Throughout history, Christianity has been invoked to justify numerous wars, crusades, and violent campaigns—often in stark contradiction to the faith’s central teachings of peace, love, and “turning the other cheek.” From the early medieval period through the modern era, these conflicts have shaped nations, redrawn borders, and left millions dead in their wake.
The Crusades: Holy Land bloodshed (1095-1291)
When Pope Urban II called for the
First Crusade in 1095, he unleashed nearly two centuries of intermittent warfare justified by Christian zeal. Supposedly launched to reclaim Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim control, the Crusades exemplified how religious fervour could be harnessed for political and territorial gain.
The First Crusade succeeded in capturing Jerusalem in 1099, but what followed was a massacre that contradicted Christian principles of mercy and compassion. Crusaders slaughtered Muslims and Jews indiscriminately—men, women, and children—until, according to contemporary accounts, knights rode through blood reaching their horses’ knees.