Crusades and Just WarTheory

The Just War Theory

The Just War theory is a doctrine of military ethics that states that conflict can and should meet the criteria of philosophical, religious, or political justice provided it follows certain conditions.


Crusades

The Crusades were a series of military campaigns fought between Christians and Muslims with the goal of recapturing Jerusalem in mind.


Relation
During the time of the Crusades, the fighting between the Christians and Muslims were justified by calling it a "holy war". They fought over to take control of Jerusalem, the Holy Land, and because of this much blood was shed. Both sides had a feeling of "Just War" and justified their reasons for shedding blood as a sacrifice for what they saw as the greater good. Ironically though, in Just War, the reason for going to war has to be just and therefore can't be solely for recapturing things taken or punishing people who have done wrong. This is contradictory to the Crusades as they were fighting just because one had taken Jerusalem from the other. As far as their reasons go, however, Just War is similar to Christianity's views on serving justice (sometimes through capital punishment) and the Islamic concept of jihad