Crusades: Definition, History, Significance

The Crusades were known as the series of long and numerous wars between Christian countries of Europe and Muslim nations of the Middle East The Crusades had multiple causes, not just only religion. Besides the desire to explore new places, Europeans also attempted to conquer the Eastern Mediterranean due to their control over the Silk Road, a valuables trade route.

In this article, we will learn about the Crusades and the impacts they left behind!

Timeline of Crusades

Crusade	Years	Key Outcomes
First Crusade	1096–1099	Capture of Jerusalem; establishment of Crusader states (Jerusalem, Edessa, Antioch, and Tripoli).
Second Crusade	1147–1149	Failed to capture Damascus; loss of momentum for the Crusading movement.
Third Crusade	1189–1192	Richard I of England (Richard the Lionheart) negotiates access to Jerusalem for pilgrims.
Fourth Crusade	1202–1204	Diverted to Constantinople, leading to its sack; further estrangement between Eastern and Western Christianity.
Children’s Crusade	1212	Largely symbolic and unsuccessful; many children died or were enslaved.
Fifth Crusade	1217–1221	Failed attempt to capture Cairo; temporary truce with the Ayyubid Sultanate.
Sixth Crusade	1228–1229	Frederick II negotiated the return of Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem to the Crusaders.
Seventh Crusade	1248–1254	Led by Louis IX of France; captured Damietta but ultimately failed to take Cairo.
Eighth Crusade	1270	Led by Louis IX to Tunis; ended in failure and Louis IX’s death.
Ninth Crusade	1271–1272	Led by Prince Edward (later Edward I of England); inconclusive results and end of major Crusades.

Background of Crusades

The First Crusade, which started the Crusades as a historical period, was spearheaded by Pope Urban II, who held office from 1088 until 1099.

Before the Crusades, Christian access to the Holy Land was restricted by Muslim Seljuk Turks who had advanced into Byzantine territory.

A direct spark for the First Crusade came from the petition for military support against the Turks made by Alexios I Komnenos, the Byzantine emperor, to the Pope.

Definition of Crusades

Christians were known as the people of the book because they had their own scripture. Despite being overrun by Arabs in 638, Jerusalem remained sacred to Christians as the site of Jesus‘ death and resurrection.

1. Slavs, Hungarians, and Normans were converted to Christianity in the eleventh century.
2. Through the peace of God movement, the church and the warrior class were attempting to establish political and economic stability.
3. During the sacred times of the Church calendar, all military combat was prohibited in specific regions, such as those close to places of worship.
4. After Malik Shah (Saljuq Sultan) died in 1092, Baghdad fell apart.
5. Byzantine emperor Alexius I retook northern Syria and Asia Minor. Pope Urban II became a member in 1095.

How many Crusades were there?

There were eight major Crusades to the Holy Land from the late 11th to the late 13th centuries, spanning from 1096 to 1270. In addition to these, there were several other smaller crusades, including the Children’s Crusade, the Albigensian Crusade, the Northern Crusades, and various others targeting different regions and objectives.

Here’s a simplified table outlining the eight major Crusades to the Holy Land, highlighting their key characteristics:

Crusade	Years	Key Characteristics
First Crusade	1096–1099	Launched in response to a call for help from the Byzantine Emperor and the capture of Jerusalem from Muslims.
Second Crusade	1147–1149	Initiated after the fall of the County of Edessa, the first Crusader state to be founded, and ended in failure.
Third Crusade	1189–1192	Called after Jerusalem fell to Saladin’s forces; notable for the involvement of Richard the Lionheart, Philip II, and Frederick Barbarossa.
Fourth Crusade	1202–1204	Diverted to Constantinople, leading to the sack of the city and the establishment of the Latin Empire.
Children’s Crusade	1212	Not an official crusade but a popular movement involving children; ended in disaster.
Fifth Crusade	1217–1221	Aimed to capture Egypt as a way to then conquer Jerusalem; ended in failure.
Sixth Crusade	1228–1229	Led by Emperor Frederick II, who negotiated the return of Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem to Crusader control without major battles.
Seventh Crusade	1248–1254	Led by Louis IX of France to capture Egypt; ended in his capture and the failure of the Crusade.
Eighth Crusade	1270	Also led by Louis IX, targeting Tunis; Louis died during the campaign, leading to its abandonment.

