The Department of History discusses a master’s thesis on the position of Orthodox Christians toward the Crusades
The Department of History at the College of Education for Human Sciences, University of Samarra, discussed a master’s thesis entitled: “The Position of Orthodox Christians toward the Crusades (489 AH–656 AH / 1096 CE–1258 CE)”, submitted by the student Huda Nuri Hussein.
The thesis aimed to study the attitudes of Orthodox Christians toward the Crusades in the Islamic East, and to uncover the nature of relations between the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Western Catholic Church, particularly after the Great Schism of 445 AH / 1054 CE, and the resulting political and religious consequences that were reflected in the course of the Crusades.
It demonstrated that the response of the Crusaders to the call of the Byzantine Emperor Alexios Komnenos to confront the Seljuks took multiple forms, ranging from unorganized popular expeditions to regular military campaigns. This led the Byzantine emperor to deal with them cautiously and impose a set of conditions and obligations in order to regulate their movements and preserve the security of the capital, Constantinople.
The study also revealed the diversity of Orthodox Christian positions in the East toward the Crusaders. Some groups, most notably the Armenians, tended to cooperate with them and assisted in handing over several important cities such as Edessa, Antioch, and Tripoli. In contrast, other groups chose resistance and aligned themselves with the Muslims, as a result of the marginalization and religious persecution they faced at the hands of the Crusaders, who sought to exclude Orthodox patriarchs and bishops and replace them with Latin clergy.
The study further confirmed that Arab Christians lived under Islamic states, including the Seljuks, Fatimids, and Ayyubids, in an atmosphere of religious coexistence and tolerance, in contrast to what they experienced under the Crusaders, who regarded them as schismatics from the Western Church. It also noted that the fall of Constantinople in 600 AH / 1204 CE at the hands of the Fourth Crusade represented a major turning point in deepening the rift between the Eastern and Western Churches, following the city’s looting and the conversion of several of its churches into Latin churches.
In conclusion, the study found that Orthodox Christian positions toward the Crusades were not unified but were shaped by the political, religious, and social circumstances surrounding each community. It also highlighted that the Copts in Egypt notably rejected cooperation with the Crusaders and instead stood alongside the Muslims in confronting their military campaigns.
