Consequences of the Crusades for Europe. Consequences of the Crusades for Europe Crusades, communal revolutions and their consequences

Every educated person has heard about the phenomenon that occurred in the 11th – 15th centuries in Western Europe, about the crusades that were directed against Muslims. The official version pursued by the Catholic Church was the propaganda of faith. However, this goal was achieved using barbaric methods. Today we will not talk about the causes or stages of these bloody battles, but about the consequences of the Crusades for Europe. After all, the events that took place over 5 centuries simply could not help but have a serious impact on the continent, which laid the foundation for these terrible and controversial events. By listing the main consequences that the wars of the Catholic Church had on Europe, you will understand why the vast majority of historians consider the 11th – 15th centuries to be contradictory, because, despite the huge number of casualties, they also had a positive effect on the internal structure of the political system of Europe.

Firstly, the Crusades for Europe meant the fall of medieval forms (of which). Thanks to the rapid and numerous outflow of the knightly class to the East (during military campaigns), the royal power was able to begin the fight against. Of course, this had a beneficial effect on the further development of the political system in Western Europe. Secondly, the Crusades significantly accelerated the process of liberating the Villans from their feudal masters. Now they acquired the opportunity not only to escape from them to the East, but also to accumulate a certain amount of money necessary for the ransom. The barons were forced to enter into such transactions, because After the war they were in dire need of funds. Despite the fact that the main and original goal (official from the Catholic Church) was the spread of the Catholic faith and its violent propaganda in the East, in the end, the war was able to erase many national and religious prejudices. Wide masses of people of different classes, cultures, nationalities and religions took part in the campaigns, therefore, over such a long period of time they were able to better understand the characteristics of each nation and learned to treat the choice of each nation with understanding.

The Crusaders, having spent a huge amount of time in the East, gradually learned to distinguish people in the local population first of all, began to understand their culture and began to respect the warlike local population. Navigation has also achieved unprecedented development. Indeed, in addition to the use of sea routes for military purposes, they began to be used much more actively for trade, thanks to which Europe received a huge influx of money. Relations with the East, although not peaceful, brought many new, unique objects to Europe, thereby enriching the culture of the countries. Certain borrowings could be found in architecture, sculpture, artistic craft and poetry. Opening up a completely unique and amazing world for researchers oriental poetry, European talents also received inspiration from the military campaigns themselves.

Such a symbiosis allowed the poets of that time to create real masterpieces with the help of inspiration. Analyzing the consequences of the Crusades, one cannot fail to note the enormous tragedy that the wars brought to the countries of the East. It is worth emphasizing once again that all of the above results of the Crusades were considered by us exclusively for Europe. But even there, the human casualties were enormous, so it is simply impossible to assess the cost of all the changes in the political system, economy and culture.

At the very beginning I would like to say that the Crusades became the greatest phenomenon in European history. They attracted the attention of the entire Christian world for two hundred years, starting at the end of the 11th century. However, in essence, the Crusades did not have much impact on the territories belonging to the Holy Land, the possession of which they were aimed at. At first glance, the secondary results of the Crusades had much more to do with the further development of the world.

(James North. History of the Church. - M., Protestant, 1993. - p. 169. - author’s personal library.)

Christianity waged crusades against the Moors in Spain and the Muslims in Sicily shortly before the Crusades began in the Holy Land. The Western Crusades aimed to expel Muslims from the territory they had captured in Western Europe. Crusades to Palestine - the eastern and largest component in the movement of the Crusaders against the Muslims - had the goal of re-taking power over Palestine and liberating it from the brutal rule of the Muslim Seljuk Turks.

(Earl E. Kerns. The Roads of Christianity. - M., Protestant, 1992. - p. 173. - author’s personal library.)

In this connection, it should be said that Christianity and Islam equally considered themselves called to dominate the whole world.

(Access mode - Internet. - http://www.planet-x.net.ua/history/_zagadki-krest.pohody.)

