosenbury , The ancient Romans were not Christian and neither were the ancient Greeks. In fact Christianity was in the Middle East and Africa long before it was in Europe.
@@chairde Ancient History is generally thought to run up to (but not include) the rise of Islam. The later part of that, Late Antiquity, runs from the renaming of Constantinople and the shift in power from Rome to Constantinople (3rd Century C.E.).
Since St. Peter was the first bishop in Rome sometime around the mid 1st Century C.E., yes, at least some of the later ancient Romans were Christians.
Of course most Romans were not Christians, but neither were most of anyone else in that period. Christianity was spread far and wide (but not deep) by the Apostles. India, Africa, Spain, Georgia, and Germany were all likely early centers of evangelization. Asia Minor was mostly Greek and an early powerhouse for Christianity.
“Deos de Volt”! Viva Christo. This is the way.
What is deos de volt?
Deus*
Deus vult ?
Deus Vault. Glory to Jesus Christ.
the grammatically correct phrase is Deus lo Vult.
It is worth noting that this concept of Islam being a "religion of peace" wasn't pushed until the Ottoman Empire fell. Apparently the Muslim world thought, "oh shit. Our "convert or die by the sword' momentum is faltering. We better switch gears."
Exactly
@P K Saudi Arabia finance education propaganda in American colleges to teach that Islam is a religion of peace
They just reverted to their original position from the early times of Islam when Muslims were but a minority. They were peaceful back then. From the moment they became the strongest force in Arabia, things started getting sour.
David Wood made a few years ago a video about the early history of Islam where he explains this in detail.
@@user-et8vm9cc3t I am well aware of David Wood. In fact I was pointing out a fact his passed friend Nabeel Qureshi explained regarding this "religion of peace" thing.
How does the history of Christianity compare e.g. before and after Constantine? What about inquisitions and persecution of Jews where there were many were coerced into conversion? Asking as a Christian.
I remember as a child I loved learning about the middle ages and thought it was so cool. But then by the time I was in high school I had been brain washed to think the opposite. I was so happy to later on be brought back to my love of Christendom, but reinforced with knowledge. Thanks for spreading the word and fighting the good fight.
I'm subscribing to you because you used the word Christendom, which I never see.
@@Jonslau Thank you. I don't have any video content made, but I still appreciate it. God bless.
@Keith Mayhew Hammond Eh it's not the content that matters
Christendom united Europe under the banner of christendom to defend against Islamic invasion. People hate learning about the truth just to push their political narrative
I had a similar experience growing up. I had toy knights, dragons and catapults. Then got beat down in high school with pro-enlightenment history classes. According to the teachers everyone on earth was stupid and stumbling until the enlightenment caused them to 'wake up and smell the coffee'. Years after school I discovered a bunch of YT history channels and I fell in love with Christendom, lives of the saints, hectic battles and sieges and the broader medieval world. It was a big domino that eventually lead me to becoming Catholic.
Yes, I love the shoutout to Real Crusades History!
😅seige of ma'ara search about it
"Less pasty citizenry" is one of the best descriptions I've heard.
The dismantling of the Templars was a mistake. Imagine if the Church had a standing militia providing young men of warrior caste an opportunity to dedicate their life to practicing martial arts and chivalry.
Your words resonate a deep wisdom far beyond the fathoming of the eyes who read them.
Isn't the Swiss Guard a similar thing?
You don't really need the Templar order for that, as they weren't the only order of their kind. That kind of order just kinda naturally died out, cause we didn't need it anymore
@@johnhoelzeman6683 - Oh? And what in your estimate replaced such orders?
@@johnhoelzeman6683 Uh, it was kind of destroyed by the French king, Phillip IV, if I recall correctly.
Deus vult. Seriously.
Deus Vult! God Wills It!
Deus Vult, my bothers in Christ.
no god does not will it. jesus would be disappointed watching the crusades
@@davidibe1934 Jesus was never against defending oneself when necessary. Biblical meekness is strength under control not milquetoast passivity.