This table does not include several smaller or “minor” crusades, nor does it encompass the Northern Crusades and other military campaigns sanctioned by the papacy against Christian heretics and neighboring states. The Crusades’ impacts were far-reaching, affecting political, economic, and social dynamics in Europe, the Near East, and the wider Mediterranean region for centuries.

Who Won the Crusades?

The outcome of the Crusades, a series of religious wars spanning from the late 11th to the late 13th centuries, is complex and cannot be summarized as a clear victory for any single side. The Crusades had multiple campaigns with varying objectives, primarily aimed at capturing the Holy Land from Muslim control. Here’s a broad overview:

1. First Crusade (1096–1099): This crusade was a success for the Christians, resulting in the capture of Jerusalem and the establishment of Christian states in the Levant.
2. Second Crusade (1147–1149): This was a failure for the Christians, who did not achieve their main objective of recapturing the city of Edessa from Muslim forces.
3. Third Crusade (1189–1192): This crusade, led by notable figures including Richard the Lionheart, ended in a stalemate. Christians failed to recapture Jerusalem but secured rights for pilgrims to visit the city.
4. Fourth Crusade (1202–1204): This crusade diverted from its original goal, resulting in the sacking of Constantinople, a Christian city, and is considered a failure in terms of its original religious objectives.
5. Fifth Crusade (1217–1221): This crusade aimed to capture Egypt as a strategy to then conquer Jerusalem. It failed to achieve its main objective.
6. Sixth Crusade (1228–1229): This crusade, led by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, resulted in a diplomatic victory and a temporary restoration of Jerusalem to Christian control without major conflict.
7. Seventh Crusade (1248–1254): Led by Louis IX of France, this crusade targeted Egypt and ended in failure, with Louis being captured.
8. Eighth Crusade (1270): Also led by Louis IX, this crusade targeted Tunis and ended shortly after Louis’ death, achieving little.

In summary, the Crusades’ outcomes varied widely, with both sides experiencing victories and defeats. Over the long term, the Muslim forces eventually regained control of the Holy Land, and by the late 13th century, the remaining Crusader states in the Levant were lost. The Crusades had lasting impacts on Christian and Muslim relations, trade, and the political landscape of the Eastern Mediterranean but did not result in lasting Christian control over Jerusalem or the Holy Lands.

Who Started the Crusades?

The Crusades were initiated by Pope Urban II. In 1095, during the Council of Clermont, he called for a military expedition to aid the Byzantine Empire and to recapture the Holy Land from Muslim control. This call led to the First Crusade, marking the beginning of a series of religiously motivated military campaigns that spanned several centuries.

What were the main goals of Crusades?

The main goals of the Crusades, a series of religious and military campaigns from the late 11th to the late 13th centuries, were:

1. To Recapture the Holy Land: The primary objective was to reclaim Jerusalem and other sacred sites in the Near East that had fallen under Muslim control.
2. To Aid the Byzantine Empire: Initially, one of the goals was to assist the Byzantine Empire, which was under threat from Seljuk Turks, in securing its borders and recovering lost territories.
3. To Redirect European Aggression: The Crusades were partly aimed at channeling the violent tendencies of Europe’s warrior classes towards a common enemy, thereby reducing internal conflicts.
4. To Unite Christendom: The pope sought to unite the Christian kingdoms of Europe under a common cause, fostering a sense of unity among the fragmented Christian states.
5. Economic and Territorial Expansion: For many participants, the Crusades offered opportunities for wealth and land acquisition, as well as the opening of new trade routes.
6. Personal Salvation: Participants were often promised absolution and remission of sins for taking up the cross to fight in the Crusades, appealing to religious motivations.

What were the Effects of Crusades?

The Crusades had profound and lasting effects on both the Christian and Muslim worlds, as well as on the Jewish communities caught in the crossfire. Here are some of the major impacts:

1. Cultural Exchange

• The Crusades led to increased contact between the Christian West and the Muslim East, facilitating the exchange of ideas, technologies, and goods. This included the transfer of knowledge in areas such as medicine, mathematics, and astronomy.