For the East.

The Crusades may have indeed delayed the Turkish conquest of Byzantium, but they could not prevent the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The Byzantine Empire was in a state of decline for a long time. Its final death meant the emergence of the Turks on the European political scene. The sack of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204 and the Venetian trade monopoly dealt the empire a mortal blow, from which it could not recover even after its revival in 1261. (Access mode - Internet, http://dic.academic.ru.)

The goals of the Crusades could not be achieved without the assistance of the Byzantine Empire and without the participation of the Greeks. Leaving even aside the political influence of the Byzantine emperor, which could be replaced by another equivalent authority, the leaders of the crusades overlooked the enormous power in the Greek clergy and turned it against themselves in the entire theater of their political influence. Without bothering to establish proper relations with Byzantium and without delimiting the sphere of Byzantine and European influence in the East, the crusaders undertook a risky undertaking. By conquering the Byzantine Empire, thinking to make their task easier, they actually avoided it and created insurmountable difficulties for themselves in the future. So, by lack of humanity and political foresight in relation to Byzantium, the crusaders deprived themselves of a serious ally. (Access mode - Internet, http://dic.academic.ru.)

After the Arab conquests, relations between Rome and Constantinople became increasingly strained. The final split occurred in the 11th century. (Gonzalez. History of the Church from the founding of the Church to the era of the Reformation. Access mode. - Bible Qw 6.0)

For the West.

The Crusades undoubtedly had a certain influence on the political and social system of Western Europe: they contributed to the fall of medieval forms in it. The numerical weakening of the knightly class, which was a consequence of the ebb of knights to the East, made it easier for the royal authorities to fight against the representatives of the feudal aristocracy who remained in their homeland. The hitherto unprecedented development of trade relations contributed to the enrichment and strengthening of the urban class, which in the Middle Ages was the support of royal power. Representatives of all those groups into which the population of medieval Western Europe was divided took part in the Crusades, starting from the largest barons and ending with the masses of simple villans, the category of feudal-dependent peasantry; therefore, the Crusades contributed to the rapprochement of all classes among themselves, as well as the rapprochement of various European nationalities. The Crusades for the first time united in one cause all the social classes and all the peoples of Europe and awakened in them the consciousness of unity. On the other hand, by bringing the various peoples of Western Europe into close contact, the Crusades helped them understand their national characteristics. By bringing Western Christians into close contact with the foreign and heterodox peoples of the East (Greeks, Arabs, Turks, and so on), the Crusades helped weaken tribal and religious prejudices. Navigation reached unprecedented development during the Crusades: most of the crusaders went to the Holy Land by sea; Almost all of the extensive trade between Western Europe and the East was carried out by sea. Lively trade relations were brought to the West. Europe had a lot of money, and this, together with the development of trade, led to the decline of forms of subsistence farming in the West and contributed to the economic revolution that was noticed at the end of the Middle Ages.

(Internet access mode, http://veksredniy.ru/shpargalki_po_istorii_civilizacii_vostoka_i_zapada_v_srednie_veka-rezultaty_i_znachenie_krestovyh_pohodov.html.)

The most important result of the Crusades for Western Europe was the seizure by Western European countries of trade routes along the Mediterranean Sea, which had previously been in the hands of Byzantium and the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean. And the fact that trade routes along the Mediterranean Sea fell into the hands of Western European merchants greatly contributed to the revival of their trade with the East, which played a role in economic development Western European states play a major role. Northern Italian cities acquired primary importance in this trade, since Byzantium, defeated as a result of the Fourth Crusade, could no longer compete with them. It had great importance for more rapid development of northern Italian cities and facilitated the emergence of early shoots of capitalist relations in them.

