Scholarly record
GOD WANTS IT! WHAT WERE THE OBJECTIVES OF GOD ACCORDING TO THE CRUSADE PROPAGANDA?
Abstract
It is well known that the crusades were represented in propaganda as wars wanted by God. In the propaganda sources sometimes we see a slogan that God personally calls people to participate in the crusades. A lot of chronicle accounts describe God's help to crusaders during their expeditions to the East supported by accounts of miracles. At the same time, nobody has noted that the liberation of the Holy Land was probably not the only purpose of the crusades. From the first crusade onward the crusade was expected to go well only when the crusaders did not commit many sins. Some sources allow us to affirm that the papacy had the idea that God would allow the crusaders to enter and settle in Palestine only when they would merit it by the absence of sins. The Holy Land must be liberated, but only by people with pure souls. Furthermore, in the thirteenth century there was a spread of the idea that God could destroy the Saracens on his own, but tested his faithful in order to know how faithful they actually were. In fact, all the ideas together suggested that the liberation of the Holy Land was not the main goal of God, which in fact was to bring to this land only faithful people without sins who would settle there being elected by God.
Publication Impact Profile
- Captures
- Mendeley - Readers: 1
Publication details
ReferencesPending
Structured references will appear here after the reference import pass. The count is preserved now so the scholarly record is not incomplete.
View or Download full articleAccess options
SWS access login
Login as SWS Scientific CommitteeLogin as SWS Scientific PartnerLogin as SWS AuthorAuthors and approved SWS contributors will read and export their own linked papers after identity matching by SWS profile, email and SGEM GlobalID.
For librarian assistance: [email protected]
Purchase Instant Access
- Article can be downloaded after successful payment.
- Article may be used according to SWS library access terms.
- Article cannot be redistributed.
