The Crusades

The Crusades were Papal sponsored military attacks by European Christian knights to defend Christians and for the expansion of Christian domains. These Crusades were against many different groups, which included Muslims, pagans, and heretics among others. When most people think of the Crusades they associate them with “Holy wars”, as the aim for some of the Crusades was to gain control of the Holy Land, or Jerusalem, from Muslim Arabs. Though Christians held Jerusalem for nearly a century and held other areas around the Holy Land for longer than that, the Crusades were a failure as Muslims regained control and there was no permanent Christian presence established.

Map showing the route taken during the first four Crusades