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<blockquote data-quote="SableWyvern" data-source="post: 250935" data-attributes="member: 1008">I have to disagree somewhat, GK.By my understanding, Byzantine intended to mount a defensive op, and asked their brothers in the west for some help. Expecting a small cadre of professional soldiers, they got instead a mad rabble raised by the Western Church (I believe that was the People's Crusade, which predated the official First Crusade).The first mob, mainly of peasants, that arrived at Constantinople wasn't even allowed in the city. The Constantine Emperer wanted nothing to do with them.Furthermore, the fact that in many cases it was Christians who were massacred by the Crusaders doesn't speak well of them (in that it shows all that many of the Crusaders really wanted was bloodshed, rape and pillage, and any greater cause was largely irrelevant).That said, many of the Crusader states were quite enlightened, and some good things came out of the Crusades. But, in the main, it was a propoganda excercise by the Western Church.Edit: Oh, and yeah it was remiss of me not to agree that the Muslims commited their fair share of attrocities as well. Both sides are guilty of that, in any war.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="SableWyvern, post: 250935, member: 1008"] I have to disagree somewhat, GK. By my understanding, Byzantine intended to mount a defensive op, and asked their brothers in the west for some help. Expecting a small cadre of professional soldiers, they got instead a mad rabble raised by the Western Church (I believe that was the People's Crusade, which predated the official First Crusade). The first mob, mainly of peasants, that arrived at Constantinople wasn't even allowed in the city. The Constantine Emperer wanted nothing to do with them. Furthermore, the fact that in many cases it was Christians who were massacred by the Crusaders doesn't speak well of them (in that it shows all that many of the Crusaders really wanted was bloodshed, rape and pillage, and any greater cause was largely irrelevant). That said, many of the Crusader states were quite enlightened, and some good things came out of the Crusades. But, in the main, it was a propoganda excercise by the Western Church. Edit: Oh, and yeah it was remiss of me not to agree that the Muslims commited their fair share of attrocities as well. Both sides are guilty of that, in any war. [/QUOTE]

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