Make the middle east christian again. quite ironic that it spells mmeca
It's hard for me to think the Crusades a _good_ thing, in the same way it's hard for me to think in any war as a good thing. However I agree that the way in which they are depicted is as propaganda against Catholicism rather than aiming for understanding what really happened.
The main good thing that I see came out of them is the thriving of Christendom. Wars are never pretty, and the ends never justify the means, but there comes a point where in order to save the good things you have it becomes necessary to fight back against a militant enemy closing in around you and threatening your good things. Perhaps if you’re really saintly, you can continue to turn the other cheek (like early church martyrs), but even Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple with a whip.
The easiest way to think about it is that War is just another tool humans use. You can use a hammer to build a house. You can use a hammer to kill your neighbor. Don't hate the hammer, though, since it's just a tool.
The Axis Powers of WW2 used war to conquer peaceful lands, slaughter innocent people, and attempt to dominate the world. The Allied Powers used war to defend peaceful lands, save innocent people and bring freedom to the world.
War can be your very best friend. While you might not want to wage war, there are times when the worst thing you can do is NOT wage war.
I recall a quote from Medal of Honor: European Assault at the beginning of the game:
“I have come to realize that there is nothing good about war, but there is good in why you fight wars.”
Like what about how crusade increased presecution of Copt by Ayubbid? Are you aware that Egypt was still majority Christian till 13-14th century, and when crusader ravaged it, they were also slaughtering eastern Christians?
The monarchs came under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church. Islam was having a field day (400 years) and it had to be stopped. The Polish Calvary pushed the Muslim armies back at the Battle of Vienna.
That’s how close they came to taking over Europe.
Richard the Lionheart, hammer of the Saracens, has entered the chat.
The English Catholic King.
@@wolfthequarrelsome504 England was proud catholic and so was Henry VIII til marrying Catherine of Aragon and with the Pope refusing the annulment of their marriage.
Saladin is here.
I'm curious to know more about him because he would be my 24th great-granduncle. Because his parents Henry Plantagenet and Aliénor of Aquitane are my 25th great grandparents. And my 24th great-grandfather is his brother John Plantagenet.
@koorabelayo4035 yeah, he got wrecked, lad. Richard slapped his army around every time they met. Against superior odds, too.
While the crusades were justified, the looting, pillaging and destruction of Constantinople by the crusaders is one of the most sinful and barbaric acts to happen in the christian world. This event directly led to the fall of the eastern christians and the rise of Islam.
the sac of constantinople one of the causes : response to the looting , killing and destruction of the catholic population in constantinople instigated by some fanatical bysantine monks about 8 years before the sac of C.... Of course, just like the causes of the crusades , this is little known ..But it's not the only cause.
Idk. It seems pretty justified to me.
The Eastern Roman Empire was already on it's heels and Islam on the rise. Manzikert, loss of North Africa, loss of the Holy Land and loss of Syria. Not justifying the looting of Constantinople, but it was but one of a series of events leading to the decline and ultimate fall of the Eastern Roman Empire.
@@npswm1314 The Church does not believe that the means justify the ends. We must not commit sin in order to rid ourselves of it or any problem.
I'm just going to say, respectfully please look deeper into the sacking. Examine the reasons behind the situations leading to this conflict.
I'm not ashamed of the crusades I'm proud of them as a Christian 😎
the sad reality of western culture is one in which we cannot imagine opposing anyone who believes a lie that stands against us with our own lies. The Crusades were a war and to be a Christian in support of any war stands against our nature
based
not the fourth one that one was........eeeeshhhh
@@blank1393Rogue Crusaders who were excommunicated in the end and were punished.
Ave Christus Rex ✝️
Heey the picture in 3:29 is a representation of Pedro de Valdivia founding the city of Santiago of Chile (where I live) and it just happens it is precisely TODAY February 12 its anniversary!!
Que gusto que no soy el único chileno viendo este video. Saludos desde Michigan, y que Dios ayude a la iglesia católica chilena
what's going on in chili? Burning catholic churches?
