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The Crusades
Introduction to the Crusades
In wars called the Crusades, Christians from Europe
fought Muslims for control of Jerusalem and other holy
places. The word crusade comes from the Latin word
crux, meaning “cross.” The Christian soldiers, called
Crusaders, wore the cross as a symbol of their religion.
The Crusades took place between 1095 and 1291.
Jerusalem is a holy city to several religions. Muslims
controlled Jerusalem for hundreds of years before the
Crusades. However, they allowed Christians to make
pilgrimages to the city. In 1071 a new Muslim group
called the Seljuk Turks took control of Jerusalem. They
were hostile to Christian pilgrims. They also attacked
the nearby Byzantine Empire, which was Christian.
The Byzantine emperor feared that the Muslims would
attack Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey), his
capital. He asked the pope in Rome for help. In 1095 the
pope urged Christians to take back Jerusalem.
First Crusades
The main army of the First Crusade left Europe in
August 1096. The Crusaders captured Jerusalem on July
15, 1099. Most of the Crusaders returned home after the
First Crusade. Others stayed in the Holy Land and
established Christian states. In 1144 the Turks captured
one of the Christian states. German and French rulers
then called for the Second Crusade. It was a failure for
the Christians. The Muslim leader Saladin conquered
Jerusalem in 1187. The kings of England, France, and
Germany launched the Third Crusade against him. They
were not able to recapture Jerusalem. However, the
English king signed a peace treaty with Saladin in 1192.
It allowed Christian pilgrims to visit holy places in
Jerusalem.
Directions: Use the reading to describe the major facts of the Crusades.
Crusades:
Who:
What:
Where:
When:
Why:
Outcome:
Crusades of the 1200s
The Fourth Crusade started in 1202. The Crusaders
planned to attack the Muslims in Egypt. However, the plan changed when the Crusaders passed through Venice. The Venetians got the
Crusaders to capture Zara (now Zadar, Croatia), a Christian city that competed with Venice for trade. Then the Venetians and the Crusaders
seized Constantinople. In 1204 they looted the city.
In 1212 two separate groups of children set out for Jerusalem. Some children died during the difficult journey. Others were captured and sold
into slavery. Neither of the Children's Crusades got near Jerusalem. French and German Crusaders reached Egypt in 1218 as part of the Fifth
Crusade. In 1219 the Muslims offered to give up Jerusalem if the Crusaders would leave Egypt. The leader of the Crusaders refused. Later he
was defeated. Frederick II, the Holy Roman emperor, set out on the Sixth Crusade in 1228. He signed a treaty with the leader of Egypt that
gave the Christians control of most of Jerusalem. In 1244, however, the Turks took Jerusalem back. This led to the Seventh Crusade in 1249.
Louis IX, king of France, was the leader. He was captured and held before being released in 1250. In 1270 Louis led the Eighth Crusade. He
died of plague, however, and the Crusade failed.
Other Crusades
Crusades continued all the way into the 1400s, but all those directed against the Holy Land were unsuccessful. By 1291, all the territories that
had been won by the first crusaders had fallen under Muslim control.
Resources
"Crusades ." Britannica Elementary Encyclopedia. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition.
Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2010
<http://www.school.eb.com/all/elementary/article?articleId=353022>.
"The Crusades (Overview)." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.