In a series of articles on history of the Crusades I aim to demonstrate how the West, primarily the Papacy, began to think of itself as a hegemon and thus planned to conquer and rule the available “oecumene”. Ultimately, the Crusades were a failure, but the methods, mechanisms and even the directions of Western foreign policy that ensued since have all been the fruit of a two-century onslaught on the “East” in all its different guises and meaning. We come to see that the Crusades were the first instance of a post-Roman, religious and military colonisation that projected a globalised vision of the world under the power of an ideology.
Although I base my research and writings on primary sources and authoritative literature, they represent my personal views and conclusions.
Related posts on my blog:
Alexander Nevsky and the Battle on the Ice