@@tadmorfilmfreelebanesetort2962 Yes 😔there's been a series of very visceral and violent revolts and in some of them with church burnings (they targeted churches linked to police or military institutions, because they are "the enemies", but enemies of whom? 🤷♂️). Nobody knows exactly what they are rioting for (neither the rioters themselves, if you ask them) but there's a whole revolutionary/libertarianist/communist agenda being pushed taking advantage of this
@@arderique2688 thanks for the information
I learned about the "Just War Theory" in my Christian Ethics class in school. St. Augustine is also the Saint I chose when I became a Catholic.
In my opinion, as a Protestant, I think that the crusades are one of the best things that the catholic church has ever done. Now that is not to say that some of the atrocities committed by both sides were horrible, but the principles that the church set out in the beginning causing the crusades were right.
Its not
You're a Protestant, if your heresy existed during the Crusades then they would've killed you
@hachibidelta4237I know this is a year old comment but why?
I think its because this video has a very dishonest framing. for one, framing every muslim country on the planet as the "muslim world" is a strange way of putting it. These countries waged war with each other, they hated eachother, and some were bitter enemies. framing all of this as "the muslim world" would be just as ridiculous as framing entire histories of the european nations as a unified "christian world". but that is simply one critique.@@arandomcrusader6707
another dishonest thing he does in this video is with his use of the term "the crusades". There were at least 8 major crusades that took place during what we call the crusades. And to frame "the crusades" implies that the event on the whole was a response to muslim expansion. This is, tbf, wrong. I could see a case to be made for the first crusades being defensive (although the first act of the crusades was actually the ransacking of a jewish village). Some of these crusades werent even fought against muslims, for example the northern crusades which targeted slavic people. Not to mention the fact that there are unnamed crusades, smaller crusades that happened between larger acts.@@arandomcrusader6707
Thank you for this video. This will be a helpful resource; so often the Crusades come up in apologetic conversations with Protestant Christians. They forget that, being prior to the Reformation, the Crusades are part of their history as well.
I'm a protestant, and never thought about it as bad. Christ is christ
Just because something is part of your history doesn’t mean you should be proud of it
So Americans shouldnot be proud of American Independence. Cool. Britan should bend their heads because they had empire isn't it. Cool. First to and tell Luther he was all wrong@@Lucretia916
@@AthanSMaliakkal Americans and Brits probably shouldn’t be proud of their history either lol
I'm an atheist (with some strong pagan leanings, haha) and I don't really like ANY of the Abrahamic religions.
That said, I have always spoken up in defense of the Crusades and called BS on people who conveniently ignore Muslim expansion and treatment of the people they conquered.
I really enjoyed your video and appreciate you putting it up! Thank you!
thanks mate, God bless you I hope you explore this more
"treatment of the people they conquered" / when Jeruzalem was Surrendered to the Rashiduns, No massacre's were committed unlike the First Crusade / So yeah on average the Muslim powers of the time were far more civilized then those barbarian Crusaders, Not always the case, but most of the time
@@aburoach9268 you seem to be only counting when Jerusalem was conquered. I'm talking about ALL former Christian lands. People were forcibly converted. Slaves were taken. Holy sites were destroyed, etc...
@@ogrehaslayers605 forcibly converted? It’s haraam to forcibly convert someone they aren’t even counted as a muslim in islam if they were forcibly converted. You guys in the west seem to believe you know everything about us but you only talk about your point of view. Not ours. Muslim expansion was hella better than the christian one for starters where you had to convert or die. Muslims had a lot of disbelievers in their countries and jews loved to live under them. Why would the jews flee to my home country of morocco after the iberian peninsula fall into christian hands again? For a muslim country there is no difference if there are non believers in their country because in muslim belief , disbelievers pay jizja for compensation because they dont have to go to war with us and they dint have to pay zakaat which is a yearly payment to the poor. And if you are old a child a widow a mother without a husband or just poor you didnt have to pay jizja and they had all the benefits we muslims had but there was a compensation while christians just had taxes for everybody so a disbeliever wouldn’t bring much more to the table so they forcibly converted people. Close your one direction minded books and be more open to other perspectives of history you just sound dumb talking like that.
