The Crusader Kingdoms only lasted as long as they did because the economic, political and military muscle of the Orders, born out of organizational principles and economic bases quite different from the standard feudal setup, allowed the gaping holes in their defences to be filled with crusades, mercenaries and Order fighting men. And the fact all the nearby Muslim states were busy playing Warring States, Middle East Edition and finding the "Franks" occasionally useful blunt instruments in their disputes for a while. Sectarian issues, such as the way the Assasins almost regularly destabilized Sunni states into succession disputes by murdering their rulers, also contributed to the general disorder which enabled the Franks to hang onto their coastal domains as long as they did.