In the East, the Crusaders became acquainted with sericulture, new agricultural crops (until then unknown in the West), rice, watermelons, lemon and pistachio trees. It was during the Crusades that windmills began to be used in Europe, having become familiar with their use in Syria. Having encountered a higher material culture in the East, the population of Western Europe also learned how to make finer fabrics, their different colors and more careful processing of metals. Feudal lords who visited the East acquired more sophisticated tastes there. The expansion of the needs of the upper classes of Western European society led to increased exploitation of the peasants, and consequently to an intensification of the class struggle in Europe. Such were the economic and social consequences of the Crusades for Western European countries.

On the other hand, in view of the unspeakably heavy losses suffered during the Crusades and the incalculable number of Christians who died, as well as in view of the complete discrepancy between the results and the intended goals, it is difficult to say whether the enormous sacrifices and losses are balanced by the benefits that medieval society derived from acquaintance with East.

As a result, having failed to achieve the goal of the Crusades, Western Europeans bear a grave responsibility before the court of history. As a result of mistakes made in the 12th and 13th centuries, Asia Minor, Syria and Palestine were lost for a long time to European cultural influence. Their enemies took advantage of the mistakes of Christians. The Mongols and then the Ottoman Turks established a strong dominance in those places that had been the subject of unsuccessful Christian harassment. The question of the return of holy places faded into the background, and the Eastern Question, which had already cost Europe enormous victims and to this day attracts attention with desperate cries for help, came to the fore.

(Access mode - Internet, http://wordweb.ru/krest/crus10.htm)

The most obvious consequence of the attack on Islam was the increase in mutual mistrust and hostility between Christians and Muslims, as well as between Latin and Byzantine Christians. The blood shed in the Crusades could not simply be forgotten.

(Access mode - Bible Qw 6.0, church history.)

Let us add that the world is divided into South, North, West, East, but this is not only a geographical division, but also a division into attitude and worldview. But until the people inhabiting each of the cardinal directions have formed into a single harmonious whole, conflicts will arise.

Penetrating into the past of the bloody meetings of the West and the East, we may not create them in the present... about which they may write: “A new cycle of crusades in modern history...”

(Internet access mode - History of the Crusades from the first to the eighth: main characters, events, battles, results. Opinions of historians.history4.narod.ru.)

3.2 Consequences of the Crusades

The Crusades, however, did not remain without important consequences for the whole of Europe. Their unfavorable result was the weakening of the eastern empire, which gave it over to the power of the Turks, as well as the death of countless people, the introduction of cruel eastern punishments and gross superstitions into Western Europe by the crusaders, the persecution of Jews, and the like. But much more significant were the consequences beneficial for Europe. For the East and Islam, the Crusades did not have the same significance that they had in the history of Europe: they changed very little in the culture of Muslim peoples and in their state and social system. The Crusades undoubtedly had a certain influence (which, however, should not be exaggerated) on the political and social system of Western Europe: they contributed to the fall of medieval forms in it. The numerical weakening of the baronial knightly class, which was a consequence of the outflow of knights to the East, which lasted almost continuously for two centuries, made it easier for the royal authorities to fight against the representatives of the feudal aristocracy who remained in their homeland. The hitherto unprecedented development of trade relations contributed to the enrichment and strengthening of the urban class, which in the Middle Ages was the support of royal power and the enemy of the feudal lords. Then, the Crusades in some countries facilitated and accelerated the process of liberating the villans from serfdom: the villans were freed not only as a result of leaving for the Holy Land, but also by purchasing their freedom from the barons, who needed money when going on a crusade and therefore willingly entered into such transactions. Representatives of all those groups into which the population of medieval Western Europe was divided took part in the Crusades, starting from the largest barons and ending with the masses of simple villans; therefore, the Crusades contributed to the rapprochement of all classes among themselves, as well as the rapprochement of various European nationalities. The Crusades for the first time united in one cause all the social classes and all the peoples of Europe and awakened in them the consciousness of unity. On the other hand, by bringing the various peoples of Western Europe into close contact, the Crusades helped them understand their national characteristics. By bringing Western Christians into close contact with the foreign and heterodox peoples of the East (Greeks, Arabs, Turks, and so on), the Crusades helped weaken tribal and religious prejudices. Having become closely acquainted with the culture of the East, with the material situation, morals and religion of Muslims, the crusaders learned to see in them people similar to themselves, and began to appreciate and respect their opponents. Those whom they at first considered half-savage barbarians and rude pagans turned out to be culturally superior to the crusaders themselves. The Crusades left an indelible mark on the knightly class; the war, which previously served the feudal lords only as a means to achieve selfish goals, received a new character in the Crusades: the knights shed their blood because of ideal, religious motives. The ideal of the knight, as a fighter for higher interests, a fighter for truth and religion, was formed precisely under the influence of the Crusades. The most important consequence of the Crusades was the cultural influence of the East on Western Europe. From the contact in the East of Western European culture with Byzantine and especially Muslim culture, extremely beneficial consequences flowed for the first. In all areas of material and spiritual life, in the era of the Crusades one encounters either direct borrowings from the East, or phenomena that owe their origin to the influence of these borrowings and the new conditions in which Western Europe then became.