@@ogrehaslayers605 I'm not denying that happened at certain places by certain muslim powers during certain wars or raids / However, that particular argument cannot be made during the First crusade, Because by that time, the Muslim world posed no threat to Europe, They were too busy fighting Each other, As a matter of Fact, The Crusades United and strengthened the Muslim States by making them focus their attention on a common threat
and their rule over the non muslim on their respective territories was not bad
More Christians & Jews were killed by Crusaders then by Saracens during the Crusades
i'm living in a place liberated by the crusade of the Holy League.
Superb 😊
So glad you promote the Real Crusades channel!
I follow it for a couple of years now and it is brilliant. 👍🏻
Shoulda sat down in full plate mail, missed opportunity Brian
The Crusades were fought in the chain mail era.
@@sanjivjhangiani3243 I stand corrected, still missed opportunity tho 🤣
Real Crusades History! Nice call out. I've been listening to that channel longer than I've been listening to you, Brian.
Great video. As a Spaniard Catholic, I can perfectly relate to that feeling of shame towards history -expulsion of Jews and Moors, encomiendas, Inquisition, Franco and so on. Trying to balance undeniable historical evil with love for your faith and your country can be difficult.
If the Moors lorded over an Iberian "paradise," why the Reconquista? Many of the apologists for the Moors and the Muslims harbor a bias against Christians. Catholics, specifically . Hence there is a fallacious and prejudiced view based on much error pertaining to the gifts that were bequeathed to Europe from the Muslims, who actually received much of their knowledge from the Greeks and Romans who preceded them. Or from India, where the Greeks, via Alexander, had left vestiges of an influence. There is a longstanding error perpetuated by many, that Europe was lost in ignorance and darkness until the Renaissance, and this is just pure rubbish. Its,like those classisists who labeled Medieval architecture"Gothic," because they considered it rude and crude in comparison to the classical order. The same reason why French history didn't begin until the French Revolution. Much of this train of thinking is buried in antiCatholic sentiment. Anyone versed in authentic history should have no apologies for the Reconquista, or the Crusades.
@Ha Neul Yeah but I mean my ancestors were also expulsed. They were just Jewish merchants that were there since Roman times.
@@martyfromnebraska1045 piss off
Good work kicking those A holes out of Europe! Lets Keep em Out!
Franco was a hero who saved Spain
I've been looking forward to this one, as it made sense you would do one eventually. Good stuff.
The crusades were objectively good. The fact 19th century europe didn't try harder to take the near east is shameful
Imperialism is bad actually
@@alessiodelcastillo1613 it's not imperialism it's liberation
hast thou forgotten thine british and french empires? 👀
@@alessiodelcastillo1613 its not in a world where everyone is an imperialist. Conquer or you will be conquered.
@@Sellipsis Just because everyone else does it doesn’t mean we can. Christians are held to a higher moral standard. Of course war can be justified at times, as the Crusades were or the Maccabean revolts
Got my Deus Vult decal on my coffee cup I use at work and a memento mori decal on the other side.
We have to realize that a lot of our history was written by our enemies. That’s why we’re so ashamed of things like the Crusades, the Inquisition, Borgia popes (ok, they were bad), Galileo, the Spanish Empire, etc. A lot of it was written by protestant Englishmen trying to make everything pope-ish and Spaniard look bad. That torch was picked up by the enlightenment/ masonic revolutionary minds like Voltaire and Rousseau. Carried on gleefully by today’s atheists and communists. Time to reclaim Catholic history and counter their narrative
Many of the things said are the Borgias is fake or simply not proven.
@@juanpahuerta492 Ooh, like what?
The Borgias fascinate me.
@@marlonmoncrieffe0728 Like for example is not proven that Cesar Borgia was actually Alexander son. Some say it was his nephew, but in reality there is not documented letters or archives that prove it was his son. Also is also not proven that Lucrecia was Alexander mistress. No documents exists stating that. A lot of the stuff you hear about the Borgias specially the TV series is fake or not 100% proven. I recommend you check out the book: The Borgias: The hidden history by G.J Meyer.
