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I still find it hard to believe that people can be so ignorant of history. Anyone with half a brain who has even remotely looked at a chapter of a high school history book on this time period should be able to figure out that the Muslim armies in Spain were still very much a threat to Europe when the Crusades were launched. These lengthy campaigns had two objectives; first to try and restore the Holy Lands to Christian control, and second to force the enemy to pull back some of its forces threatening to sweep through Southern France and into the heart of Europe. Several of the kings at this time (Richard the Lion-Hearted for one) realized the dire situation Europe was facing, but they knew that they would have a difficult time convincing their vassal lords to gather together their forces and go fight and die to defend a rival European king's land. If, however, they could offer these same vassal lords the opportunity to fight for a greater religious purpose and include the possible opportunity for them to increase their wealth and political stature, then they might stand a chance.

That is about right. The Islamic invasion of Europe was stopped in the year 732 at Tours by Charles Martel in what is now France, and again in Kosovo by the Serbs in the 14th century.

The Crusades were part of the still ongoing and larger war for Europe between two incompatible belief systems.

Anyone with half a brain who has even remotely looked at a chapter of a high school history book on this time period should be able to figure out that the Muslim armies in Spain were still very much a threat to Europe when the Crusades were launched. These lengthy campaigns had two objectives; first to try and restore the Holy Lands to Christian control, and second to force the enemy to pull back some of its forces threatening to sweep through Southern France and into the heart of Europe.

Not accurate.

The Muslim armies in Spain at this time were generally in retreat. They hadn't been into France for several centuries. They had also recently been defeated in southern Italy and Sicily.

The Muslims at this time had also been split into warring independent states for many centuries. For Christians to attack Egypt or Palestine to force Muslims Spanish armies to change their behavior would make as much sense as a Muslim army attacking Russia to relieve Christian pressure on Spanish Muslims.

Agreed.

If Charles Martel hadn't stopped the Moors, I'm sure Europe would have had a a bad situation on their hands.

I like your take on the situation.

Arioch7 out.