The Crusades were a sequence of wars fought between the Catholic Church and the Muslims in order to gain power over Jerusalem (Timeline for the Crusades). There was a total of nine Crusades altogether, the first four considered to be most famous. They began in 1095 in Jerusalem, a city immensely important to both the Christians and Muslims. Though the main goal of the Crusades was to reclaim Jerusalem from the Muslims, they ended up having a huge effect on the progress of civilization to come. The first and final Crusades are most noteworthy today because of the effect they had on European development.
The first Crusade was somewhat a success. According to a history article on the first Crusade, it began in 1095. At this time Pope Urban II set forth a Crusade to help free Jerusalem. Four different armies were led by: “Raymond of Toulouse, Godfrey of Bouillon, Robert of Flanders, and Bohemond of Otranto” (“Jerusalem Captured in
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It is sometimes combined with the eighth Crusade because it lasted only a short period of time. This time, in general, is considered the end of the Crusades. Both Prince Edward and his brother took the Crusader’s vow in June of 1267, though there was a shortage of money that kept him from joining. To cover the costs the King of France, Louis IX, loaned him 75,000 and he increased the tax. Once this money was raised, he traveled with 1000 other men to Jerusalem. According to an article on the final Crusades, “`The original intent of the Ninth Crusade was to relieve the Christian fortress of Acre. However, Louis and his brother, Charles of Anjou, instead went to Tunis with the intent of establishing a Christian kingdom in North Africa. By the time Edward had arrived in Tunis, Louis was dead and Charles had signed a peace treaty with the Muslims`” (qtd. In “The Ninth Crusade”). Overall the ninth Crusade did not accomplish much for either