Re: Tolerant Christanity and Intolerant Crusades
Actually it was a see saw motion. Salah-hudeen Ayubi had his victory almost a century before the Mongols sacked Baghdad. Likewise it would be a further 3 Centuries before the last moors left Spain.
Most people assume it all happened around the same period.
I think its interlinked Salah u Din Ayubi's army got Muslim soldiers from the areas which were gradually sacked by Mongols before they finally reached Baghdad. Spain didn't come under Christian rule in one or two years. Many states like Corodaba etc were under Christian rule way before the last state of Gharnada came under their rule in 1492.
Re: Tolerant Christanity and Intolerant Crusades
Very true with regards to Spain.
Not nessacarily with regards to Salahuddin. Ghengis Khan was not even Born when Saladin conquered Jerusalem. I think it was 1187 when Saladin won at Hattin... Ghengis was not Born until at least 1206 or 1207. Ghengis did not Unite the Mongols till at least he was 30 years of age and it was not till his 35th year that his Army fought the Shah.
Saladin alas the great Kurdish and Turkic Hero had passed away before the 1200s.
The Moors were still strong to the last days though it was not till at least the 1300s that Castille started to make major gains. Besides when the Moors collapsed Turks were rampaging across Europes East and were unstoppable becuase they swept two crusader armies off the field and would have kept going had not Timur got them in the back.
Re: Tolerant Christanity and Intolerant Crusades
The title "Tolerant Christianity and Intolerant Crusades" implies that Christianity was a tolerant religion with Crusades being of of the intolerant things that occurred. Fact is Christianity was pretty much intolerant (inquisitions and witch burnings) till the renaissance period which led to a renewed interest in ancient and classical learning.
Infact it was the era known as the Great Divergence, when in the West Scientific revolution brought about changes in society. Christianity was now confronted with various forms of doubt and with certain ideologies like socialism and liberalism. Events ranged from anti cliricalism to violent outbursts against Christianity such as the dechristianisation during the French Revolution, the Spanish civil war, and general hostility of Marxist movements like Russian Revolution.
The situation that let to the crusades was simmering for a long time . It started with the muslim invasion of France after conquest of spain . Then there was the recoquesta of Spain and portugal. There was also the persecution of the piligrims who travelled to Jerusalem. he Muslims realized that much of the wealth of Jerusalem came from the pilgrims; for this reason and others, the persecution of pilgrims eventually stopped. However, the damage was already done, and the violence of the conquering Seljuk Turks became part of the concern that spread support for the Crusades across the Christian world.
In 1063, Pope AlexanderII had given his blessing to Iberian Christians in their wars against the Muslims, granting both a papal standard (the vexillum sancti Petri) and an indulgence to those who were killed in battle. Pleas also came from the Byzantine Emperors in the east, now threatened by the Turks. In 1074, Emperor Michael VII sent a request for aid to Pope Gregory VII and in 1095, from Emperor Alexios I Komnenos asked Pope Urban II for help; the latter eventually blessed Christian armies who fought to reclaim lands lost to Muslim invaders in previous centuries.
The crusades also acted as an outlet to the intense religious fanaticism that arose among the people of 11th century Europe. In all there were 12 Crusades. The Christians were the eventual losers in this "holy war".
Re: Tolerant Christanity and Intolerant Crusades
The title says about the tolerance that is claimed by Church today. The concept that Jesus sacrificed his life for the sins of other people. The issues like witch burning and inquisition were backed by the then church and IMO they followed Crusades as the strict inquisitions I know were taken place in Spain just after the conquest of Gharnata which made many Moors to migrate to neighboring countries like Morocco.
Re: Tolerant Christanity and Intolerant Crusades
Muslim spain was busy infighting with each other (read up on taifa kingdoms), while christian kingdoms were able to unite by for example marriage when isabella and ferdinand’s joint state defeated the muslim state of granada in 1492. Just like some christians were vassals to muslims, there were muslim vassal states in spain that would surrender and fight on the behalf of christians and deliver the remaining muslim states to the crusaders. I wonder how those muslim vassal rulers felt while they were busy doing the bidding of the conquistadors? 
I think the biggest problem that moors faced apart from the infighting was that somehow they didn’t control all of spain i.e. the northern areas that house the basques were left to christians to regroup. Forget france, but muslims should have made it a duty to take all of spain and it isn’t impossible considering the fact that visigoths before them did it (they also controlled france) and romans did it as well. Though, it is another story about the famed ninth legion that won in spain was completely wiped out in brittania by the saxons.