The Crusades

During the last four decades the Crusades have become one of the most dynamic areas of historical enquiry, which points to an increasing curiosity to understand and interpret these extraordinary events. What persuaded people in the Christian West to want to recapture Jerusalem? What impact did the success of the First Crusade (1099) have on the Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities of the eastern Mediterranean? What was the effect of crusading on the people and institutions of western Europe?

Lasting from September 20 to October 2, 1187, the Siege of Jerusalem saw Saladin retake the city from Christian forces. Led by Balian of Ibelin, the defenders fought desperately to keep the city, but were ultimately overwhelmed by Saladin's army. After several days of fighting, Balian negotiated its surrender and the Christians were allowed to peacefully leave the city.

On this day in History, Jerusalem captured in First Crusade on Jul 14, 1099. Learn more about what happened today on History.

What constituted a "Crusade"? How and when did the Crusades begin? Why did people go on Crusade? What impact did the Crusades have on Europe? Get the answers to these questions and more in this introduction.

In which John Green teaches you about the Crusades embarked upon by European Christians in the 12th and 13th centuries. Our traditional perception of thIn which John Green teaches you about the Crusades embarked upon by European Christians in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Many historians had been trying for some time to set the record straight on the Crusades - misconceptions are all too common. For them, current interest is an opportunity to explain the Crusades while people are actually listening. With the possible exception of Umberto Eco, medieval scholars are not used to getting much media attention.

Most historians consider the sermon preached by Pope Urban II at Clermont-Ferrand in November 1095 to have been the spark that fueled a wave of military campaigns to wrest the Holy Land from Muslim control. Considered at the time to be divinely sanctioned, these campaigns, involving often ruthless battles, are known as the Crusades.

Find out more about the history of Crusades, including videos, interesting articles, pictures, historical features and more. Get all the facts on History.

The Crusades were military campaigns sanctioned by the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages. In 1095 Byzantine Emperor Alexios I, in Constantinople, sent an ambassador to Pope Urban II in Italy pleading for military help against the growing Turkish threat. The Pope responded promptly by calling Catholic soldiers to join the First Crusade. The immediate goal was to guarantee pilgrims access to the holy sites in the Holy Land under Muslim control. His long-range goal was to reunite the Eastern and Western branches of Christendom after their split in 1054 with the pope as head of the united Church. A complex 200-year struggle ensued.

A magnet for centuries to competing armies, Acre at last would be leveled-but not before it would house both warring Christians and Muslims during the Crusades.