@@juanpahuerta492 same about the Spanish Inquisition
I doubt you'll be happy to hear it but as an atheist with pagan sense of ethics, Cesare Borgia and Pope Alexander VI are heroes of mine and one of the reasons I find Catholicism more attractive than any other religion. They really defended high art, culture, and natural human inequality in the days of proto-Protestant "Bonfire of the Vanities" barbarian/plebeian nonsense
So articulate and well composed!! Thanks for taking the time to share.
This was amazing!! Thank you for having this channel!! May God's perpetual light continue to shine on you.
As far as I remember, I have always remember the crusades as something really epic.
And I'm immensely proud to have had part of my ancestors who went there and fought, sometimes losing all their (relative) fortune. Deus vult !
The books of Rodney Stark were very eye-opening for me with regard to the crusades. Modern people, and really every generation, tries to make themselves look better by comparison to previous generations by focusing on the bad and ignoring the good to a deceptive degree.
Thank you so much. So refreshing to hear balanced approach.
I clicked in this video in 1 second.
You explained this so well man!!!!
I was amazed to see the crystal clear view you have on this topic!
KEEP. IT. UP!!!!!!!!!!!
I've never had a problem feeling okay about the crusades. I'm in favor of reconquering what they'd lost. Antioch and Alexandria had been very important in Christianity.
Lol they literary wanted to sack Nicaea, and when they didn't get to... Well siege Antioch in hopeless situation, then sack the city brutally. Btw Antioch was still Christian city, it was only 10 years away from being under Eastern Roman rule. So if you notice anything, they were literary killing Christian in the city.
Let's compare it to Nikephoros Phokas supposed "religious' war, he was expelling Muslim civillians.
@@hachibidelta4237 muslim civilians??? Lol they are invaders.
That was really excellent! Thank you for making that video because recently I have encountered anti-Catholics who have thrown the crusades my face basically.
Good. 👍 Brave topic. As an European I can confirm that the history of Europe is messy and complicated. It's not as one dimensional as we are made to believe.
I don't think nearly enough people talk about the major difference between the mercenaries who fought only for plunder and the extremists who only sought death for those they hated, contrasted/compared to the noble Knights who bled for Our Lord valiantly.
Liked and subscribed, God bless you for defending our history!
May the Lord bless your apostolate Brian. I really appreciate your work.
Thanks for making this video!
Interesting video. You're getting better at this. Keep up bro
Thank you for this! There really is a lot of ignorance about the Crusades, especially when people think that the intent was to try to make people Christian by force.
They did, during the siege of Aleppo some crusader forced the nearby villager to become Catholic
Historically correct and truthful, great job. Thanks your brother in Christ !
He's wrong about ww2. As a matter of fact he talks about the Christian lands yet forgets about the prussian empire and Germanys right to her territories
Been waiting for this one for a long time after seeing the other videos defending Galileo and stuff like that.
Great short video explaining the historical context. When I am confronted with this question by non-Catholics I often pause, not because I lack the justifications you lay out in your argument, but because I know there is so much context that needs to be filled in that I question where is the best place to start. Now I have a quick UA-cam resource I can give them ;-)
BRILLIANT,BRIAN.ABSOLUTELY FACTUAL
Our Faithful Leaders were once great warriors!
Our faithful leaders today are the exact opposite.
Amen!!! It's time to rise once more 🙏🏼💪🏼
Thank you. You covered the first crusade (and mentioned the fourth), so I'd really also like to hear more about what justified any crusades after the first. Thanks again!
Muslim never stopped. Here ya go. I gave you the reason.
Thank you so much Brian! God bless!
Excellent video!
This is interesting. Very hard to find accurate history at this point in time. I have struggled to find a balanced world history curriculum for my homeschooled children. Most of the curriculums I’ve reviewed have the (ignorant) biases you’re referring to.
