The Crusades were a long series of wars between the Christians and the Muslims from Europe to Palestine that lasted almost 200 years between 1095 and 1291. The wars were fought over the control of Palestine which was also known as the Holy Land. In total, there were nine crusades. These series of wars were eventually considered unsuccessful as control of Jerusalem was never regained. “In 1095, Pope Urban II publicly called for a crusade to aid Eastern Christians and recover the holy lands.” (“Jerusalem Captured in First Crusade”) He called for the crusade at The Council of Clermont which was an assembly for church reform. He wanted to unite all of Europe’s Christians to increase his personal power as pope. A crusader is someone who is willing to take up the cross. The First Crusade was considered the most successful as Christians were able to capture Jerusalem and massacred many Muslims and Jews. The …show more content…
The Second Crusade lasted between 1147 and 1149. This crusade was caused when the people of Edessa were conquered by the Turks in 1146. The entire population was either forced into slavery or killed off. A second crusade was launched but was unsuccessful as King Louis VII of France invaded the Holy Land, but was defeated at Damascus. The Third Crusade, also known as the King’s Crusade was launched after Saladin, the sultan of Egypt, conquered Jerusalem in 1187. A third Crusade was launched led by Emperor Barbarossa of Germany, King Philip Augustus of France, and King Richard the Lionheart of England. Richard the Lionheart fought Saladin for several years. The Siege of Acre took place during Third Crusade and was the deadliest event of the Crusades for the Christian ruling class of the east and a key victory for the Crusaders, as well as a serious defeat for Saladin, who had hoped to destroy the whole of the Crusader kingdom. In the end, he failed to conquer