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The pope responded to the request of Byzantine who wished to repel and liberate Jerusalem and Christians from Muslim power. He sent out knights to journey from France to the Holy land.
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Thousands of knights took upon the pope's request and in 1095 they reached Constantinople and crossed into the Asian Minor. The Greek Orthodox forces took the walled city of Nicaea from the Seljuk Sultan Kilij Arslan I.
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The crusaders broke into the city of Antioch. They discovered what they thought was a piece of the Holy Lance, then they eventually took control over the entire city.
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In July the walls of Jerusalem were breached and the city's Muslim and Jewish defenders were slaughtered. Majority of the Europeans returned home and Crusader states were established.
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The crusader state (Edessa) fell to the ruler Zengi. IT was the first major setback for the Christians, and it made Pope Eugenius 111 to call the second crusade led by France and Germany. This was the first royal nvolvement and campaigns were made against Muslims in Iberia and heathens in the Baltic states.
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The expedition to the Holy Lands was a disaster. The untrained armies were repeatedly attacked by the Seljuk Turks as they crossed the Asian minor. A group of Anglo-Norman, Flemish and Rhineland crusaders entered Damascus, yet after four days they were forced to retreat. This severed all crusade enthusiasm in Europe.
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Soon after the Crusaders steadly lost ground to the Ayyubid sultan Saladin had a huge success in defeating the crusaders. This led to the fall of nearly all the crusaders, including Jerusalem.
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The sudden appearance of the Mongol invaders and the rise of the Mamluks, former slave soldiers, meant the crusaders power over the Holy Land weakened dramatically.
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Warriors of the Fourth crusade (originally launched in 1202) soon reached the walls of Constantinople. The city was attacked, with the brutal murders of Byzantine Christians that slaughtered their own co-religionists. From there, a new Latin empire was established.
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Pope Innocent 111 launched the fifth crusade. The aim was to land on the coast of Egypt and head towards Jerusalem. They soon invaded the Holy Land.
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The crusaders attempt to capture the Holy Land was halted rapidly, because of it's unsuccessful attempt to capture Cairo. They eventually retreated when they could not capture any land.
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The Roman Emperor Frederick 11 got excommunicated, yet he managed to peacefully negotiate the return of Jerusalem to the Christians.
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The Holy lands were recaptured by the Muslims.
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In response to Jerusalem returning to the Muslims, Louis 1X of France led the seventh crusade into Egypt. He succeeded in claimed small early victories, then his forces were defeated by the Ayyubids in the battle of Mansourah in 1250.
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In the midst of of fighting and further weakening of trade routes, it was chaos. The sultan al-Ashref took this opportunity to smash the city of Acre, taking th Holy Land from the Christians.
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Despite the defeat of Acre, crusading remained a popular idea. However, one of the era's great institutions was brought down with the suppression of the order of the knights Templar.