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Sunday Morning History: Crusade Week in America
Well, I never thought I’d see the day when an American president tried to bring up the Crusades as a serious argument for anything in the year 2015, but it seems that happened.
Bobby Jindal said the fairly obvious:
“It was nice of the President to give us a history lesson at the Prayer breakfast,” Jindal said. “Today, however, the issue right in front of his nose, in the here and now, is the terrorism of Radical Islam, the assassination of journalists, the beheading and burning alive of captives. We will be happy to keep an eye out for runaway Christians, but it would be nice if he would face the reality of the situation today. The Medieval Christian threat is under control, Mr. President. Please deal with the Radical Islamic threat today.”
Now, I can’t quite see why we’re having a serious national conversation about the Crusades in our presidential debates in 2015 at all—since the United States was founded in 1776, quite a few years after the battle of Alcazar—but if our foreign policy must be determined by our verdict on the Crusades, I suspect we’d best get studying. This will take some time. So I suggest we break it down into digestible morsels—maybe studying them Crusade by Crusade?
But don’t forget, your view on the Crusades, theologically speaking, really has to fall in line with the Catholic-Protestant schism, right? Pope Urban II remitted the penance of crusaders who confessed their sins in 1095, and papal indulgences were offered to these who couldn’t afford to crusade but contributed in cash. From there—skimming right along—we get to the 95 Theses. So it seems to me that the first thing we need to establish here is whether we’re basically pro-Reformation. If we are, I think we’re off the hook for the Crusades, and we don’t need to relitigate them.
In that case, it might have made more sense for Obama to say, “Fortunately, the majority of Americans self-identify as Protestant, so you’ve got nothing to worry about from them. And we all know the Eastern Orthodox got the really bad end of the Fourth Crusade—more sinned against than sinners, if you know what I mean, even through they were Christian—so let me assure you that we do have ‘model, moderate Christians,’ who ‘speak out’ against Crusading. Shout-out to my Eastern Orthodox friends in the house, you know who you are.“
Now, in my view, the Albigensian Crusade, well—that one was unfortunate. That’s where I’d look for my top example of a Bad Crusade. We may have to give ground on that one. Fortunately, there are no Albigensians left to get worked up about it.
There are many fine theologians on Ricochet, so I put it to you: Given that we’re having what seems to be a totally serious, not-a-joke, national conversation about the Crusades, let’s at least do it right. This week, let’s have a good, close, look at the Reconquista, the Peoples’ Crusade, The First, Second, and Wendish Crusades, the Third Crusade, the Northern Crusade, the German Crusade, the Norman Crusade, that Really Bad One (if you ask me), the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Crusades, the Aragonese Crusade, and the ones in the 14th and 15th Centuries—including the Hussite Wars. I think we need to figure it out which Crusaders really speak for us, in terms of contemporary foreign policy. As a Jew, I have to just put my instincts out there. I just can’t feel good about Phlip Augustus. I just don’t think the First Crusaders really had my best interests at heart. Look, face it: Things weren’t right for right for a long time between Jews and Christians after Pope Innocent III got done with things. So I can’t really think of them as “My Crusaders.” YMMV.
Until recently, I’d have said, “America was founded precisely to get away from that sort of thing,” but now that the Crusades are a campaign issue, I guess we all need to have a well-informed, pro- or anti-Crusade view, based entirely on our religious identity. Christians of Ricochet, tell me which ones you support and would do over in a heartbeat. I’ll try to figure out where I fit in to the modern conservative movement based on that. Which candidate, in your view, has the most solid view on the Crusades?
Or we could go back to the more standard view—that’s what we came to America to get away from, really—which always seemed sensible to me. But if I have to pick a side, I better go with those who hang with the best crusaders, right? Because definitely, the crusades were not created equal.
The floor is open: I plan to vote for President based on the candidates’ mastery of Crusade Historiography. Which one do you think will be best able to apply the lessons of the Crusades to our economy, our budget, our health care legislation, and our national security strategy?
Published in General
Genius.
Call me reactionary but I’m with Crusader Rabbit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusader_Rabbit
At least we in America don’t get sidetracked with trivial issues. lol For me at least this is one hell of a lot more interesting than the last election that resembled one long Vagina Monologues performance. Crusades > birth control
My ancestors who came over in the mid 18th century from Bavaria. Which Crusades would Bavarian farmers have been part of? I’m ignorant of the specifics.
We all know that Jindal’s ancestors were in India, so at least he is an innocent bystander albeit a Catholic one.
Brilliant. The first candidate with the courage to say “Cui Bono? The Venetians!” gets my full support.
I don’t get why everyone has such pity for the Albigensians. They were a rather crazy heretical group which believed starving oneself to death was a good thing to do. Also as Catholic I can’t help but feel that all this crusade bashing is just an attempt by more heretical protestants to suppress my people. Considering Americas long history of anti-Catholicism I would have thought a protestant president would be a bit more sensitive. After all while Catholics had the Crusades American protestants founded the Ku Klux Klan.
I expect this will cause hipsters to start wearing chain mail ironically.
Hey, since when is the appropriate thing to do with a bunch of weird, dreamy, harmless heretics to kill them all and let God sort them out? They didn’t even believe in reproducing: You could have just left them alone and let time sort them out.
Since they’re not around to defend themselves, I feel obliged to stand up for them.
Delicious.
All I can say is: Fugger this!
Delicious, and a reminder that a diminishing number of people exist with an even moderate immunity to assays like Obama’s.
