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I've been bombarded this morning with pictures of masked idiots climbing lamp posts to hang flags or paint something, many of them trying to mimic what Hollywood portrays as a "uniform" word by crusaders.
The crusades were the product of religious intolerance in Europe being opposed by an expansionist culture and religion in the middle east.
(They also allowed the English to ship out a lot of second/third sons who would never inherit, to make their own fortune or not return. Sound economic reasoning).
The stated aim of the crusades was to "free Jerusalem". One campaign did that, held the city for a good while and then lost it to more local interests.
Most of the other crusades failed.
The crusaders came from all over Europe. The English component was relatively small. Mostly what is now French, German and Italian families supplied the cannon fodder. (not that the earlier campaigns had cannons of course).
So why are these deluded morons wearing a costume made up by film makers who think it represents Medieval garb?
I suppose that those benefiting most from stirring up divisions by repeating lies, falsehoods, dissembling and ignoring facts need a very simple symbol.
It may be that those painting red crosses etc would struggle to do a four piece jigsaw and so the simpler the better?
(Offends my understanding of history though. The most "famous" English crusader was perhaps Richard the Lionheart who spent less than six months of his reign as king actually in England and spoke French.)
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