The Truth about the Crusades: Historian reviews of "Kingdom of Heaven"

RedState.org ^ | 5/24/2005 | Thomas Woods

[Claud]

Deus Vult PING!

[SkyPilot]

Yet another movie I won't see, nor rent.

And Hollywood wonders why box office recipts are down.

[Kace]

History's told by the Winners.

[Westbrook]

History's told by the Winners.

But in Modern America, History is told by the Whiners.

[SkyPilot]

History is twisted by revisionists.

[ZULU]

Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed momini tuo da gloriam.

[ZULU]

"Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed momini tuo da gloriam."

Excuse me - a typo - should read "Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam."

[mainepatsfan]

I saw it. Not only was it bad history but it was also a bad movie. Orlando Bloom plays a good elf but not a sword swinging warrior.

[montag813]

Why bother to even comment on a movie no one will see.

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
Production Cost: $115 million
Revenues after 8 days: $200.5 million

Kingdom of Heaven
Production Cost: $130 million
Revenues after 22 days: $41 million

With estimates of no more than $50 million total. KoH is one of the biggest box-office bombs in Hollywood history.

[jonathonandjennifer]

History's told by the Winners.

But in Modern America, History is told by the Whiners.

Very good! May I quote you?

[Publius6961]

History's told by the Winners.

Welcome to Free Republic. I hope your stay is a long and healthy one.

And thank you for the education. I was totally unaware that the sandmaggots had won.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Rather,

History is first MADE by the Winners.

Then, History is recorded by the Winners.

Now, History is retold and remade by the Whiners.

[LS]

There is quite a bit more to it than that. Urban preached the crusades, in part, because he thought Europe was overpopulated and needed to ship people out. Also, having had two failed attempts to control violence among knights in the "off season" (i.e., when there was no war) the Church, through the "Truce of God" (900s) and "Peace of God" (1000) sought to exert control over what was the equivalent of Medieval gunfights. Neither worked, and Urban saw an opportunity to send the more antisocial of western Europe to the Holy Land. If they were successful, terrific. If not, he had thinned out the population of knights.

A good source on all of this is anything by the historian Lynn White.

[Bombard]

In truth the Mongol invasions of the Moslem world was more important than the crusades. The Mongols sacked Baghdad then one of the centers of Islam. The Mongols killed 100,000 men, women and children during the sack.

[The Duke]

I was eager to see this movie (and take the family) until I heard these things. I've had no trouble keeping my money in my pocket.

[Zuriel]

**Rather,**

**History is first MADE by the Winners.**

**Then, History is recorded by the Winners.**

**Now, History is retold and remade by the Whiners.**

Don't your first and fourth lines basically mean the same thing. :)

[Kace]

Was it something I said?

[Antoninus]

There is quite a bit more to it than that. Urban preached the crusades, in part, because he thought Europe was overpopulated and needed to ship people out.

Yeah, that's the cynical view offered by many medieval studies professors of the "critical theory" bent. Can you cite for me some hard evidence (a quote or two from Urban would do) that support this idea?

If this truly was the case, you'd think the Popes would have tried it before 1095. I find it hard to believe that the Popes really thought that squabbling knights in Europe were a more dangerous threat than militant, jihadist Islam.

[Zuriel]

No, I was equating (Dan)'Rather' with 'History retold and remade by the whiners' :)