Christians sold weapons to Muslim enemies throughout the crusades

Evidence

Even at times of major clashes between Christen­ dom and Islam—the crusaders in the East, the Ottomans in Austria—there was a lively commerce between the two worlds, mainly due to European enterprise and activity. In 1174 Saladin, the hero of the counter-crusade, wrote to the Caliph in Baghdad to explain his decision to allow the European Christian merchants to remain in the Levant ports even after they had been reconquered. These mer­ chants, he said, rendered a valuable service, bringing the choicest of Western products, and in particular, weapons and other war materials. Christian author­ ities, not surprisingly, took a less benign view of this trade, and the Holy See in particular tried to stop it by decrees of prohibition and threats of excom­ munication. But all these efforts were of no avail. This profitable traffic contin­ ued, and even as the Ottoman armies were advancing into the heart of Europe, there were Christian merchants eager to supply their needs, and Christian bankers willing to finance their purchases. — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 693 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Christian merchants traded arms with Islam even during crusades and Ottoman wars. — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting…, 693; Christian European states armed Muslim armies against fellow Christians — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting…, 755

Broader Connections

• Christian merchants traded arms with Islam even during crusades and Ottoman wars. #corroborates (0.95) — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 693