The Crusades - Pilgrimage or Holy War?: Crash Course World History #15

In which John Green teaches you about the Crusades embarked upon by European Christians in the 12th and 13th centuries. Our traditional perception of the Crusades as European Colonization thinly veiled in religion isn't quite right. John covers the First through the Fourth Crusades, telling you which were successful, which were well-intentioned yet ultimately destructive, and which were just plain crazy. Before you ask, no, he doesn't cover the Children's Crusade, in which children were provoked to gather for a Crusade, and then promptly sold into slavery by the organizers of said Crusade. While this story is charming, it turns out to be complete and utter hooey.

Chapters:
Introduction: The Crusades 00:00
What Prompted the Crusades? 0:44
The First Crusade 1:44
An Open Letter to Animal Crackers 2:45
What Motivated the Crusaders? 3:24
The Third Crusade 6:20
The Fourth Crusade 7:55
What Did The Crusades Accomplish? 9:50
Credits 10:50

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[punkofnewjerseyxx]

"We're gonna skip the second crusade because it bores me" Dude thats the one i have a project on!

[sweaterketchup]

knuckles: cracked
Constantinople: sacked

yup.
*_I T ' S C R U S A D E R T I M E_*

[darcy]

views are gonna skyrocket now because of home learning...

[Commanber]

They couldn't just sack the largest city in Christendom, could they?

"The Gang Sacks Constantinople"

[ceoofworldpeace]

The Byzantines calling upon the Pope for help was HUGE because the two did NOT get along.

The Byzantines were desperate for help against warring Muslims. That's just history.

[ljjoonghost]

The 4th Crusade: when the side quest affects the main mission.

Edit: it’s been a year and I didn’t realize this comment got this many likes, thanks y’all

[nadima.george]

They built 500 ships but only 11, 000 crusaders showed up because you know I've got other stuff to do etc...


Exactly how the area 51 raid will end up

[Alamandorious]

This is why I keep saying it's impossible to truly judge people of the past by the morals of today (when I say this, I'm speaking of era's, not physical dates). The best thing to do is simply acknowledge that what happened, happened, and learn from it. Don't be afraid of it, and don't forget, because those that forget the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it.

[travispepe]

The only reason I like the crusades is to get that nice crusader trait that gives you +3 martial

[axiexo]

Me cramming for an exam: “ugh I’m so stuck on the Second Crusade. Ooooh! Crash Course has a video on it. **6 mins 20 seconds later** DAMN IT JOHN!!

[jackstinson]

3:19
Reality is often disappointing
-Purple Homer Simpson

[azazeldryland]

I just joined for the crusader trait...

[TheGhostbuster]

Do yourself a favor, don't read the comments, it could save your brain cells.

[charlesmcmillion]

"Hey, guys - let's go kill our enemies in the name of the guy who taught us to love our enemies!"

[mynewdirectcars]

I can’t even believe this is 11 years old. Well made with great commitment.

[Stardweller]

After his explanation of the Fourth Crusade, I ended up doing something of a mental facepalm.

[louisproctor]

We romanticize the Crusades? Maybe at one point but nowadays the Crusades are the go to example for people trying to paint Christianity as violent.

[stulog]

When I think of motivations the crusaders had, I think of the peasants. If I were a peasant at the time, and somebody gave me the opportunity to go on a crusade, I would go without thinking twice. When you think about it, for those people it would be a choice of staying stuck on your farm working the same ol' field day after day, just as your family has for generations, or you can say "screw it all" and go off on a big adventure traveling across Europe with a bunch of other wistful people who want to get away from everything.

[bellybuttonbenjamin]

Came to see people argue about religion was not disappointed

[MatthewSchooley]

So the crusades had nothing to do with stardust?

...I'll see myself out.