Why are is the ottoman invasion of Europe not considered a crusade ?

by soupman66
MappsyAppsyy

Well a "crusade" is the Christian holy war, but i think you mean the wars the Ottomans did, not the Christians. I wouldn't call the Ottoman invasions of Europe 'Jihads' though as although the Ottomans were seen by some as the successors of the Muslim caliphates as they held Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem and Baghdad, they were not the universal leaders of Islam. The Ottomans invaded Europe to expand their own empire (with the justification that the Christians were infidels), the Ottomans did not call for Jihads but for example invaded into Hungary with their own power and not calling on other Muslim states to help unlike Jihads/Crusades.