Navigation reached unprecedented development during the Crusades: most of the crusaders went to the Holy Land by sea; Almost all of the extensive trade between Western Europe and the East was carried out by sea. The main figures in this trade were Italian merchants from Venice, Genoa, Pisa, Amalfi and other cities. Lively trade relations brought a lot of money to Western Europe, and this, together with the development of trade, led to the decline of forms of subsistence farming in the West and contributed to the economic revolution that was noticed at the end of the Middle Ages. Relations with the East brought many useful items to the West, which until then were either completely unknown there, or were rare and expensive. Now these products began to be imported in larger quantities, became cheaper and came into general use. This is how carob, saffron, apricot (Damascus plum), lemon, pistachios (the very words denoting many of these plants are Arabic) were transferred from the East. Sugar began to be imported on a large scale, and rice came into widespread use. Works of highly developed eastern industry were also imported in significant quantities - paper materials, chintz, muslin, expensive silk fabrics (satin, velvet), carpets, jewelry, paints, and the like. Familiarity with these objects and the method of their manufacture led to the development of similar industries in the West (in France, those who made carpets based on eastern models were called “Saracens”). Many items of clothing and home comfort were borrowed from the East, which bear evidence of their origin in their names (Arabic) (skirt, burnous, alcove, sofa), some weapons (crossbow) and the like. A significant number of eastern, mainly Arabic words that entered Western languages ​​during the era of the Crusades usually indicate the borrowing of what is denoted by these words. These are (except for those mentioned above) Italian. dogana, fr. douane - customs, - admiral, talisman, etc. The Crusades introduced Western scientists to Arabic and Greek science (for example, with Aristotle). Geography made especially many acquisitions at this time: the West became closely acquainted with a number of countries little known before; the widespread development of trade relations with the East made it possible for Europeans to penetrate into such remote and then little-known countries as Central Asia (the travels of Plano Carpini, William of Rubruk, Marco Polo). Significant progress was also made then in mathematics, astronomy, natural sciences, medicine, linguistics, and history. In European art since the era of the Crusades, a certain influence of Byzantine and Muslim art has been noticed.

