wars demanded by the Roman Catholic Church against the Muslims, from the end of the eleventh to the thirteenth century, to liberate the holy places of the Land of Israel
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The Crusades were a series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims. The eight big crusade expeditions occurred between 1096 and 1291, mostly in the Middle East.[1]

The crusades started as a fight for control over the Holy Land. This is the land now called Israel. The Holy Land is very important for the three major monotheistic religions: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Muslims believe the Prophet Mohammed visited the Holy Land and rose to Heaven from Jerusalem. Christians believe Jesus was born, crucified, and resurrected in the Holy Land. The Dome of the Rock, the Wailing Wall, the Temple Mount, and the Mount of Olives are all located there. So are many other important religious sites.

During the Caliphate of Umar in the 7th century, Muslim forces had taken control of Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem, and other important religious sites. In the crusades, Christian forces tried to re-take control of the Holy Land.

There were many different crusades. The biggest and most important happened between the 11th century and the 13th century. During this time, there were 9 large crusades. They are numbered 1 through 9.

There were also many smaller crusades. These continued through the 16th century, until the Renaissance and Reformation. Some crusades even happened within Europe (for example, in Germany, Austria, and Scandinavia).

The word "crusade" is related to the word "cross", and means a Christian holy war. Muslims sometimes use the Arabic word “jihad" to describe the crusades.

First CrusadesEdit

In 1095 the ruler of the Byzantine Empire, Alexius I, called for help to defend his empire against the Seljuk Turks. Pope Urban II asked all Christians to join a war against the Turks. The Pope told Christians that fighting the war would repay God for their sins. He said that anyone who died on a crusade would go straight to heaven.

The Christian soldiers who joined the crusade were called "crusaders". They marched to Jerusalem, attacking several cities on their way. In 1099 they won the battle for Jerusalem.

As a result of the First Crusades, four crusader states were created. These were the County of Edessa, the Principality of Antioch, the County of Tripoli and the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Second CrusadeEdit

After about 50 years of peace, Bernard of Clairvaux called for a new crusade after the Turks attacked the town of Edessa. French and German armies marched to the Holy Land in 1147, but were defeated. However, on the way, the Crusaders helped the Portuguese capture Lisbon from Al-Andalus as part of the Reconquista.

Third CrusadeEdit

In 1187, after Saladin recaptured Jerusalem,[2] Pope Gregory VIII called for a new crusade. Three of Europe's kings led this Third Crusade: Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor.

The Third Crusade was partially successful. The Crusaders took back control of Arsuf and Jaffa, two important cities in the Holy Land. However, they did not have enough soldiers to try to recapture Jerusalem. Instead, they made a truce with Saladin that let Christians travel safely through Jerusalem. The Crusaders then re-established the Kingdom of Jerusalem in Acre.

In 1190, Frederick drowned in Cilicia. In 1192, Richard left the Holy Land. On his way home, his ship was wrecked, leading him to Austria. There, he was captured and ransomed by his enemy, Duke Leopold.

Fourth CrusadeEdit

Pope Innocent III started the Fourth Crusade in 1202. His plan was to attack the Holy Land through Egypt. To do this, he needed a fleet of ships. The Venetians agreed to build ships and train sailors for the crusade. The Venetians then changed the goal of the crusade, and went to the Christian city of Constantinople, where they tried to place a Byzantine exile on the throne. After a series of misunderstandings and outbreaks of violence, the city was sacked in 1204.

Albigensian CrusadeEdit

The Albigensian Crusade was started in 1209 to eliminate the Cathars of southern Europe

Children's CrusadeEdit


More recent researchEdit



The Children's Crusade, by Gustave Doré






Fifth CrusadeEdit

During 1213, Pope Gregory IX pushed Frederick II into leading the Fifth Crusade. The Church tried another crusade to retake the Holy Land. A crusading force from Hungary, Austria, and Bavaria captured Damietta, a city in Egypt, in 1219. The crusaders had to surrender, due to losing the battle for Cairo.

Sixth CrusadeEdit


Seventh CrusadeEdit

The Templars argued with Egypt in 1243. In 1244, Egypt attacked Jerusalem. Louis IX of France started a crusade against Egypt from 1248 to 1254. It was a failure and Louis spent much of the crusade living in the city of Acre. In the midst of this crusade was the first Shepherds' Crusade in 1251.

Eighth CrusadeEdit

The Eighth Crusade was organized by Louis IX of France in 1270, to help the Crusader states in Syria.[5] However, the crusade got as far as Tunis, where Louis died a month later.[5]

Ninth CrusadeEdit


The end of the CrusadesEdit

In time, the people went on Crusades for other purposes.[6] The Crusades ended two centuries after they had begun, achieving mixed results.[6] The crusades ended with the Mamluk Fall of Acre in 1291.[7] (the link is not yet started).


  1. Richard Ables (2009). "Timeline for the Crusades and Christian Holy War to c.1350". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Russel, 1989
  4. Children's Illustrated Encyclopedia (New York, NY: Dorling Kindersley, 2010), p. 150
  5. 5.0 5.1 "The Eighth Crusade". History of Learning. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Hofflund, Ethel; Elizabeth Loeks Bouman, Howard Stitt and Alan Christopherson (March 2001). "The Feudal System". In Rirchard W. Wheeler, M.A.Ed. (ed.). History & Geography 604 Life in the Middle Ages. 804 N. 2nd Ave. E., Rock Rapids, IA 51246-1759: Alpha Omega Publications, Inc. pp. 6–7. ISBN 978-0-86717-554-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  7. "The Great Crusades (1095-1291)". University of Michigan. Retrieved 17 May 2016.

Books and textsEdit

Other websitesEdit