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The Crusades were a collection of religious wars waged on Muslims in Jerusalem by Christian knights in an effort to reclaim the Holy Land.
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Pope Urban II addresses an assembly of churchmen, calling the warriors of Europe to liberate the Holy Land from the Muslims.
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The first Crusade was the most successful. It ended with the five week seige of Jerusalem, beginning in June. Many other cities on the Mediterranean coast were also captured. Crusadors established churches loyal to Rome in these cities.
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In 1130, Muslim forces rose to wage a holy war and regain the Holy Land back from the crusaders. In 1144, Seljuk general Zangi, governor of Mosul, captured Edessa. This prompted Christians in the West to call for another Crusade. Cistercian abbot Bernard of Clairvaux attempted to take Damascus in Syria, but was unsuccessful.
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With their established Holy War against Christians, Muslims overpowered the crusaders and won back Jerusalem.
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The thrid crusade was the response to the recapture of Islam by Muslim forces. This crusade was led by three Western rulers: Richard I, the Lion-Hearted of England, Philip II of France, and Frederick I (Frederick Barbarossa), the Holy Roman Emperor. Although they regained control of a chain of cities along the Mediterranean coast, they were unable to recapture Jerusalem and most of the former territory of the Latin Kingdom.
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Richard and Saladin signed a peace treaty that reestablished the Kingdom of Jerusalem, without the actual city. This ended the Third Crusade.
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Pope Innocent III called for another Crusade in 1198; however, the fourth crusade would not arrise until years later. When Alexius IV, the new emperor attempted to submit the Byzantine church to Rome, he was unsuccessful. He was strangled after a palace coup, leading the Crusaders to declare war on Constantinople.
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This marks the fall of Constantinople, after which time the city was sacked. The city's riches were divided between the Venetians, the French, and other Crusaders.
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1208-1209. These Crusades were aimed less towards Muslim forces in the Holy City and more towards any enemy of the Christian faith.
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Pope Innocent III insturcted crusaders to attack Egypt from land and sea; however, they were forced to surrender.
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Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II was excommunicated by Pope Gregory IX after his promised crusade for the Holy Land was delayed
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Emperor Frederick II achieved the peaceful transfer of Jerusalem to Crusader control through negotiation with al-Kamil. The peace treaty expired a decade later, and Muslims easily regained control of Jerusalem.
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This crusade was led by Thibault IV of Champagne. They were able tobriefly recaptured Jerusalem, but it was lost again in 1244 to Khwarazmian forces enlisted by the sultan of Egypt.
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King Louis IX of France led the Eighth Crusade against Egypt, which ended in defeat at Mansura the following year.
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Few crusades occurred following 1291, though the Church did organize some minor crusades. They mainly consisted of military campaigns aimed at pushing Muslims from conquered territory or conquering pagan regions. In subsequent years, the Reformation emerged and papal authority decreased significantly.
