KANIKA’s MA’AM TEAM

CRUSADES
VANISHA & JEREMIAH - What are Crusades?
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes
directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these
Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that
were intended to recover Jerusalem and its surrounding area from Islamic rule.
There were at least 8 crusades. Crusading declined rapidly during the 16th
century with the advent of the Protestant Reformation and the decline of papal
authority.

What is Jerusalem?

Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world and is considered holy for the
three major Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. both Israelis
and Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital, as Israel controls the entire
city and maintains its primary governmental institutions.

ASHWIN - Crusade 1: This was the first of a series of religious wars.

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.  He said that anyone who died on a crusade
would go straight to heaven. In 1099 they won the battle for Jerusalem.

MAYANK - Crusade 2: 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.

ADITI - Crusade 3: In 1187, after Saladin recaptured Jerusalem, Pope

Gregory VIII called for a new crusade. 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.