The main point of the Crusades was to capture Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslims and return it to Christian control. The Crusades were a series of military campaigns fought by the Christian states of Europe against the Muslims of the Middle East. The first Crusade began in 1095 and ended in 1099 with the capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders. The Crusades continued for centuries, with varying degrees of success, but the main goal remained the same: to take back the Holy Land from the Muslims.