Title: Military and Political Effects of the Crusades
Headings: The Military and Political Effects of the Crusades
The Military and Political Effects of the Crusades
Military, Political, Religious, and Social Consequences
Social and Religious Outcome of the Crusades
Trade and Ideology
Economic Outcome of the Crusades

Content: Everyone always had to worry about their neighbors. Those who left had to worry that neighbors would encroach upon their territory while they weren't around to defend it. Those who stayed behind had to worry that those on the Crusade would grow too much in power and prestige. One of the things which helped prevent the Crusades from being successful was this constant bickering and infighting. There was, of course, plenty of that among Muslim leaders as well, but in the end, the divisions among European Christians were worse and caused more problems when it came to mounting effective military campaigns in the East. Even El Cid, a Spanish hero of the Reconquista, just as often fought for Muslim leaders as he did against them. Aside from the reconquest of the Iberian peninsula and the recapture of some islands in the Mediterranean, there are only two things we can point to which might qualify as military or political successes of the Crusades. First, the capture of Constantinople by Muslims was probably delayed. Without the intervention of Western Europe, it's likely that Constantinople would have fallen much sooner than 1453 and a divided Europe would have been greatly threatened. Pushing back Islam may have helped preserve a Christian Europe.