Such borrowings can be traced in architecture (horseshoe-shaped and complex arches, trefoil-shaped arches and pointed, flat roofs), in sculpture (“arabesques” - the very name indicates borrowing from the Arabs), in artistic crafts. Poetry, spiritual and secular crusades provided rich material. Having a strong effect on the imagination, they developed it among Western poets; they introduced Europeans to the treasures of the poetic creativity of the East, from where a lot of poetic material and many new subjects were transferred to the West. In general, the acquaintance of Western peoples with new countries, with political and social forms different from those in the West, with many new phenomena and products, with new forms in art, with other religious and scientific views - should have extremely expanded the mental horizons of Western peoples, informed to him a hitherto unprecedented breadth. Western thought began to break free from the grip in which the Catholic Church had hitherto held all spiritual life, science and art. The authority of the Roman Church was greatly undermined by the failure of those aspirations and hopes with which the Church led the West into the Crusades. The widespread development of trade and industry under the influence of the Crusades and through the mediation of Syrian Christians contributed to the economic prosperity of the countries that took part in this movement, and gave scope to various worldly interests, and this further undermined the decrepit edifice of the medieval church and its ascetic ideals. Having familiarized the West more closely with the new culture, making accessible to it the treasures of thought and artistic creativity of the Greeks and Muslims, developing worldly tastes and views, the Crusades prepared the so-called Renaissance, which chronologically directly adjoins them and is largely their consequence. In this way, the Crusades indirectly contributed to the development of a new direction in the spiritual life of mankind and prepared, in part, the foundations of a new European civilization.

There was also an increase in European trade: due to the fall of the Byzantine Empire, the dominance of Italian merchants in the Mediterranean began.

Conclusion

Although the Crusades did not achieve their goal and, begun with general enthusiasm, ended in disaster and disappointment, they constituted an entire era in European history and had a serious impact on many aspects of European life.

Byzantine Empire.

The Crusades may have indeed delayed the Turkish conquest of Byzantium, but they could not prevent the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The Byzantine Empire was in a state of decline for a long time. Its final death meant the emergence of the Turks on the European political scene. The sack of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204 and the Venetian trade monopoly dealt the empire a mortal blow, from which it could not recover even after its revival in 1261.

Trade.

The biggest beneficiaries of the Crusades were the merchants and artisans of the Italian cities, who provided the crusader armies with equipment, provisions and transport. In addition, Italian cities, especially Genoa, Pisa and Venice, were enriched by a trade monopoly in the Mediterranean countries.

Italian merchants established trade relations with the Middle East, from where they exported them to Western Europe. various items luxury - silks, spices, pearls, etc. The demand for these goods brought super profits and stimulated the search for new, shorter and safer routes to the East. Ultimately, this search led to the discovery of America. The Crusades also played an extremely important role in the emergence of the financial aristocracy and contributed to the development of capitalist relations in Italian cities.

Feudalism and the Church.

Thousands of large feudal lords died in the Crusades, in addition, many noble families went bankrupt under the burden of debt. All these losses ultimately contributed to the centralization of power in Western European countries and the weakening of the system of feudal relations.

The impact of the Crusades on the authority of the church was controversial. If the first campaigns helped strengthen the authority of the Pope, who took on the role of spiritual leader in the holy war against Muslims, then the 4th Crusade discredited the power of the Pope even in the person of such an outstanding representative as Innocent III. Business interests often took precedence over religious considerations, forcing the crusaders to disregard papal prohibitions and enter into business and even friendly contacts with Muslims.

Culture.

It was once generally accepted that it was the Crusades that brought Europe to the Renaissance, but now such an assessment seems overestimated to most historians. What they undoubtedly gave the man of the Middle Ages was a broader view of the world and a better understanding of its diversity.

The Crusades were widely reflected in literature. A countless number of poetic works were composed about the exploits of the crusaders in the Middle Ages, mostly in Old French. Among them there are truly great works, such as the History of the Holy War (Estoire de la guerre sainte), describing the exploits of Richard the Lionheart, or the Song of Antioch (Le chanson d'Antioche), supposedly composed in Syria, dedicated to the 1st Crusade New artistic material, born of the Crusades, also penetrated into ancient legends. Thus, the early medieval cycles about Charlemagne and King Arthur were continued.

