Steven Weidenkopf has done a beautiful job in this book by bringing out the truth about the Crusades.The term "Crusades" was used often to disparage the role of the Church in the history of the world. Protestant historians imbued with great hostility and antipathy towards the Catholic Church pictured the Crusades as the dirty work of the Church and produced a very slanted and biased version of history.The Islamic writers who were radicalized by fundamentalism attributed their downfall in world civilization to the Crusades. Steve has brought out very brilliantly that it was the military arrogance of Mogul and Turkish warlords who murdered and annihilated thousands of Christians and occupied the sacred sites of Christianity that was responsible for the ostracism of Islamic countries.The Mogul warlords were mad with hatred and they wanted to wipe out Christianity. If it were not for the Crusades and for the leadership given by the popes as well as by very dutiful kings of the various European countries , Europe would have been decimated and in the place of a Christian civilization that respects human rights and compassion , a brutal religious system would have spread all over Europe.
Some of the important statements made by Steve in this book are cited here in order to show the importance of the resistance put out by the leaders of the countries in Europe to save it from total enslavement that would have happened to it.
The rise of the Ottoman empire in the 15th c:
p.209
A man called the 'Blood drinker " became the sultan of the Ottoman Empire in 1451 at the age of 19: Mehmet ll . He embarked on a policy of victory over the Byz.empire. Emperor Constantine tried for a truce. But his emissaries were killed by Mehmet.With the help of a Hungarian engineer , he built a big cannon to destroy the fortress of Constantinople. After a long siege, they got into the city.The sultan had triumphed.
"A Constantine, son of Helena , had built this city more than 1000 years ago ; another Constantine , son of another Helena , had now lost it forever."
" A large groups of citizens ran into Hagia Sophia , the 6th C.Church built by Justinian the Great and the largest Church in Christendom. Mehmet rode straight for Hagia Sophia , entered and declared it a mosque. "
It remained a mosque until 1935 and then a museum and now again a mosque.
4000 Christians were killed in the sack and 50,000 seized of which 30,000 became slaves.
p.213
Five years after the loss of Constantinople saw the election of a new Pope who would play a central role in shaping the character of crusading against Ottoman Turks: Pius ll whose goal was the liberation of Constantinople.
The attempt to capture Malta and to create an entry point to Europe by Suleiman in the 16th c.
Knights Hospitallers used malta as their base and they protected Europe.Jean de la Valette was elected the Master General in 1557.He was one of the greatest warriors of Chrsitian history."His singular vision in 1565 was the defense of Malta.the Spanish troops came to help Valette.malta was saved from the army of the ottomans.
Pope Pius lV offered La Valette the cardinal's aht for his defense of Malta, but he refused the offr.
Pius V was elected pope in 1566.he persuades the Christain kings to form an alliance against the Ottomans.
the Battle of Lepanto was a decisive war where the Chrsitian forces defeated the ottoman forces.
P.224.Oct 7,1571, the cross and the crescent literally clashed for control of the center of the world. chrsitian soldiers were asked by Don Juan who lead them to say rosareis for their protection.
In memory of the victory at lepanto which saved Rome and Europe, pius V established the the Feast of Our lady of Victory which was changed by his successor Gregory Xlll as the Feast of the Our Lady of the rosary.
the ottomans were moving against Vienna.the polish king came to their help and the Ottomans were defeated.(1683 AD)
From that time onwards, the [power of the Ottoman empire began to weaken and they was finally disbabded in 1918 by the Allied Forces.
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