Holy Land. The Muslims who controlled the Holy Land (Palestine) were more often than not friendly to visiting European pilgrims who, after all, were good for the local economy. The Muslims even allowed the existence of monasteries of every Christian denomination in the region. In fact, between the late eighth century and early eleventh century, trade and educational ideas flowed between the Christians and Muslims with little disruption.

Seljuk Turks. However, all of that peaceful interaction was to cease in the 1050s with the rise of a powerful, united Muslim group, known as the Seljuk Turks, who came south into the Middle East from an area that is today Afghanistan. The Seljuk Turks did not hold the same tolerance for Christians that those who controlled the Holy Land, the Fatamid Egyptians, did. Their view became especially evident in 1064-1065 when...