The Crusades also stimulated the development of historiography. Villehardouin's Conquest of Constantinople remains the most authoritative source for the study of the 4th Crusade. Many consider the best medieval work in the biography genre to be the biography of King Louis IX, created by Jean de Joinville. One of the most significant medieval chronicles was the book written in Latin by Archbishop William of Tyre, History of Deeds in Overseas Lands (Historia rerum in partibus transmarinis gestarum), vividly and reliably recreating the history of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1144 to 1184 (the year of the author’s death).

Bibliography

1. Vasiliev A. A. History of the Byzantine Empire: From the beginning of the Crusades to the fall of Constantinople. SPb.: Aletheia. 1998. 581 p. (Byzantine library.)

2. Villehardouin J. de. Conquest of Constantinople Trans., article and commentary. M. Zaborov. M.: Science. 1993.. 296 p. (Monuments of historical thought.)

3. Ertov I. History of the Crusades for the liberation of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the hands of infidels, selected from general history. SPb.: type. H. Ginz. 1835. 375 p.

4. Zaborov M. A. Historiography of the Crusades. (XV-XIX centuries) M.: Nauka. 1971. 386 p.

5. Clary, R. de. Conquest of Constantinople Trans., art. and comm. M. Zaborov. M.: Science. 1986. 174 p. (Monuments of historical thought.)

6. Uspensky F.I. History of the Crusades, St. Petersburg, 1900-1901, 230 p.

7. Shishnev U. G. History of Europe M: Science. 1985. 415 p.

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Crusades to the East During the Middle Ages, Christianity had no framework limiting its actions. In particular, the Roman Church performed not only its spiritual function, but also influenced the political life of many countries. You can also familiarize yourself with the topic: the struggle of the Catholic Church with heretics. In order to consolidate its power in society, the church resorted to very un-Christian actions: wars were started under the banner of the Catholic Church, everyone who, to one degree or another, did not support the Catholic ideology was executed. Naturally, the birth and development of Islam in the East could not go unnoticed by the Roman Church. What was the East associated with among the Catholic clergy? First of all, these are countless riches. Poor, eternally hungry Europe, covering its greedy motives with the name of Jesus Christ, went on predatory campaigns against the Holy Land. Purpose and reasons for the Crusades The official goal of the first Crusades was the liberation of the Holy Sepulcher from “infidel” Muslims, who, as was then believed, were blaspheming the shrine. The Catholic Church was able to professionally convince the participants of the Crusades that their heroism would be rewarded by God with the forgiveness of all their earthly sins. The First Crusade dates back to 1096. Its main characteristic is that the participants in the campaign were of different social classes: from feudal lords to peasants. Representatives of Europe and Byzantium, already Orthodox at that time, took part in the First Crusade. Despite internal disunity, the participants in the Crusade managed to capture Jerusalem through terrible bloodshed. Over two centuries, the Catholic Church managed to organize eight Crusades, most of them were directed not only to the East, but also to the Baltic states. Consequences of the Crusades The Crusades had enormous consequences for Europe. The Crusaders adopted and brought to Europe from the Eastern countries the tradition of cruel executions, which would later be repeatedly used in inquisition processes. The end of the Crusades was, to some extent, the beginning of the fall of medieval foundations in Europe. The participants of the Crusades admired Eastern culture, because they previously considered the Arabs to be barbarians, but the depth of art and tradition that was inherent in the East changed their worldview. After returning home, they will begin to actively spread Arab culture throughout Europe. The expensive Crusades actually ruined Europe. But the opening of new trade routes significantly improved the situation. The Byzantine Empire, which aided the Roman Church in the First Crusade, ultimately provoked its own fall: after being completely sacked by the Ottomans in 1204, it was unable to regain its former power and fell completely two centuries later. After the fall of the Empire, Italy became the sole monopolist in the trade of the Mediterranean region. Two centuries of severe conflicts between the Catholic Church and Muslims brought a huge amount of suffering and death to both sides.

