How the Crusades Changed the Course of Civilization
             It all started with Pope Urban II's call to arms against the Seljek Turks in late 1095. Then next 400 years became a long bloody battle for control of the holy land. Legends were made and kings were destroyed in wars that are still the stuff of fantastic stories almost a thousand years later. Today, in 2004, the Crusades can still be a sensitive subject.
             There were, of course, people remembered for brave acts of heroism and villainy, but whether the crusades as a whole were a good idea or a bad idea really remains a matter of opinion; an opinion that's definitely driven by what side of the fight one happened to be. However, looking beyond the political and religious motives behind the fighting, the crusades achieved something that perhaps nothing else could have: Two very different civilizations had suddenly made very direct contact with each other on a large scale. Despite the chaos, both sides spent a lot of time learning from one another. Technologies, cultures, knowledge were all shared on and off the field of battle. The general attitudes and world views of both sides of the battles seemed to change entirely as a result of the apparent successes and failures of the conflicts.
             Civilization in its entirety has never been the same since the crusades. Europe in particular changed drastically, but all parties involved didn't leave the ordeal as they were before. How was the homeland of the Crusaders changed? How dramatically was the Islamic civilization affected? The next several pages will attempt to scratch the surface at how, whatever the true motivation behind it, the crusaders unwittingly changed their civilization, never to be the same again.
             Pre crusading era, the continent of Europe had found itself in what is known as the "Dark Ages." This Europe was unable to present a united front on any level. The closest th
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