One thing I might suggest is that you go heavy on the lessons about Critical Thinking so the kids can develop the ability to ask the right questions, see the red flags, and understand that there might just be more to the story than what they're getting. One of my favorite fun videos -- ua-cam.com/video/752V173e31o/v-deo.html
It's through critical thinking that we can understand things like God not ever saying "thou shall not kill" because that's just ridiculous on the face of it when you consider that every meal requires killing of plants and animals. It's a simple declaratory sentence, something He wouldn't get wrong especially if he's capable of building Saturn in his spare time. The true interpretation is "thou shall not murder" which means something altogether different and you can easily live your life by. The problem is that it also makes it harder for kings and popes to control the masses, hence the revisionism.
With the Crusades, one thing I always ask children is simple -- "Do you think that Christians were just hanging around in Europe doing nothing until one weekend they decided to ride thousands of miles on horseback so they could slay a bunch of innocent muslims who were just hanging out in Pakistan eating cheese and working on their tans? Does that sound reasonable, or is there maybe more to it?"
It might sound silly, but it gets them thinking. Put it in terms they can understand. Ask them questions. Challenge them to see the people back then much like people still are today. Who gets out of bed one morning and just decides to ride thousands of miles, leaving their wives and children, when they could just as easily stay home and cut firewood in preparation for the coming winter?
When I saw the title I just had to watch. I wasn’t sure how you were going to handle that (or get out of it), but you didn’t do too badly. :-)
The biggest thing is that I would not describe the crusades as a “defensive” war. The situation in the east and the involvement from the west is best described as a “protectorate” war, with the defense of Christian allied territory being the prime goal
Lets forget the fact that it took 400 years of constant islamic invasion of Christian and jewish lands.
Thanks for this video. I’ll be looking for more information.
Thank you for making this video.
I’m only ashamed that we lost the Holy Land.
As you should
European
Straight
Male
Christian
And Proud.
I know I'm late, but thanks for summarizing an accurate depiction of what started the crusade
Not christian yet and not a person who uses the crusades as an argument just saw a meme with a christian metal song, checked out said Christian metal song, enjoyed it and got trapped down a rabbit hole. enjoyed the video keep going!
Wish we still had them around and wish I could be one.
In fact, started as a defensive call to arms to protect Byzantium.
After that, became a defense of the conquered people of Asia Minor. The Spanish had their Reconquista to take back the Christian lands taken by the Muslims. The Crusades is the same, just not in Iberia, but Middle East. The original Muslim territories were never touched, being this Arabia.
The emperor asked for mercenary not religious zealot pillaging his land.
Ex muslim north african here. thank you for your objectivity and modesty.
A great, informative video. Good insight!
Pretty good timing on this upload. American university, Valparaiso University, announced it was dropping its Crusaders name, mascot and logo due to the Crusades not representing their values. Others said it presents sexism, racism and xenophobia. This wasn't the first time the mascot and name came into question.
Back in the year 2000 a couple of students came forth into changing it due to the same reasons listed by the university's interim president. When people defend the name and mascot they' were called names such as boomer and accused of being part of a "sick and twisted religion." Of course, a part of those that supported the change said they were "very glad" of the change and "if things stayed the way they always had, nothing would ever get better." Don't be surprised - this was the same person who called defenders of the name and mascot boomers.
Ironically the previous mascot was a German viking but due to anti-German sentiments during WWII it was changed to Crusaders. It seems to me that depending on the social and political upheaval at any given time a school moniker and/mascot is one petition away from being axed on the grounds of any -ism and "not representing our values."
#CancelCulture
I absolutely agree with your analysis. Too bad it isn't being taught that way.
Thank you for this video !
Thanks for this. Very enlightening.
I say this a dedicated pagan and someone generally critical of Christianity: The Northern Crusades against the Baltic pagans were completely justifiable from any reasonable perspective.
You had me with the WW2 analogy, until you brought up the atomic bombs. That wasn’t an “atrocity”, it was the least horrible course of action. Japan wasn’t giving up, and they were given ample warning. Even after the bombs dropped, many officials wanted to keep fighting. There was even an attempt to intercept the recording of the emperor’s surrender message before it aired. The alternative was a land invasion which most likely would’ve resulted in even more deaths.
Hey Brian Holdsworth, this is the kinda people who side with you. Good job dude.
