The Crusades were a series of religious wars sanctioned by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The most commonly known Crusades are the campaigns in the Eastern Mediterranean aimed at recovering the Holy Land from Islamic rule but the term "Crusades" is also applied to other church-sanctioned campaigns. These were fought for a variety of reasons including the suppression of paganism and heresy, the resolution of conflict among rival Roman Catholic groups, or for political and territorial advantage. At the time of the early Crusades the word did not exist, only becoming the leading descriptive term around 1760.

In 1095 Pope Urban II called for the First Crusade in a sermon at the Council of Clermont. He encouraged military support for the Byzantine Empire and its Emperor, AlexiosI, who needed reinforcements for his conflict with westward migrating Turks colonising Anatolia. One of Urban's aims was to guarantee pilgrims access to the Eastern Mediterranean holy sites that were under Muslim control but scholars disagree as to whether this was the primary motive for Urban or those who heeded his call. Urban's strategy may have been to unite the Eastern and Western branches of Christendom, which had been divided since the EastWest Schism of 1054 and to establish himself as head of the unified Church. The initial success of the Crusade established the first four Crusader states in the Eastern Mediterranean: the County of Edessa, the Principality of Antioch, the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the County of Tripoli. The enthusiastic response to Urban's preaching from all classes in Western Europe established a precedent for other Crusades. Volunteers became Crusaders by taking a public vow and receiving plenary indulgences from the Church. Some were hoping for a mass ascension into heaven at Jerusalem or God's forgiveness for all their sins. Others participated to satisfy feudal obligations, obtain glory and honour or to seek economic and political gain.

Now, provide a numbered list of answers to these questions:

1. who is the pope mentioned?
2. Who were the crusades sanctioned by?
3. wa the term always used?
4. When did they start using it?
5. When did Urban call for the first crusade?
6. how many crusader states were initially established?
7. which ones?
8. who did he want to unite?
9. was he trying to help the pilgrims?
10. To do what?
11. Who was migrating?
12. where were they going?
13. Did he ask for help?
14. for who?
15. did he get people to volunteer?
16. to do what?
17. how did they become crusaders?
18. what are the most common crusades?
1. Pope Urban II
2. the Latin Church
3. no
4. around 1760
5. 1095
6. four
7. the County of Edessa, the Principality of Antioch, the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the County of Tripoli
8. the Eastern and Western branches of Christendom
9. yes
10. to guarantee access to the Eastern Mediterranean holy sites
11. Turks
12. Anatolia
13. He encouraged military support
14. the Byzantine Empire and its Emperor, AlexiosI
15. yes
16. to be Crusaders
17. by taking a public vow and receiving plenary indulgences from the Church
18. the campaigns in the Eastern Mediterranean