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The Crusades (1095-1291 CE)

Capital of the
modern
nation of
Israel; Major
holy site in
Judaism,
Islam, and
Christianity.

In 638, Islamic armies had captured Jerusalem in order to protect one of their holy sites. Now,
Christians invaded Jerusalem for the same reason—to protect their holy city and people on
1 pilgrimage. The actual reasons may have been more political. Kingdoms in Europe were growing
in strength and competing with Islamic kingdoms for trade routes and revenue. European
rulers saw the Crusades as an opportunity to demonstrate, as well as increase, their power,
influence, and wealth.

Struggle for the “Holy Land”

2 The Crusades (1095–1291) have become known as a violent series of campaigns by Christian
armies against the Muslim world. There were nine crusades made to modern-day Israel, where so
many holy places associated with Christianity and Islam existed.

The Crusades were extensive, as Christians tried to retake lands that had been captured by the
3 Islamic Empire. Major fighting centered on Jerusalem, the holy city, but also took place in the
regions of Palestine, Syria, Egypt and Anatolia. However, the Crusades also reached Islamic
cities in Spain. As the armies advanced and tried to establish control over the conquered lands,
they established Crusader states, such as Edessa, Galilee, Antioch, and Tripoli.

Modern-day country of Turkey

 During the Fourth Crusade in the early 1200s, the Crusaders never reached the Holy Land and, People
who differ
4 instead, attacked Constantinople, the capital of the Orthodox Christian Byzantine Empire. Jews
in opinion
and Eastern Orthodox Christians were killed because they were believed to be heretics by from an
members of the western Church. Even more successful Crusades did little to expand Christian accepted
power in the Middle East because the Crusaders were isolated in a few walled cities. In later belief or
Crusades, Muslims regained control of Jerusalem. In 1291, the Crusaders met with defeat, and doctrine 
Muslim armies were once again in control of the entire region.

5 From the 600s to the 1400s, Islam served as a unifying force among people living in various
parts of Asia, Europe, and Africa, contributing to their indigenous cultural landscapes. Although
Islam’s arrival in a region was often accompanied by violence, in time it became the one element
that the diverse populations under Muslim rule had in common.

The Beginning of the Crusades

Present-day Israel is located along the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea, Muslims, and Jews
6 consider the land a sacred place. During the Middle Ages, many Christians made pilgrimages to
shrines in the Holy Land. A pilgrimage is a trip to a religious place. In the 500s, the Byzantine
Empire was Christian. It controlled the Holy Land. However, in the 600s, Muslim Arabs
conquered this land. Many Muslim rulers allowed Christians to continue to make pilgrimages to
their holy sites in the region. In 1071, a new group of rulers, the Seljuk Turks, took over. They
began to limit Christian use of religious sites. The Seljuk Turks also captured more lands in the
Byzantine Empire. They threatened the capital city of Constantinople. The Byzantine emperor
asked the pope of the Roman Church for help fighting against the Turks. In 1095, Pope Urban II
called a Church meeting. He said that European Christians should unite and capture the Holy
Land from the Muslims. Thus, the Crusades began.

The Crusades were a series of military campaigns by Christian nations in Europe. They were
meant to stop the spread of Islamic power. Christians also wanted to reclaim Muslim-controlled
7 lands that they considered holy. Four major campaigns took place between 1095 and 1212. The
First Crusade began in 1095. In 1099, an army made up of mostly French and Norman knights
attacked Jerusalem, an important city in the Holy Land. Finally, they captured the city. Most of
the crusaders then went home. Some stayed and divided the conquered land into four Christian
states. However, in 1144, Muslim Turks captured one of these states. They threatened the other
three. This action started the Second Crusade. It was led by the kings of France and Germany.
Their armies, however, were defeated by the Muslims before they reached the Holy Land.
 The End of the Crusades

Muslim ruler

Saladin was the sultan of Egypt and Syria. In 1187, he led a Muslim force against Jerusalem and
8 conquered the city. However, the cities of Tyre, Tripoli, and Antioch remained under Christian
control. Richard III of England, Philip II of France, and Frederick I of Germany tried to defend
these cities. They also wanted to recapture Jerusalem. So, they started the Third Crusade. This
crusade had some military wins, but it failed to capture Jerusalem.

The Fourth Crusade became mixed up in political issues with the Byzantine Empire, it failed to
9 recapture Jerusalem. After this, many poor children in Europe became convinced that God would
help them conquer Jerusalem. Strengthened by their belief, thousands of them traveled to the
Holy Land in 1212. This event is called the Children’s Crusade. Many of these children starved
or froze to death on their journey. Others were drowned at sea or sold into slavery. None of them
reached the Holy Land.

The crusaders succeeded in controlling part of the Holy Land for periods of time. However, they
10 failed in their goal of controlling the region forever. Also, their efforts caused bitter feelings
between Muslims and Christians for centuries. The Crusades did lead to economic growth. Trade
increased between cities along the Mediterranean Sea. The Italian cities of Genoa, Pisa, and
Venice made huge profits by transporting crusaders and their supplies.

TDQs:

1. What key details tell you about how and why the Crusades began?

2. According to the author, in what ways did the Crusades impact Europe?