The crusades
By the 1060s, the Holy Land (Palestine) was controlled by Muslim Turks. The Turks threatened Christian visitors to the Holy Land and attacked the Byzantine Empire of the Christians. When the Turks beat the Byzantines at the Battle of Manzikertin 1071, Christians everywhere felt that their religion was in serious danger. After the Turks victory, Pope Urban II urged Christians from across Europe to go on a Crusade. The purpose: to drive the Turks out of the Holy Land. (From my Teacher)
Pope Urban II calling all Christians to war against the Turks
The Christian Victory
The First Crusade took Christian warriors 3 years to reach Jerusalem. The Christians claimed victory when they surrounded the city.(From my Teacher)
Saladin and Muslim Soldiers
The Second Crusade proved victorious from Muslim leader, Saladin, as the Muslims recaptured Jerusalem due to the fact that the Christians returned home after the First Crusade and left Jerusalem weak and able to be attacked.(From my Teacher)
King Richard and the Lion Heart
The Third Crusade was led by many European rulers. Although they won many battles, they never won back Jerusalem.(From my Teacher)
Saint Mark's Cathedral and Bronze horses in Venice
The Fourth Crusade only went as far East as Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Although the Crusaders were fighting on the same side as the Byzantines, they attacked Constantinople, stole many of their treasures, and ruled the city for over a half century.(From my Teacher)
The Knights Templar, The Teutonic Knights, and the Knights of Hospitaller
Three more major Crusades set out over the next hundred years. In 1229, the Muslims agreed that the Christians could take back Jerusalem... but this agreement didn’t last.(From my Teacher)
The Knights Templar
The Teutonic Knights
The Knights of Hospitaller