Non Christian Crusader States

ben0628

Banned
Was there anything similar to Crusader States in religions other than Christianity? When I say Crusader State, I of course mean an independent theocratic order or government whose role is to either protect their religion or fight heretics in the name of their religion.

If there isn't any, is it plausible to somehow get them created? Islamic orders forming jihadist states near Christian lands? Militaristic Buddhist orders in the Himalayas fighting a religious war against Hindu and/or Muslim India? A Jewish state that fights a crusade to liberate Jerusalem?

I know that in many cases it wouldn't work due to the beliefs of a religon and the reasons that crusader states are created aren't relevant in many of these situations, but is it possible to see non christian crusaders states or at least something similar?
 
Was there anything similar to Crusader States in religions other than Christianity? When I say Crusader State, I of course mean an independent theocratic order or government whose role is to either protect their religion or fight heretics in the name of their religion.

If there isn't any, is it plausible to somehow get them created? Islamic orders forming jihadist states near Christian lands? Militaristic Buddhist orders in the Himalayas fighting a religious war against Hindu and/or Muslim India? A Jewish state that fights a crusade to liberate Jerusalem?

I know that in many cases it wouldn't work due to the beliefs of a religon and the reasons that crusader states are created aren't relevant in many of these situations, but is it possible to see non christian crusaders states or at least something similar?
The jihadi caliphates in West Africa?
 
Dervish State? I admit, the closest Christian lands to it is Ethiopia, but it's a Somali Muslim state run by dervishes. Other than that, I don't see it happening. Jihads during the Crusader period were mainly focused on retaking the Holy Land, not so much expanding into Christian ones.

For an East Asian example, maybe the warrior monks in Japan? The Ikko Ikki, in particular, is a rebellion against the old daimyo and samurai class and counts as theocratic state of sorts. They held Kaga and several fortresses further south before the Oda crushed them.
 
I thought this was going to be about non-Christian states allying with the Crusaders. The Mongols did this briefly and I could see the Druze forming a small state allied with the Crusaders as well.
 
Turkey,Syria,Egypt,Iran,you name it.None of these places became Muslim land by will.They were all conquered by Muslim jihadis at one point or another.
 
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ben0628

Banned
Turkey,Syria,Egypt,Iran,you name it.None of these places became Muslim land by will.They were all conquered by Muslim jihadis at one point or another.



Yes, but having a jihad doesn't make you a crusader state. I'm looking for a group that would be led by religious leaders (caliph doesn't count) instead of sultanate's or khanates.

I'm more or less looking for a Muslim version of the knights Templar or Teutonic order
 
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Yes, but having a jihad doesn't make you a crusader state. I'm looking for a group that would be led by religious leaders (caliph doesn't count) instead of sultanate's or khanates.

For example, someone brought up the Dervish State in a previous post. Muslim nation in somolia led by religious order that fights Christian ethiopians

1) Why don't Caliphates count? They were basically combinations of the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor; the fusion of temporal and spiritual power. And since the ultimate liege of the Crusader states was the Pope, and Frederick Barbarossa was briefly King of Jerusalem, Caliphs seem to be pretty clearly what you're looking for.

2) "led by religious leaders"? If you're talking about a theocratic state led by a religious order, then... well, that's not what the Crusader States were. Yes, the Knights Templar and Hospitaller were inordinately powerful, but only in the same way as big corporations are powerful in the modern-day West. One of the key components of these states was the feudal aristocracy that was implanted into a non-feudal milieu, so you'd need secular rulers (however pious) on top of the theocratic orders, etc.

The exception would be the states of the Teutonic Knights and the Livonian Order on the Baltic Sea - these were the possessions of military orders and Archbishops with temporal power, as you seem to be requiring. But if you don't make this clear, people will assume you mean the Levantine Crusader States.
 
Yes, but having a jihad doesn't make you a crusader state. I'm looking for a group that would be led by religious leaders (caliph doesn't count) instead of sultanate's or khanates.

I'm more or less looking for a Muslim version of the knights Templar or Teutonic order
Modern Iran.
 
The Ghazi emirates should count. One of them became the Ottoman Empire.

Maybe the state the Sikhs built in the Punjab should count too.

If you want warrior-monks like the Templars and Hospitlars, you run into the problem that not all religions have monks, only Christianity and Buddhism as far as I'm aware.
 
Yes, but having a jihad doesn't make you a crusader state. I'm looking for a group that would be led by religious leaders (caliph doesn't count) instead of sultanate's or khanates.

I'm more or less looking for a Muslim version of the knights Templar or Teutonic order

BTW,Sultans aren't exactly secular leaders.They were as secular as the Kings of Jerusalem.This is the day and age before separation of religion and authority was apparent.
 

PhilippeO

Banned
Safavid Iran is created by religious order

Sichuan is twice ruled by Taoist movement

Ottoman ? Sufi order is rather important in its history.

Tibet ? war between Buddhist sect is important in establishing Lama power after Tibetan Empire.

most Crusader states actually failed in religious order definition, except Prussia and Livonia. Spanish is conquered by Kings, while First Crusade is noble-led.
 
Apparently recent research suggests the early Ottomans were a state of raiders motivated primarily by booty and incorporating Christians. The ghaziness was exaggerated by later historians to make the Ottoman state look as Islamically legitimate as possible.
 
As far as creating an order, the Sikhs are possible in my opinion. They became militarized to oppose Mughal rule in India and were recruited by the British in the 1800's.
 
I think it has been stated above, but the Sikh Dal Khalsa was a crusade of sorts. It was an Order that admitted men and women but wasn't completely self sufficient, the Maharaja of the Sikh Empire actually commanded a lot of influence as to how they would be applied.

So your best would be for the Dal Khalsa to become a bit more independent in their functions.
 
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