By: Danielle McGunigal

&
Brianne Dinney-Bates
 Who was involved?

– Kings, Knights and Churchmen from all over Europe were

involved in another series of invasions- the crusades. During
these wars Christian’s troops set off to conquer the “Holy
Land”, the territory surrounding the city of Jerusalem, ruled
by the Muslims. Many soldiers joined the crusading armies
because they wanted to see a Christian king ruling the land
where Jesus lived and died. Others hoped for the chance to
win fame or rich plunder or simply had a taste for adventure.
Crusades provide us with a good example of the typical
medieval combination of high ideas, greed and brutal
conduct.
 Reasons For War
• The reason for the crusades was a war between the Christians
and Muslims which was centered around the city of Jerusalem
and the Holy places of Palestine. The City of Jerusalem held a
Holy significance to the Christian religion. The Church of the
Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem commemorated the hill of
crucifixion and the tomb of Christ's burial. Pilgrims throughout
the Middle Ages made sacred pilgrimages to the Holy city of
Jerusalem and the church. Although the city of Jerusalem was
held by the Saracens the Christian pilgrims had been granted
safe passage to visit the Holy city. In 1065 Jerusalem was taken
by the Turks, who came from the kingdom of ancient Persia.
3000 Christians were massacred and the remaining Christians
were treated so badly that throughout Christendom people
were stirred to fight in crusades. These actions aroused a
storm of indignation throughout Europe and awakened the
desire to rescue the Holy Land from the grasp of the "infidel."
 The Eight Crusades
• There were eight crusades in total lasting from the 1000's through the 1200's.
• The First Crusade, lasted from 1096-1099, was The People's Crusade - Freeing
the Holy Lands. The 1st Crusade was led by Count Raymond IV of Toulouse
and proclaimed by many wandering preachers, notably Peter the Hermit.
• The Second Crusade, lasting from 1147-1149. The Crusaders prepared to attack
Damascus. The 2nd Crusade was led by Holy Roman Emperor, Conrad III and
by King Louis VII of France.
• The Third Crusade, which was from 1189-1192, was led by Richard the
Lionheart of England, Philip II of France, and Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick I.
Richard I made a truce with Saladin.
• The Forth Crusade which was from 1202-1204 was led by Fulk of Neuil
French/Flemish advanced on Constantinople.
• The Fifth Crusade was led by King Andrew II of Hungary, Duke Leopold VI of
Austria, John of Brienne, and lasted from 1217-1221.
• The Sixth Crusade took place from 1228-1229 and was led by Holy Roman
Emperor, Frederick II
• The Seventh Crusade was led by Louis IX of France, and was from 1248-1254
• The Eighth and final Crusade was led by Louis IX and took place in 1270.
 The Objectives
• The objectives of the crusades was at first
to release the Holy Land, in particular
Jerusalem, from the Saracens, but in time
way extended to seizing Spain from the
moors, the Slavs, and pagans, from
eastern Europe, and the islands of the
Mediterranean.
 The Battle of Cerami
• At the battle of Cerami in 1063, the spirit of St.
George was said to have turned up to help when 130
Normans defeated thousands of Muslims. The soldiers
report, “Saint George appeared on a white horse with
a lance. There was a flag on the end of the lance with
a wonderful cross on it. We’d have lost if he hadn’t led
our charges.” The pope believed the story sent a flag
for the Christians to carry in future battles. St.George
turned up again 35 years later at the battle of Antioch
in the Holy Land.
 The Effects

• The effects of the crusades influenced the wealth and power of the
catholic church, political matters, commerce, feudalism, intellectual
developmental social effects, material effects and the effects of the
crusades also erupted the famous voyages of discovery. Also the
crusades and other wars shaped the evolution of medieval society. It
also influenced the knights to advance their medicine from what they
saw in their Arabian opponents and to bring it back to Western
Europe.
 Interesting Facts
• Crusaders faced a dreadful weapon in the Middle East: “Greek
Fire”. It caught alight as soon as it touched sea water and
threatened their ships. But the Normans believed that throwing
sand over the Greek fire or pouring pee on it was the best way to
kill the flames. That is not to say they stood there and risked
singeing their piddling bits. If they expected an attack of Greek
Fire they’d collect barrels of stuff. The recipe for Greek fire has
been lost since it was used in the Middle Ages, so they can’t test
the fire fighting methods to see if they are true.
• The First Crusade, established the Latin Kingom of Jerusalem.
•The Sixth Crusade was the first crusade to set sail without the
official blessing of the pope.
•Around 120,000 people were attracted to the First Crusade.
•In 1099, after capturing the city of Jerusalem, the crusaders
massacred around 70,000 Jews and Muslims in the city.