2. Economic Impact

• The need to supply and fund Crusader states and armies stimulated trade routes in the Mediterranean. European demand for Eastern goods increased, contributing to the growth of Italian city-states like Venice and Genoa as major trading powers.

3. Military Innovations

• Exposure to new forms of warfare and fortification techniques during the Crusades influenced European military strategies and castle designs.

4. Political Changes

• The Crusades contributed to the centralization of political power in Europe. The participation of knights and nobles in the Crusades often required them to sell lands or rights to the king, increasing royal power.
• The establishment of Crusader states in the Levant introduced new governing structures but also led to conflicts with Byzantine and Islamic powers, altering regional dynamics.

5. Religious Impact

• The Crusades intensified religious intolerance and hostilities. The violent campaigns and the rhetoric that accompanied them deepened the divide between Christianity and Islam.
• Jewish communities in Europe and the Levant also suffered massacres and persecution as part of the broader religious fervor of the times.

6. Legacy and Memory

• The Crusades left a lasting legacy in Christian, Muslim, and Jewish cultural memory, influencing art, literature, and perceptions of the “other.” This legacy remains a sensitive and controversial topic in Christian-Muslim relations.

7. Shifts in Power

• The failure of the later Crusades weakened the Byzantine Empire, making it more vulnerable to Turkish expansion and eventually contributing to its fall to the Ottoman Turks in 1453.
• In the Muslim world, the Crusades eventually led to the rise of powerful leaders like Saladin, who united Muslim territories and recaptured Jerusalem.

8. Social Changes

• The Crusades contributed to the end of feudalism in Western Europe by encouraging the monetization of the economy and leading to the decline of the serfdom system.

Crusades: Significance

The Crusades had an impact on both Europe and the Middle East . The impact was not just on the geopolitical environment of these territories but as well as on the day-to-day life of common people. The Crusades had a great deal of beneficial consequences on Europe’s social, cultural, and economic fabric, while being a huge military failure for the continent. Later on, these modifications would contribute to the Renaissance, Scientific Revolution, Exploration Age, and Protestant Reformation. The negative is that Europe saw greater levels of violence in the ages that followed the Crusades than in the ones that before them.

The End of the Crusades

There were, in the end, many Crusades, for God, glory, and/or riches, among other motives, but the most well-known are nine. Not very successful and short-lived were the Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Children’s Crusades. Along with their many challenges, the Crusaders lost familiarity with the local language, customs, geography, and climate as the Crusades went on. Due to these drawbacks, a large number of the soldiers were killed, captured, or shipwrecked. King Louis IX founded the Seventh Crusade to combat Egypt. Since Louis was apprehended and later ransomed, this was a failure. Following his death in 1270, Louis spearheaded the Eighth Crusade once more, launching an assault in North Africa.

As a continuation of the Eighth Crusade, Edward I of England conducted the ninth and final crusade. The Crusades failed and little was achieved.

Conclusion

Men and women from all throughout Europe participated in the crusade movement, which addressed nearly every facet of daily life, including politics, economics, the church, and religious philosophy.

FAQs on Crusades

What is the story of the Crusades?

Spanning most of the High Middle Ages (1050-1300 CE), a series of military expeditions called the Crusades was launched from Christian Europe against the peoples of the Near East. Sparked by a zeal to rid the Holy Lands of “infidels”—meaning Moslems primarily—only the First Crusade achieved any real or lasting success.

Who won the Crusades?

As we know, the crusader states were lost. The final bastions of the crusader states were lost in 1291 (having been founded originally in 1099) to Muslim forces. In that sense, obviously the Muslims won the crusades and the Christians were defeated.

What were the 4 main Crusades?

The First Crusade lasted from 1096 to 1099. The Second Crusade began in 1147 and ended in 1149. The Third Crusade started in 1189 and was concluded in 1192. The Fourth Crusade got underway in 1202 and ended in 1204.

What was the main goal of the Crusades?

Their primary objectives were to stop the expansion of Muslim states, to reclaim for Christianity the Holy Land in the Middle East, and to recapture territories that had formerly been Christian.

What happened in the 3 Crusades?

Finally, the Third Crusade resulted in a treaty that left Jerusalem under Muslim dominion but allowed Christians access for trading and pilgrimage. In the past two crusades, the result had been to conquer and massacre or retreat, with no compromise or middle ground achieved.