Between the 1090’s and 1300, Europe bared witness to generationally occurring Holy Wars. The movements were, and still are, primarily deemed as Christian influenced persecutions, but if examined closer it is the use of propaganda and position that is found behind the push of the crusades. Holy men—who at times paired with ruling monarchs—pursued papal power and extended territories in the name of God. The corruption that poisoned the church was obvious to many who witnessed it and church representatives were referred to as “pseudo prophets” who used empty words to persuade Christians, lead those who sought redemption and those eager for riches down a violent path. While looking at the actions of the papacy a pattern of manipulation through
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Counter arguments
In, Crusading As An Act of Love, the idea of love being the pushing factor of the crusades is explored. The amount of violence and death that accompanied the crusades, acts usually associated with negative emotions, one would assume to be only motivated by anger or hate for non-Christians, but with this secondary article Riley-Smith exposes another cause and possible roots of the idea of violence through love. The author believed that Augustine, a philosopher and theologist, as well as the works of Thomas Aquinas, impacted the ideologies that when coupled with the clever usage from the popes, impacted the crusades.
As was seen in the secondary source, the connection between religious commitment and violent hostility had developed into a movement through propaganda sculpted by those of the cloth. That message would reach to Christians and non-Christians alike. “It is not believable that the popes who proclaimed crusades and the more respectable preachers who whipped up enthusiasm for them did not grasp the complexity of the Christian position. They must have presented their one-sided version of love deliberately, with a view to the audience they were addressing. It could be that they dared not do otherwise.”(Crusading as an Act of Love) Even with this statement there is an admittance to the pragmatic use of a manipulated
Counter arguments
In, Crusading As An Act of Love, the idea of love being the pushing factor of the crusades is explored. The amount of violence and death that accompanied the crusades, acts usually associated with negative emotions, one would assume to be only motivated by anger or hate for non-Christians, but with this secondary article Riley-Smith exposes another cause and possible roots of the idea of violence through love. The author believed that Augustine, a philosopher and theologist, as well as the works of Thomas Aquinas, impacted the ideologies that when coupled with the clever usage from the popes, impacted the crusades.
As was seen in the secondary source, the connection between religious commitment and violent hostility had developed into a movement through propaganda sculpted by those of the cloth. That message would reach to Christians and non-Christians alike. “It is not believable that the popes who proclaimed crusades and the more respectable preachers who whipped up enthusiasm for them did not grasp the complexity of the Christian position. They must have presented their one-sided version of love deliberately, with a view to the audience they were addressing. It could be that they dared not do otherwise.”(Crusading as an Act of Love) Even with this statement there is an admittance to the pragmatic use of a manipulated