Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has a long-standing fascination with the Crusades. That’s right, the Crusades: a series of wars between the mid-11th and 13th centuries in which Europeans fought for control of the Holy Land. He has tattoos referencing the Crusades, which emerged during his confirmation hearing in 2025. And his 2020 book is titled. American Crusades. The last chapter is entitled “Make the Crusades Great Again.”
Hegseth paints the Crusades as a “defensive war” in which Christianity had to respond or face the domination of Islam. According to medieval history professor Matthew Gabriele, this is an oversimplification of real history. And looking at the past this way could have a dangerous effect on Iran’s current war.
Pete Hegseth’s obsession with the Crusades may seem like a strange trait, like your uncle who is obsessed with World War II submarines. But when that worldview affects the way the defense secretary thinks about today’s conflicts, it stops being about the past — and starts shaping the future.
Vox producer Nate Krieger took a closer look at this “Holy War” to examine the real history of the Crusades and understand how Pete Hegseth’s interest in medieval history could affect US foreign policy and the future of the war in Iran.
