Question: when did the first christian armies head for the holy land

title: Crusades
text: When Urban began preaching for the first campaign the word `` Crusade '' did not exist : instead , the terms iter , for journey , or peregrinatio , for pilgrimage , were used . Not until the word crucesignatus , for one who was signed with the cross , was adopted at the close of the 12th century was specific terminology developed . The Oxford English Dictionary links the etymology of the word `` crusade '' to the modern French croisade , Old French croisée , Provençal crozada , Spanish cruzada , Italian / medieval Latin crociata based on the verb `` to cross '' , `` a being crossed '' , `` a crossing '' or `` marking with the cross '' , or `` a taking the cross '' . The Middle English equivalents were derived from Old French ; croiserie in the 13th -- 15th centuries and croisée in the 15 -- 17th century . `` Croisade '' appeared in English c. 1575 , and continued to be the leading form until c. 1760 . Although the term `` Crusade '' has been adopted by historians to describe the Christian holy wars from 1095 , the range of events to which it has been applied is so great that its use can create a misleading impression of coherence , particularly regarding the early Crusades .