(03-17-2015 11:24 PM)HarmonOliphantOberlanderDevine Wrote:  The Capture of Jerusalem (1099).

Any battle between the small, underdog Eastern European rulers against the bloodthirsty, conquering Ottomans. Men like Skanderbeg, Hunyadi, Stephen the Great of Moldavia are personal heroes of mine. Their courageous against a near unstoppable war machine is inspiring. If only Western Europe decided to intervene, the problems of the 1990's may have been avoided.

Interestingly, none of my ancestors stem from the Balkans. Most of my blood is English and Western European with a dash of Slovak and Ukrainian mixed in on my father's side. I really wish to take the time to learn more about the culture and fairy tales of my ancestors.

The American Revolution will forever be the biggest influence on me. The numbers of times that America came this close to falling apart is staggering. As Washington declared: "The hand of Providence was involved" and it is impossible to refuse in my opinion. Generals like Nathaniel Greene and "Mad" Anthony Wayne deserve more respect and remembrance.

The Siege of Malta (1565).

The American Civil War or the War of Northern Aggression (this Yankee won't argue that!)

Colonial-Indian battles especially on the East Coast.

The War of the Spanish Succession. The Duke of Marlborough and Eugene of Savoy are the best duo since David and Jonathan.

The Thirty Years War. A tragic case of policies destroying a fractured geographical entity.

The Crusades.

The Eighty Years War. One siege lasted 4 years!

1099 Capture of Jerusalem? Really? When they took the city they killed every man women and child living with in the city. Every CHILD. The Pope want the Crusades as a way to stop in fight among Christian rulers. At this time he issued bull saying it was a sin and wrong for a Christian to kill another Christian. It was little more than a way to control and focuss agression. It is funny when Saladin retook Jerusalem in 1187 he refused to take the city by the sword and allowed the Christian defenders to pay a ransom to leave free and unharmed. Yes some 30,000 could not be paid for and became slaves. But, half were given to Saladin's bother and son who released them unconditionally. And, Saladin ordered that none of the temples be harmed or looted. This is why the Church of the Holy Sepulcher still stands today. In any case the crusades were a failure. The Christian Kindgom of Jerusalem only stood for 188 years was forced in to exile, first Arce, then Crete. Later Cursades by King Richard were failure never gaining much ground, event later one were complete disasters.