How did the crusades

begin?

The Crusades lasted more than

centuries. From 1095, European
Christians invaded the Middle East
on several occasions. Despite
bringing back a vast amount of
knowledge to Europe, thousands of
lives were lost.
• It became harder for Christian pilgrims to visit as
various Muslim groups struggled for power. Rumors of
mistreatment of local Christians and pilgrims spread.
The Byzantine Emperor, Alexius, fearing the spread of
Muslims towards his own lands and a threat to the
Christian city of Constantinople, appealed to the Pope
for help.

• Therefore in 1095, Pope Urban II promised the knights

of Europe forgiveness of their sins if they went on a
Crusade to win back Jerusalem for Christianity. Many
responded by taking the cross and showed this act by
cutting out red crosses before sewing them into their
tunics.
The first crusade - 1096 - 1099

The First Crusade involved Nobles and

Knights, not Kings as in other Crusades,
they came from different countries across
Europe such as France, Italy and Germany, to
answer the Call of Pope Urban II .
The Crusader armies set off from many areas
of Europe, but they were all heading in the
same direction towards Constantinople which
would have been a good meeting point for
their forces on their way to Jerusalem.

Many skirmishes and battles would take place

on the journey to Jerusalem

1st Crusade
• Around 10,000 people gathered at Constantinople,
before taking control of Edessa and Antioch.
• After a long siege, they captured Jerusalem in 1099.
The attack was brutal, with thousands killed.
• A Christian source from the time claimed that:

•“ The slaughter was so great that our men

waded in blood up to their ankles.”

•The loss of Jerusalem was a terrible blow to the Muslims.

Christians took control of the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of
the Rock. Jewish people, who had hidden in their synagogues,
were also killed by the Crusaders. The Crusaders now established
a kingdom around Jerusalem.
 Let’s have a
deeper look
into the
Crusades

The historian Giles Constable says each participant made his own crusade. Have
a look at the picture and try to think of different reasons why this war took place.