The period of the crusades marked a time where heightened tensions reigned between two warring religions. While there were a multitude of reasons that this was the case the most significant reason was the lack of communication. The lack of communication within the respective communities and between the Muslim and Christian groups are of key importance. If both sides would have been better structured and open-minded then one can believe that much unnecessary bloodshed could have been avoided.
     At the root of this communication problem is the greed of man. Many people tried to benefit throughout the crusades by playing both sides of the field. Italian Merchants attempted to charge outrageous fees for the use of their vessels and transportation. The Byzantine Empire, sandwiched between both warring sides, undoubtedly held the capacity to play off of the war in order to better their compromised situation. These are only two small examples of how the pursuit of booty and power dominated the thoughts of the 'pious' individuals that chose to conquer and invade the lands under the banner of a holy war. It was these selfish pursuits that compromised the integrity of empires and made these religious states vulnerable and weak. Everyone was acting in their own self interest and the actual well being of the state was never truly a great concern to those involved. This never fostered a good relationship among the empires and the opportunities to communicate and allocate resources were greatly compromised due to this reason.
     Leaders were given unreliable information and people had wool pulled over their eyes. The Christians embarked for all the wrong reasons and the Muslims retaliated to regain the foothold in the land that they once held. Then more and more crusades came, all yielding similar death and despair, never really accomplishing anything. There were certain aspects if life that were in constant upheaval due to the warring sides and selfish rulers. Only great rulers actually were able to promote respect on both sides and help to calm the ever increasing tensions.
     The actions of the leaders were by far the most important aspect of the relationships between the two sides. One ruler of Muslim Egypt was well respected and liked due to his fair treatment of enemy soldiers and nobles. These diplomatic acts spoke volumes when so many of the people in power only sought to abuse that power for more wealth or fame and not the benefit of the people that lived in their country. It was the respect that these leaders fostered that helped to calm the tides of war and promote growth until the next poor leader plunged the state back into the spiral of death that the crusades brought. If a leader was weak, he was exploited. If he was strong he was able to take steps to actually achieving his goals.
     One can imagine how they were subject to constant pull from many different sides and angles. Only those that kept a clear head could ever hope to strengthen their people for the impending fight that the Crusades promised. This period can be marked by the people who controlled the warring sides, both can attribute their successes and failures to the people who ruled them.