The Crusades were a series of religious wars during the Middle Ages between Christian and Muslim armies fighting for control of the Holy Lands, an important area in the Middle East centered around Jerusalem. Pope Urban II launched the First Crusade in 1095 by calling on all Christians to march to the Middle East, capture Jerusalem from Muslim rule, and help defend pilgrims visiting Christian holy sites. Tens of thousands joined the Crusade, which succeeded in taking Jerusalem in 1099 after capturing several other Muslim cities. The Crusades established Christian kingdoms in the region and sparked centuries of ongoing religious conflict, though Jerusalem was eventually recaptured by Muslim leader Saladin in 1187.

2. What were the Crusades?
The Crusadeswerea seriesof religiouswarsduring
theMiddleAges.Most crusadesinvolvedbattles
betweenChristianandMuslimarmiesfor controlof
the‘HolyLands’ – an area of landin the Middle
East, centredaroundJerusalem, whichis important
to bothreligions.

5. Jerusalemtoday:

6. Jerusalemis important to all three
Abrahamicreligions:
Christianity: it is the place where Christ was crucified and
buried. It also has significance in a number of prophesies
and in relation to the Second Coming of Jesus.
Judaism:it was the capital of the ancient Jewish kingdom
until 73CE, when the Romans conquered the city and
expelled the Jewish population. The most sacred temple of
Judaism was located on the Temple Mount
Islam:it was the place where the prophet Mohammed was
taken to heaven, leaving behind a footprint on a rock (now
the Dome of the Rock).

7. The“PsalterMap”
(circa.1250CE),
showingJerusalem
at the centreof the
world.
One ofthe earliest
mapswhichdepicts
Jerusalemas the
centreofcivilisation.

8. A mapcreatedby Heinrich Büntingin 1581, againshowingJerusalemas
the centreof theknownworld:

9. Sketchof Jerusalem,dated1487CE:

10.  In many ways the importance of Jerusalem came as a result of
the Crusades, rather than being a direct cause of the
Crusades themselves (maps depicting Jerusalem as the centre
of the world only became popular well after the capture of the
city during the First Crusade).
 Jerusalem became very important to European Christians
during the Middle Ages ~ it was seen as the centre of religion
and civilisation, and a “land of milk and honey”.
 The conflict over Jerusalem that began with the Crusades still
has repercussions throughout the world today.

12. Routeof theFirstCrusade:

13. Medieval Europe priorto the First Crusade:
Divided:Europe is divided into many different kingdoms,
each ruled over by a different person, with little to unify
them.
Dangerous:This was a violent time, as these kingdoms
were often at war with one another. Much of Europe was
also quite lawless, with robbers and vagabonds attacking
travellers.
Religious:Many people were fearful of hell and believed
devoutly in the Christian faith. However, the church
lacked leadership, as three different Popes vied for power
(one in France, on in the Holy Roman Empire (i.e.
Germany) and one in Rome).

14. Medieval Europe priorto the First Crusade:
Divided:Europe is divided into many different kingdoms,
each ruled over by a different person, with little to unify
them.
Dangerous:This was a violent time, as these kingdoms
were often at war with one another. Much of Europe was
also quite lawless, with robbers and vagabonds attacking
travellers.
Religious:Many people were fearful of hell and believed
devoutly in the Christian faith. However, the church
lacked leadership, as three different Popes vied for power
(one in France, on in the Holy Roman Empire (i.e.
Germany) and one in Rome).

15. TheFirstCrusadebeganaftera
speechbyPopeUrbanII (the
Popelocatedin Rome– thehead
of theRomanCatholicChurch)
in 1095at a placecalled
Clermont.
Thiswas a call-to-arms,asking
all Christians,regardlessof their
country,tomarchtotheMiddle
East,attacktheMuslim‘infidels’
andcaptureJerusalem.

16. PopeUrban’sspeechsucceeded.Wordspreadquickly,andsoonthousandsof
people– frompoorpeasantstorichknightsandnobles- joinedtheFirstCrusade.
TheCrusaderarmycomprisedof approximately35,000men - thelargestfighting
forceEuropehadseensincethefallof theRomanEmpire.

17. TheFirstCrusade capturedseveral
Muslimcitiesbeforelayingsiegeto
Jerusalemin1099.
ChristianforcescapturedJerusalem
andtheMusliminhabitantswere
massacred.

18. TheFirstCrusadesucceededin capturingJerusalem,and several
‘CrusaderKingdoms’were establishedin theMiddleEast.
These events started centuries of religious wars in the Middle
East and across Europe, known as the Crusades. There were, in
total, nine ‘numbered’ Crusades launched against the Holy
Lands, and countless other, smaller crusades that were launched
against people in both the Middle East and around Europe
itself.
The successes of the Crusades were short lived. Jerusalem was
recaptured by Muslims under the command of the general
Saladin in 1187, and the crusades came to an end with the failure
of the Ninth Crusade in 1272.