A Legacy of Mistrust

The Crusades accomplished almost nothing militarily. The Crusader states lasted roughly 200 years before being completely expelled. But the cultural damage proved permanent. The memory of the Crusades still fuels mutual suspicion between the Western and Islamic worlds.

What the Crusades did achieve was accelerating trade and cultural exchange. Europeans encountered Arab advances in mathematics, medicine, and philosophy. Arabic numerals, the concept of zero, and surgical techniques flowed westward.