What were the causes of the crusades, and how were they viewed from the Muslim perspective? From my reading and viewing I have come to the conclusion that the crusades were initially nothing more than desperate Europeans seeking fortune and lands in the Middle East. The leaders of the early crusades were not pious Christians, they were opportunists who were fortunate enough to have a Pope, eager to reassert the power of the Catholic Church, foment religious fervor in the general populatio...