The most direct consequence of the Crusades, leaving aside the deaths of millions of people, was the establishment in the East, at the expense of the Muslims and the Byzantine Empire. several Catholic states occupied by French knights and Italian merchants. These Europeans, never in large numbers, were driven out, and the only traces of their presence in the East were the ruins of their castles in the ports and mountains of Greece and Syria. But during the two centuries of their dominance in the East, the Crusaders established proper relations between the Christians of Europe and the Muslim states.

Crusader states in the East

To transport pilgrims to the Holy Land, cities along the Mediterranean coast organized transport fleets; the horses that the crusaders always carried with them were transported on ships where the hold opened from the side. To protect against pirates, they used ships equipped in a military manner, and sent an entire fleet at once. During the era of the Crusades, there were two flights: one in the spring (big flight) for pilgrims who went to the Holy Land for Easter, the other in the summer. Transporting pilgrims generated great income; therefore the strong cities kept it behind them; it was possible to depart only from certain ports: in Italy - from Venice, Pisa and Genoa, in France - from Marseille. The Templars received the privilege of sending one ship on each voyage.

By sea or land, millions of Christians left Europe for the East; the crusade was like an educational journey for them. They emerged from their castles or towns more ignorant than our peasants, and suddenly saw before them big cities, new countries and unknown customs. All this awakened their minds and enriched it with new ideas. This better acquaintance of Europe with the peoples of the East, the borrowing of some arts and customs from them was also an important consequence of the Crusades.

Western Europeans received a more correct understanding of Muslims. The first crusaders considered them savages and idolaters, Prophet Mohammed- an idol, and later a heretic. In the 13th century Christians already knew the essence of Islam and recognized Muslim culture as superior to their own.

However, it is difficult to say with certainty what Europe owes to the Crusades. Western Christians adopted many inventions and customs from the Arabs and Greeks during the Middle Ages. When you see any Eastern custom in Europe, it involuntarily comes to mind that it was brought here by the Crusaders; but the Crusades are not the only way he could get here. Muslim culture dominated along the entire African coast and in southern Spain; Christians were in regular trade relations with Egyptian, Tunisian and Spanish Muslims and Byzantine Greeks. We know well what Christians borrowed from the East; but regarding individual objects or customs we rarely know whether they passed into Europe through Spain, Sicily, the Byzantine Empire or the Crusaders. To consider all the Eastern customs that dominated Europe in the Middle Ages as a consequence and influence of the Crusades means to exaggerate their influence or to subsume all relations between Christians and Muslims under this.

There is no doubt that medieval Europe learned a lot from the Muslim peoples, but it is impossible to accurately determine the role of the Crusades in this influence of the East on Europe. The only thing that can be confidently considered their consequence is the transfer to the West of those customs that arose in Syria itself; Weapons borrowed include a crossbow, a spear with a baldric, a drum and a trumpet; from plants - sesame, apricots (damasco in Italian), charlotte (from Ascalon) and watermelon. In the East, Christians, who until then had all shaved, began to wear beards for the first time. It is also possible that the windmill came to Europe from Syria.

To recognize each other among a huge crowd of warriors, the knights had to have some distinctive signs; It had already become a custom to depict some kind of ornament on the shield. During the Crusades, these decorations become family symbols, which are then never changed. This is how the system of coats of arms arose. It developed in the East, as evidenced by the Eastern words used in it: gueules(red) – Arabic word (from gùl, pink); azur(blue) – Persian, sinople(green) – Greek; the gold coin was called bezant(Byzantine gold coin), the heraldic cross was a Greek cross.

Many other consequences were also attributed to the Crusades: the beginning of the gradual liberation of peasants from serfdom, the strengthening of royal power, the transformation of the feudal system, the development of epic poetry, the enrichment of Italy, even the decline of piety and the weakening of papal power - in a word, almost all the changes that took place in Western states between the 11th and 13th centuries. The Crusades, no doubt, had a profound influence on the general course of development of Christian states, but each of these phenomena had more effective and undoubted reasons that should be sought in the history of the Western states themselves.