So, delicious? My laugh is a very nervous one.
cf. the Shakers.
As a wise guy once said, virginity is not hereditary.
Well, I don’t think it’s enough to be just “up” on the crusades. I want to know where my potential candidates in the upcoming GOP primary and national contest stand on the literature of the Crusades, both academic and literary. I mean Runciman or not, Imperialist Venture or Religious Outgrowth, where do you place Henri Pierenne’s thought in your own thinking, I need to know, it has a lot to do with my view of the Ukrainian situation.
As to the literary, I’m mean if Rinaldo and Armida can have a solid relationship or not, is it just imperial hubris for him to avoid the conflict, but then she enchanted him. Then where do you, Mr./Ms. Candidate, stand on enchanted Nymphes in power, does the GOP have a nymph problem?
What about Sorceress / human relationships – do we really need a Monk to mediate? What does that say about inter-magical relationships in America? Is this a national conversation we’re ready to have or not? Has the Attorney General anything to say?
And while we’re fundamentally transforming literary works – which operatic treatment is your favorite? I think this says quite a lot about a candidate’s judgement, especially when it comes to social issues, and heck, there’s a lot of choices: I vote for Salieri’s!
This is critical info people!
Edited – cut and fixed from an earlier attempt at posting this that apparently had too many links to operatic adaptations.
So go here: The Short List, except it ain’t.
Pleeze! I mean, we all know that ALL Catholics in Europe in the Middle Ages were in favor of the Crusades, and NOT all 19th – early 20th century American Protestants were in favor of the Klan – so don’t make this apples and electric toy trains comparison.
Claire,
Don’t you parse the issue with me Ms. Berlinski. I’m getting on my high horse right now!
I think I’ll ride into the next prayer breakfast in full armor with sword drawn. Hopefully I can get a bagel & lox & coffee. Riding always makes me hungry.
Regards,
Jim
I’m surprised at you, Claire. You’re skipping over the best crusades. The greatest, of course, was the Jedi Crusade of the 1190s, where Darth Vader swarmed the Holy Land with many of his white helmeted storm troopers. Things were going well until Count Dookoo betrayed the crusade, and only the heroics of St. Yoda saved the few remaining loyal troops. Into exile, Yoda had to go, until he was rescued by St. Luke.
Then of course, we remember the exploits of St. Indiana of Jones …
So funny you should ask! I was just thinking that I’m pretty much with the mainstream on Pierenne. Basically, I reckon you should use Gibbon for pleasure, but J.B. Bury for probably being right.
This is a great deal more fun than directly engaging in a discussion about what an imbecile the man is who started this…”debate” but I would like to say explicitly that my preferred candidate is the one who, like me, longs for the day -not quite so distant as Charlemagne- when a cartoon character called Crusader Rabbit could be created in Hollywood without the slightest notion that they were giving offense to anyone. Even then our finest hour had past but now it seems as distant as Richard the Lionhearted.
I think we must apologize to the Ghibellines, too. For too long, our refusal to confront the lingering effects of our support for the Guelphs has poisoned our relationship with Barbarossa.
What should their position be on the Song of Roland? Anti-Islamic propaganda or not?
Bonus points if any candidate can recite it while campaigning. Extra bonus if they can recite it in French.
I am in awe right now of Claire’s mastery of medieval history. While I enjoy history, it was never a passion, and with the 100+ math and science credits required to graduate in Physics, I didn’t have time to take history courses in college.
Honestly, I think this is a bigger problem for the Democrats. Robin Hood, steal from the… I mean, tax the rich and give to the poor, was a supporter of Richard the Lionhearted.
Only on Ricochet could I imagine such an erudite and funny thread.
I’m not really sure I understand Indulgences at all, other than they were some sort of exchange against penance assigned by a priest or the church for venial sins, after they were confessed. Penance was assigned to serve as an outward signal of the sinner’s repentance.
Pope Urban did formally establish service in the Holy War as remission of penance for venial sins. That would suggest that penances in 1095 weren’t simple or painless.
I thought the money exchange with Indulgences came later. But once Indulgences were established, it isn’t no leap to believe that those who could would pay money to avoid a painful penance. The War was presented as protecting Christianity from ‘barbarians’ and reclaiming the Holy Lands, so the noble knights would be part of the call to battle.
Well, Pope Urban did have the best interests of the brothers in the Byzantine lands, situated in the east, who were being attacked by Moors and Arabs, right? He needed to motivate folks who were far from the threat to be supportive?
Maybe these Indulgences were the first Church-sponsored National Guard or GI Bill, with soldiers working toward their entrance to Eternity?
Work off your debt…in advance?
Concrete – Porn – Crusades – ??? Join Ricochet now, before all the hipsters invade.
What I know of the Crusades isn’t much, but I’m of the opinion that these guys were totally badass and probably saved the Women of Ricochet (tm?) and of the Western world generally from having to wear burkas and not being permitted to have opinions:
Thank you Winged Hussars! Love ya’! Mmmmwah!
Uh, speak for yourself, Claire. I totally Crusaded a guy just this morning. It was going really well until he laughed and called me a “larper”, at which point he got away because my eyes had welled with tears, making it hard to track where he went.
So be alert, fellow Richochettians, as the enemy is clever. And mean. Mostly mean.
Did you mean ironically in relationship to chain mail as a pun…because if you did, I heart your comment even more…lion heart that is…
I’m suspicious of this article. Name my favorite Crusade? I think Claire’s trying to smoke out heresy. What is this? The Spanish Inquisition?