History of the Crusades

the Crusades Episode 67 Christianity in the Crusader States.

Hello again.

Last week we completed our look at the events of the Third Crusade. This week we were moving outside the chronology

and plugging one of two gaps that I've failed to feel so far on our journey through the narrative. The gap we will fill in this

episode involves taking a closer look at non-Latin Christianity in the

crusader states.

The history of the Crusades is essentially a clash between two great religions,

Islam and Christianity.

With Christianity in the conflict being represented by the Latin

Christians who came predominantly from Europe and had the Pope in Rome as the head of their church.

We've touched lightly on Greek Orthodox Christianity,

which has for the head of its church, the Patriarch in Constantinople, but I've utterly failed to mention that there

are other forms of Christianity being practiced in the Middle East at the time of the Crusades. Who were these other Christians? How did they fare during

the Crusades? Where are they now? We're about to find out. Just one quick word before we begin in the form of a disclaimer. This is

only one 30 minute episode and there is no way in the short time I have available that I can

do proper justice to all the different forms of Christianity in the Middle East and the

troubles they experienced up to the time of the Crusades and until today.

It would take an entire podcast series to do that. I know there are some Orthodox Christians who

listen to this podcast and there are also some listeners from the Middle Eastern

Christian religions and I just want to apologize to you

if I seem to be glossing over your beliefs and the troubles your religion has

...