Crusades Timeline - RT335

Great Schism

1054

Eastern and Western Christianity divide over various effects caused for hundreds of years, including the use of unleavened bread during Liturgy.
Muslim arabs had been invading the land around the Mediterranean. This division caused many Christian families to split, but the Crusades was a way to bring Christians together with a common enemy.

First Crusade

1095

Pope Urban II calls for the First Crusade to take on the growing Islamic faith. Thinking he was granted the ability to grant salvation, the Pope offered admission to Heaven for anyone who took part in the crusade.

Siege of Jerusalem

Jul 15, 1099

Hewer text notes that Muslim bodies “almost as high as the houses.” The Christian arrival in Jerusalem was a bloodbath for men, women, and children. After ransacking the city the Crusaders departed.

Third Crusade

1191

King Richard of England defeats Saladin in the Battle of Arsuf, the only true battle of the Third Crusade. Richard reestablished Christian control over some of the region and approached Jerusalem, though he refused to move forward. In September 1192, Richard and Saladin signed a peace treaty that reestablished the Kingdom of Jerusalem and ended the Third Crusade.

Fall of Constantinople

1204

Power struggles within and between Europe and Byzantium drove the Crusaders to topple the reigning Byzantine emperor, Alexius IV in mid-1203. The new emperor’s attempts to submit the Byzantine church to Rome was met with resistance, and Alexius IV was killed in early 1204. Crusaders declared war on Constantinople, and the Fourth Crusade ended with the devastating Fall of Constantinople

5th Crusade

1221

Put in motion by Pope Innocent III before his death in 1216, the Crusaders attacked Egypt from both land and sea but were forced to surrender to Muslim defenders led by Al-Malik al-Kamil.

Sixth Crusade

1229

Emperor Frederick II achieved the peaceful transfer of Jerusalem to Crusader control through negotiation with al-Kamil.

Rise of Mamluks

1260

The Mamluks took power in Egypt, forcing Palestine to halt advance of the Mongols, who were emerging as allies for Christians. Mamluks conquered Antioch in 1268. Louis and Edward I tried to lead the eighth and ninth crusade, but failed.

Fall of Acre

1291

Marks the end of the Crusades- the only remaining Crusader cities, Acre, fell to the Muslim Mamluks. Though the Church organized minor Crusades with limited goals after 1291, support for such efforts diminished in the 1500s, with the rise of the Reformation and the decline of papal authority.