Christopher Tyerman incorporates both arguments in his thesis; namely, that the Crusade developed out of church reform and theories of holy war as much as it was a response to conflicts with the Islamic world throughout Europe and the Middle East.
Nekateri zgodovinarji, na primer Speros Vryonis, so na splošno poudarjali vpliv vzpona islama, še posebej pa nedavne nasilne prodore Seldžukov.