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242 General History of Europe political rival, Philip Augustus of France, all took part. The ac- counts of this Third Crusade show that while the several Christian leaders hated one another heartily enough, the Christians and Mohammedans or Saracens, as they were often called were coming to respect one another. We find examples of the most polite relations between the representatives of the opposing reli- gions. In 1192 Richard concluded a truce with Saladin, by the terms of which the Christian pilgrims were allowed to visit the holy places in safety and comfort. 390. The Fourth and Subsequent Crusades. In the thirteenth century the crusaders began to direct their expeditions toward Egypt as a center of the Mohammedan power. The first of these was diverted in an extraordinary manner by the Venetian mer- chants, who induced the crusaders to conquer Constantinople for their benefit. The further expeditions, in which Jerusalem was recaptured for a short time, need not be described, for it was irrevocably lost in 1244. Although the possibility of recovering the Holy City was long considered, the Crusades may be said to have come to an end before the close of the thirteenth century. 391. Settlements of the Italian Merchants. For one class, at least, the Holy Land had great and permanent charms ; namely, the Italian merchants, especially those from Genoa, Venice, and Pisa. It was through their early interest and by means of sup- plies from their ships that the conquest of the Holy Land had been rendered possible. The merchants always made sure that they were well paid for their services. When they aided in the successful siege of a town they arranged that a definite quarter should be assigned to them in the captured place, where they might settle and have their church, market, docks, and all that was necessary for a permanent center for their commerce. 392. Oriental Luxury introduced into Europe. This new commerce had a most important influence in bringing the West into permanent relations with the Orient. Eastern products from India and elsewhere silks, spices, camphor, musk, pearls, and ivory were brought by the Mohammedans from the East to the commercial towns of Palestine and Syria; then, through the