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Nov 27, 1095
The first crusade
The first crusade was the idea of Pope Urban II in 1095. He asked the Catholic people to recapture Jerusalem and that if they were to die in process they would be taken to heaven. Many Knights, serfs and peasants rose up to the call and travelled from Western Europe to Constantinople and then through out the Middle East to Jerusalem. When they approached the Middle East they set out killing many Muslims and Jews and claimed it was for God. About 35,000 Catholic men fought in the first crusade. -
Dec 20, 1147
The Second Crusade
The second crusade was anounced by Pope Eugene III after the county of Edessa which was gained in the first crusade became overrun by the Turks. Many of the soldiers that travelled to Jerusalem and through out the Middle East were French and German. Although the Crusaders didn't gain victory in the Holy Lands they did take control of the Iberia and the Baltic. The Muslims beat the Crusaders. A good thing to come from this crusade was a peace treaty between the Turks and the Byzantine empire. -
Mar 12, 1190
The Third Crusade
The third crusade was first crusade announced by European leaders and not a pope. The crusaders were successful in capturing the Muslim cities of Acre and Jaffa. Although they were happy to have those cities the main reason why they were on the crusade (to capture Jerusalem) did not happen and remained under Muslim control. The crusade resulted in a treaty signed by Saladin and Richard which stated that Jerusalem would be under Muslim control but peaceful Christians were allowed to visit. -
Aug 26, 1202
The Fourth Crusade
The fourth crusade was not fought in Jerusalem but was largely fought in the Balkans and in Constantinople. The crusaders hoped to gain access to the Holy Land via Egypt but instead their conquest landed them in Constantinople where they ferociously massacred many of the Turks and sacked the city. The Fourth Crusade was announced by Pope Innocent III and is said to have been one of the turning points in the Near East that marked the decline of Christianity. -
Dec 24, 1212
The Children's Crusade
The Children's crusade was the idea of a child in either France or Germany who claimed that God had spoken to him and told him to lead a crusade to Jerusalem to convert Muslim people to Chistianity. The young child rallied support from other children and headed to the Meditteranean sea where he claimed the sea would part for them to walk to Jerusalem, this didn't happen. Two boats men said they would take them to Jerusalm but instead they took them to Tunisia or Sardinia and sold them as slaves. -
Aug 22, 1228
Minor Crusades
The minor crusades include the fifth, sixth and seventh crusades. They're called minor crusades because their impact was minor. The fifth crusade ended quickly in Egypt due to loss of soldiers. After this more soldiers were sent for the sixth crusade. They were victorious, the crusade resulted in the recapture of Jerusalem and some other cities in Palestine. The seventh crusade was not too significant and didn't change much. This crusade was led by King Louis IX, the crusade was won by Muslims. -
Apr 22, 1271
The Last Crusade
The last crusade was lead by Henry III of England and is regarded as the last crusade because it was the last attempt to recapture the Holy Land. The result was a peaceful truce between the crusaders and the Mamluks. Another result was that the siege of Lebanon and Tripoli was taken away. The result was, yet again, Muslim victory and there have been no other crusades that have attempted to overtake Jerusalem since.