@@doogallas I didn’t say the bombing was pleasant or that I was glad that those innocent people had to die. I just take issue with it being called an “atrocity”. That sort of implies that they were killed in cold blood and/or there was a better solution.
@BVale Yes, the Soviets were a big part of it. Not only were they eager to “help”, they were right next door. I don’t think most people realize how close Japan is to Russia, probably because maps kind of skew it (a globe gives one a better idea). They’re so close that there are islands between Hokkaido and the Russian mainland that are disputed territory. Time wasn’t something they had a lot of. Even if you want to say the Americans only dropped the bomb because they didn’t want the Soviets to control something that they had their own eyes on, as the pinkos do, the end result was that Japan was spared decades of life under Soviet rule.
As for a blockade, that’s a decent point. Japan’s navy was pretty well finished by that point in the war, so a blockade might’ve been effective, but it also would’ve given the Soviets time for a land invasion. It’d practically guarantee it. Let’s not forget that the Soviets were far more willing to take casualties than the rest of the Allies throughout that war, and that’s precisely what would’ve been required.
Another excellent presentation. Thank you
Ditto, I was saturated as well during my formative years...I came to my own conclusions by studying the actual history taking into account the context and complex religious and political circumstances of the time.
My Lord, the beacons are lit, Gondor calls for aid!
and Rohan will answer
Muhammad was a military genius, and Islam is a military movement.
Pax Christi.
Not genius..
But savage
@@inhocsignovinces6472 A savage genius. Pax Christi.
Of course, he was satan reincarnate.
Concise and well-explained. Thanks!
Well done mr Holdsworth. I remember I questioned my professor on why she depicted the crusades as a bad thing while the Christian world being conquered by muslims for 100ds of years wasn't even mentioned. She literally had no answer. My fellow history - students hadn't even tought about it, since this is the popular narrative here in Western-Europe. But with my Eastern-European background, islamic oppression is still not forgotten. We remember it, and we are amazed to see how history (and common sense, frankly) are forgotten here. That will cost us..
The Crusades were the pinnacle of Catholic piety and bravery, BTW having a sword and helmet on the background is a giveaway and awesome,
Funny how all the Christian-haters never want to talk about how lands from Pakistan to Spain including the Holy Land came to be Muslim to begin with.
This is really good. I like how you compared crusades with allies fighting Germany, that was brilliant and spot on. Cheers and God Bless You.
Thank you Crusader Kings for making me research mo into the Crusades.
As an ex muslim , and now a christian . I agree totally with what you said . there is jihad in islam and that's one of the reasons why i left it , the majority of muslims don't want to accept the fact that mohammed was a warlord .
Jesus is 100% the opposite of mohammed . Jesus preached so he can gain the hearts of the people . Mohammed failed to preache in mecca , so he turned into a politician and warlord when he arrived to el medina.
We don't actually know anything definitely about Jesus. The gospels were written basically 200 years after he died but if Jesus was like anything like the literally dozens of 1st century Judeans being called Messiah (which we know from roman accounts) he was a dooms day prophet and likely not entirely non-violent since the messiah was supposed to re-establish the kingdom of David which involved a holy war against the Romans. We know the gospels are not entirely trust worthy either considering there a numerous factual errors especially considering the relationship of Romans and the Pharisees to one another. The reluctant to kill Jesus but pressured by the Jews Pontius Pilate of the Bible is basically a complete conscious anti-semitic fabrication that we know is false because of the Romans own records. Pilate was actually removed as governor of Judea because his brutality towards the Jews (he engaged in mass group punishment and executions and hunted everybody rumored to be a "messiah") was so over the top that it actually horrified the Roman Emperor. So we're 99% sure it wasn't the Pharisees that killed Jesus but the Romans and it was for political reasons. Also Crucifixion was a punishment reserved for only crimes against the state so the whole story of the two thieves on the cross is entirely made up. Jesus if he was crucified nest to anybody was crucified next to other 1st century Jewish preachers accused of being the Messiah. So what we know about Jesus is pretty close to nothing. The Gospels are basically like me trying to write a story about my