The Ultimate Failure of the Outremer (influence, USA, ally)

[AuburnAL]

I've been reading a book about the Crusades, and I noticed something that I think the author did not give enough attention too. He stated that of the thousands of Crusaders who reached Jerusalem in the First Crusade only a fraction actually stayed in the kingdom or the other Outremer states. A larger population could have given the Crusader states a larger base to draw native soldiers from and a greater ability to influence neighboring Muslim states in peacetime. Did the Outremer face an ultimately fatal demographic problem from the get go with so many Crusaders returning to Europe?

[ovcatto]

Originally Posted by AuburnAL

A larger population could have given the Crusader states a larger base to draw native soldiers from and a greater ability to influence neighboring Muslim states in peacetime.

At the time it would have been more beneficial had the Islamic states of Rum, Cairo, and Damascus been more influential on the Crusading states than the other way around since the Islamic states were at the height of their scientific and cultural endeavors.