Part 26

On the human level, the Crusaders were eager to support ethnic and sectarian divisions in the surrounding Muslim areas, using a carrot-and-stick approach and a policy of forming alliances with some groups against others, which was aided to a large extent by the hostility that existed between Shiites and Sunnis. They were also aided by the presence of Christian minorities, some of whom the Crusaders were able to exploit by forming alliances with them, and conspiring with them against the neighbouring Muslims. b) The occupying Crusader forces concentrated on regions which guaranteed secure communication with their headquarters in Western Europe. Hence they focused on occupying the Levantine coast in order to secure that, and they avoided seizing interior regions as much as possible for fear of losing this advantage, and so that they would not be besieged by Islamic forces, based on the assumption and fear that these forces might unite later on, which would put them in jeopardy and lead to their defeat. c) The Crusader forces strove to form treaties with other forces that would be able to help them at various stages, either because of the latter's enmity towards the Muslims around them or because of their desire to gain economic advantages. In this context we may note these treaties began with Byzantium, then with some of the Italian city-states, and finally the possibility of forming alliances with the Mongol forces,122 which posed the greatest danger to the Islamic regions. d) From the outset, the Crusader forces in the Muslim east were eager to find a solution to the demographic problems that they faced in the east, in contrast to Muslim density. The Crusader forces dealt with this problem in different ways and by different means, which were open to development, depending on the circumstances. For example, they followed a policy of killing or expelling Muslims in the regions that they occupied, then they followed different methods at subsequent stages to preserve the Muslim population if that served their interests. At the same time they worked to attract migrants to the regions under Crusader dominance, either from Western Europe or Armenia, or from Christian communities in the Islamic regions. They also resorted to militarising Crusader society so as to create a society of all groups and classes that would be able to offer military service to deal with the demographic shortfall. Nothing is more indicative of that than the fact that religious groups in Crusader society at all stages were the most well-trained and equipped in the military field, such as the Knights Templar and Hospitaller.123 e) The Crusader forces built military fortifications based on their own experience or by imitating the expertise that they found in the Muslim regions. Attention was paid to making these fortifications like "early warning systems" that were able to keep watch on Muslim movements, so great care was taken in selecting locations opposite important Muslim gathering places or in areas that could threaten Muslim interests, such as those that were built near trade routes. f) The Crusaders relied, as they learned from their experience of war with the Muslims, on using methods of rapid warfare. This did not require large numbers of troops, and at the same time was aimed at specific targets within a carefully selected time frame, such as attacking agricultural areas at harvest time, which did not require a large military force, but at the same time was capable of inflicting a great deal of harm on the Muslims. g) The Crusaders also adopted a policy of making truces and offering some concessions to some Muslim groups so that they could focus on fighting other Muslim groups. This policy was successful during the period of Muslim division. It even led to them choosing to interfere in favour of one side against another, either as the result of a Crusader offer of help or a request for help on the part of one or other Muslim side. h) The Crusaders resorted to various means to keep the spirit of war strong in Western Europe, so as to guarantee the continuation of Crusader campaigns and to offer help and support to the Crusader entities in the east. They paid a great deal of attention to keeping communication channels with Europe open, which guaranteed human reinforcements and continual material supplies. The kings of Europe felt a great responsibility towards the Crusader kingdoms in the east, and they were committed to supporting and defending them. i) With the passage of time, the Crusaders adopted a strategy based on the idea that guaranteeing their presence in greater Syria depended on seizing control of Egypt or eliminating it from the conflict by whatever means necessary. Thus we see that some later Crusader campaigns were directed primarily against Egypt. Researchers of the Crusades have found that they achieved some successes in this regard, taking advantage of the hostility that sometimes arose between the rulers of Egypt and certain Syrian regions. j) Some Crusader parties resorted to carrying out military attacks with the aim of striking at Muslim morale and threatening Muslim holy places, as happened in the case of expeditions in which some forces aimed to transgress against the holy places in the Hijaz. They also targeted some essential economic and religious facilities, as when they threatened trade routes and hajj caravans.