great great great great great grandfather who's story has been passed down over generations which by the time it reaches me barely resembles actual history. I know he was a farmer who was crushed by a tree and was born in Ireland but I have no idea what kind of a person he was let alone know anything he actually said or believed. Also we know the gospels aren't entirely trustworthy because actually only a century ago we discovered a partial fragment of a gospel which was not included in the new testament (the new testament was compiled by a vote at the council of Nicea and left out numerous gospels that were proposed) that directly contradicted the narrative presented in the Gospels of Jesus's relationship with his disciples. The Gospel of Mary claims to say that Mary (we don't know which one but it could be Mary Magdalene or one of Jesus's sisters) was in fact Jesus's most favored apostle and that Peter disliked her greatly for being a woman and sought to push her out of the group. So the gospels contradict each other and nobody really knows what's real and what's not but we do know the Gospel of Mary is the only one to claim to be a first person account and is written in that way. Unfortunately it's only a fragment. The Real Jesus is unfortunately lost to people who didn't know him and he was likely much more complex than what is presented in the New Testament. Muhammad on the other hand yes became a war lord but that was mainly because everybody was trying to kill him and had he not become a war lord Islam would've been crushed in its infancy. But I wouldn't be surprised if the real Jesus believed in the revolutionary overthrow of the Roman occupation. He was a Jewish Rabbi the 1st century Judea and from what we know from Roman accounts none of the people claiming to be messiah were entirely non-violent since their ultimate objective was to restore the kingdom of god (the Kingdom of David). Had Jesus not been Crucified who knows if he would've become something like Muhammad. If his ultimate goal was to be a messiah for the Jewish People in Judea which it likely was at some point or another he would have to take up a sword against the Romans.
How many rakaat are in wudhu?
@@kingbruhnessb4043 as many shatan armies that are gangr*ping Mohammad right now
Wordlord is a pejorative. And you've clearly never read the old testament
Wish we were still religious, so many non believers
What books do you recommend?
GBY Brother Brian for your great work 🙏🏻
This video wasn’t necessary, but it’s definitely a good addition to the library of good Crusades videos on UA-cam. Not only does Real Crusades History have good videos, but there are a handful of other good Crusades videos on other channels.
Of course this video wasn’t necessary, this entire channel isn’t “necessary.”
I mean no disrespect, I’m speaking metaphysically.
@ A Retrograde you're not wrong
@@aretrograde7745 I disagree with you regarding the entire channel. Brian has made numerous videos that either [A] address topics of Catholic interest in ways that I haven’t found elsewhere, or B] address topics of Catholic interest that I haven’t found addressed elsewhere.
I think it odd to say “it wasn’t necessary”. How do you know? Maybe not necessary for you but there are hundreds of others who are hearing this for the first time.
I was never against the crusades. We'd all be praying toward Mecca five times daily had the Crusades not happened.
Did it bother anyone else that there was no background music for the first two minutes...and then the music suddenly started at 2:50?
This is the side of history that has often swept under the rug. The powers that be would rather you not acknowledge it.
Bring back the Inquisition.
Bring back the persecution of Protestants?
@@mrsir8094 the church only exercised Inquisitorial authority over Catholics not Protestants.
@@drjanitor3747 What about the dark ages and protestant reformers murdered by the Roman Catholic Church?
@@mrsir8094 the same Protestants who stole land, assets, churches, and butchered Catholic clergy.
It still exists it just has a fancy new pc name the "Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith"
"Just war doctrine"; not "Just war theory".
"Just war theory" is a novelty.
The city that gave me birth, Bari, in the Italian South-eastern region of Apulia, was one of the ports from where Crusader warriors from all over Europe sailed to the Holy Land. My people fought against the Saracens for centuries. We're proud descendants of those Faith-warriors, and we're proud of our history. Crusades are our History.
Could you recommend a good book on this? I would love to learn more. Or UA-cam videos to watch, etc. T.I.A.
Hilaire Belloc's "The Crusades"
There was no shame until the sack of Constantinople.
But not for the pope.
@John The sacking of Constantinople resulted in the enevitable demise of Christendom in the East. Just retribution it seems you think.