What were the Crusades?

The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these military expeditions are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were intended to conquer Jerusalem and its surrounding area from Muslim rule. Beginning with the First Crusade, which resulted in the conquest of Jerusalem in 1099, dozens of military campaigns were organised, providing a focal point of European history for centuries. Crusading declined rapidly after the 15th century.

The Crusades collectively refer religious wars in the medieval times. The Crusades are famously know today for expeditions into the Muslim Holy Land to capture lands in the name of European kings and religion from 1095-1291.