Medieval History

Screw all other empires, byzantium is where it is at.

I like the dark ages, from the 470's to the 800's.

I really know barely anything from that period, I should really read into it some more.

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!

If somebody hasn't listened already, Dan carlins thors angels episode, they really should...now!

The Byzantines never called themselves Byzantines, they called themselves Romans.
While the West fell in 476, the East lasted until 1453. Almost 1000 years longer. So yes, Byzantium = badass!

I must say that all crusader nations are bad-ass, I just think that people that are evil are freaking cool.
I hate the crusades love the crusaders is that weird?

Fall of the Western Roman Empire, Justinian expanding his empire, various Byzantine-Sassanid wars, the rise and spread of Islam, and Charlemagne. Lots of things to talk about!

Thanks.

Nah, its cool.

But to get back on topic, the Byzantines were the best in my opinion mainly because for the first part of medieval history, when it was the Dark Ages, they were the supreme badasses, the Eastern Roman Empire was flourishing and what not, barbarians for the Byzantines war nothing. Retake Italy, no problem. Then the Bubonic Plague hits, bout Byzantines come out only a little less weaker. Then when Dark ages end and Crusades start, they get there asses kicked so thoroughly that is just depressing. There armies are smashed by the Muslims, and Byzantine is occupied by the Crusader forces. To see a great empire just collapse so quickly was quite sad.

I just like to think how Belisarius roflstomped those damn barbarians. Also the Roman Empire just lost almost everything at Manzikert, which is the actual depressing part, see it as maybe Germany's Operation Barbarossa (i'm not comparing them to Germany, but the success of a once powerfull army meet another great powerfull army and lose everything after that).

The Ottomans were the badass mofo's of their time.

I'm just going to end this talk about how amazing everyone was and start an argument.

Crusades were great. A bunch of guys went over, kicked out those oppressive Muslims and put in some freer states that didn't go around harassing the minority religion. The "slaughters" were few and far between and the few that did occur were replicated by the Muslims as well.

Yes, during the 3rd and 4th Crusades they started sacking shit and burning shit. But the 1st and 2nd Crusades were nothing like that, and people need to stop pretending they were.

The 2nd Crusade was full of pussies. The 1st, 3rd, and 4th Crusader were pretty badass.

The crusades were not a good thing. Neither was the reconquista. It was a bunch of people being killed (granted, not slaughtered) over whos religion was better. Really stupid. Hell, all the wars fought then are pretty stupid and pointless when put into perspective.

I personally believe the Crusades and Reconquista are stains on my faith, some "atheists" try to use that against me. This is no one on the forums.

They are definitely a stain on your faith, but I don't see how modern christians can be grouped with crusaders. Just like I don't see how for instance the Ottoman Empire (amazing) can be grouped with Islamic extremists. And they are, because in class one day the teacher brought up a map of the Ottomans and some kid says, "Aren't they all terrorists anyways?" God, I hate the next generation of my country...

That is exactly how I feel. I am like "What the fuck you talking about?" Hardly any Christians are like that today, I don't even know any. A lot of less intelligent athesists use that arguement to say that Christianity is bad. A couple of people have said the same thing about Muslims. One of my friends failed a test about Islam in Social Studies and he said "Who gives a fuck, they are all terrorists." I was pretty pissed off at him when he said that. I called him an ignorant prejudice douchebag.

You're not the only one....