THE CRUSADES EXPOSED

The Real Motives Behind the "Holy Wars"

Ages 14+ | EXPOSED Series

"Yahusha answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight..."

— John 18:36

Lesson 1

The Standard Narrative vs. Hidden History

What We're Taught

History textbooks typically present the Crusades as religious wars to recapture the Holy Land. But was this the whole story?

📚 Traditional View

  • Defensive wars to protect Christian pilgrims
  • Response to Muslim aggression
  • Noble knights fighting for faith
  • A righteous cause, though flawed in execution
  • Example of European courage and piety

✓ Hidden Dimensions

  • Economic motives: trade routes, wealth
  • Political power: papal supremacy
  • Population control: excess nobility
  • Land acquisition: feudal expansion
  • Banking origins: Templar financial system

The Multiple Layers

The Crusades operated on several levels simultaneously:

Lesson 2

The First Crusade: Examining the Call

Pope Urban II's Speech at Clermont (1095)

Pope Urban II called for the First Crusade with a speech that promised spiritual rewards for violence—a concept foreign to Yahusha's teaching.

Key Events of the First Crusade

1095 Council of Clermont: Urban II calls for Crusade
1096 People's Crusade: Peasant army massacres Jews en route
1097-99 Main Crusade marches through Anatolia
1099 Jerusalem captured; massive slaughter of inhabitants
"All who die by the way, whether by land or by sea, or in battle against the pagans, shall have immediate remission of sins." — Pope Urban II, Council of Clermont, 1095

Problems with this Theology

The Massacre at Jerusalem (1099)

When Jerusalem fell, Crusaders slaughtered virtually everyone—Muslims, Jews, and even Eastern Christians. Contemporary accounts describe blood running ankle-deep. This was celebrated as a great victory. How does this align with Yahusha's teachings?

Lesson 3

Following the Money: Economic Motivations

Trade Routes and Wealth

Beyond religious rhetoric, the Crusades had massive economic implications that benefited specific groups.

Economic Factor How Crusades Served It Silk Road Trade Control of Eastern Mediterranean routes to Asian goods Italian City-States Venice, Genoa, Pisa gained massive trading privileges Spice Trade Direct access to valuable spices worth more than gold Feudal Land Younger sons could gain lands they couldn't inherit at home Plunder Direct looting of wealthy Eastern cities

The Italian Connection

Italian merchant cities provided ships and supplies for Crusaders—in exchange for trading posts and privileges. Venice especially profited:

  • Transported Crusaders for fees and favors
  • Gained exclusive trading rights in captured ports
  • Diverted Fourth Crusade to sack Constantinople (Christian city!)
  • Built a commercial empire on Crusade profits
Fourth Crusade: The Mask Slips

In 1204, Crusaders—supposedly fighting for Christ—attacked and sacked Constantinople, the greatest Christian city in the world. They looted churches, murdered fellow Christians, and divided the Byzantine Empire. This wasn't about faith; it was about Venetian debts and commercial interests.

Lesson 4

The Knights Templar: Warriors and Bankers

Origins and Rise

The Knights Templar (1119-1312) became one of history's most powerful organizations—and the precursor to modern banking.

Templar Timeline

1119 Founded in Jerusalem to protect pilgrims
1129 Endorsed by Council of Troyes; rapid expansion begins
1139 Papal bull exempts Templars from all authority except Pope
1291 Fall of Acre ends Crusader presence in Holy Land
1307 Philip IV of France arrests all French Templars
1312 Order dissolved; wealth transferred

The Templar Banking System

Templars invented or refined many financial practices still used today:

Too Powerful to Survive

By 1300, the Templars were so wealthy and powerful that King Philip IV of France (who owed them massive debts) moved to destroy them. They were arrested on Friday, October 13, 1307 (origin of Friday the 13th superstition), tortured into confessions, and executed. Their wealth largely went to the French crown. The official charges were heresy, but the real crime was financial power.

Lesson 5

Collateral Damage: Who Suffered?

The Other Victims of the Crusades

While Muslims were the official enemy, Crusaders also attacked many other groups.

Jewish Communities

Eastern Christians

"Heretics" in Europe

"When they discovered, from the admissions of some of them, that there were Catholics mingled with the heretics they said to the abbot 'Sir, what shall we do, for we cannot distinguish between the faithful and the heretics?' The abbot... is said to have replied: 'Kill them all, for the Lord knows his own.'" — Caesarius of Heisterbach, describing the massacre at Béziers, 1209

Lesson 6

Political Motivations: Papal Power

The Crusades and Church Authority

The Crusades dramatically increased papal power and established the Church as the supreme authority in medieval Europe.

Before Crusades After Crusades Pope competed with kings for authority Pope could command kings to fight his wars Church had spiritual authority Church directed armies and foreign policy Indulgences were local Crusade indulgences became major institution Monasteries held religious power Military orders (Templars, Hospitallers) wielded both

How Crusades Served Papal Interests

  • Unity: United warring European nobles against external enemy
  • Authority: Pope could excommunicate crusaders who disobeyed
  • Revenue: Crusade taxes and indulgence sales filled Church coffers
  • East-West: Hoped to reunite Eastern and Western churches under Rome
  • Precedent: Established that Pope could direct warfare for "spiritual" ends
The Investiture Contest Background

The Crusades came during a power struggle between popes and kings over who could appoint bishops (investiture). By commanding Crusades, popes demonstrated supreme authority—they could tell kings what to do in the name of God. This established papal supremacy that would last for centuries.

Lesson 7

Biblical Analysis: Was This of Yahuah?

Testing the Crusades by Scripture

Let's examine Crusade theology against what Yahusha and the apostles actually taught.

Crusade Teaching Scripture's Teaching Kill enemies to gain heaven "Love your enemies" (Matthew 5:44) Pope can forgive sins Only Yahuah forgives (Mark 2:7) Fight for earthly Jerusalem "Jerusalem above is free" (Galatians 4:26) Spread Christianity by sword "Our weapons are not carnal" (2 Cor 10:4) Cross as military symbol Cross is death to self (Luke 9:23)

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through Elohim to the pulling down of strongholds."

— 2 Corinthians 10:3-4

Early Church vs. Crusade Church

  • Early believers: Refused military service; suffered martyrdom
  • Crusaders: Waged war; killed for Christ
  • Early church: "The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church"
  • Crusade church: "Kill the infidel for remission of sins"
What Changed?

When Christianity became the state religion under Constantine (4th century), the church gained political power but lost spiritual purity. The Crusades represent this corruption fully developed—the opposite of everything Yahusha taught about His kingdom.

Lesson 8

Lessons for Today

What the Crusades Teach Us

  1. Religious rhetoric can mask other motives: Always examine who benefits
  2. Violence in God's name is still violence: The end doesn't justify means
  3. Church + State = corruption: Mixing spiritual and political power corrupts both
  4. History can be manipulated: "Holy war" can cover economic and political agendas
  5. Yahusha's way is different: His kingdom advances through love, not force

Modern Parallels

Consider how similar patterns appear today:

"Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword."

— Matthew 26:52

Final Reflections