THE CRUSADES

Hilaire Belloc (1870&ndash,1953)&mdash,one of the most prominent Catholic authors of his time&mdash,gives a common sense explanation of why the Crusades were necessary and why they ultimately failed. He argues that the personal and strategic failings of the First Crusade&rsquo,s leaders led to the establishment of a state that could not be sustained, and that the absence of such a state left Europe vulnerable to Islamic aggression for centuries afterward. Writing , in 1937, following the demise of the Ottoman Empire, Belloc believed that the West had finally gained the advantage over its mortal foe, however, he also includes a prophetic warning concerning the eventual resurgence of Islam and its enduring desire to destroy Christendom._,