Crusades: The Christian Quest for Jerusalem

In 1095, the first of the Crusades began. Western European Christians responded to Pope Urban II’s plea for war. The war against Muslims in the Holy Land. The goal was for the Christians to capture Jerusalem. The goal was successful in 1099. The Christians set up Latin Christian states even though the Muslims vowed to wage a holy war to regain control. Relations between Crusaders and Christian allies in the Byzantine Empire reached a climax in Constantinople during the Third Crusade. With the rising of the Mamluk dynasty providing the final straw for the Crusaders, the coastal stronghold of land was driving the invaders out of Palestine and Syria. The First Crusade lasted from 1095-1099. Different Western European regions formed four armies

After Crusaders accomplished their goal in a short period of time, many of them returned home to their families. Those that stayed established Crusader States in Jerusalem, Edessa, Antioch, and Tripoli. Castle guarded the Crusader States so that they could have the upper hand in the region until 1130. Muslims continued to gain land in their Holy War against other Christians. They called the Christians “Franks”. In 1144, Edessa was captured by the governor of Mosul, Zangi. The news of the capture traveled throughout Europe, and they were flabbergasted about it. Authorities called for another Crusade which were led by King Louis VII, from France, and King Conrad III, from Germany. The Turks hit Conrad’s army in Dorylaeum. The kings then reassembled their armies in Jerusalem and attacked the Syrian base in Damascus. They had the largest Crusader force with numbers reaching 50,000. The ruler of Damascus had to call Nur al-Din, Zangi’s successor, for aid in the battle. Even though their armies were combined, the Muslims still fell short of a victory over the Crusaders. This battle ended the Second

Crusaders recaptured Jerusalem in 1239 but lost it again to Khwarazmian forces in 1244 during the Seventh Crusade, 1239-1241. King Louis IX of France led an army to the Eighth Crusade in Egypt in 1249. They were defeated in Mansura in 1250. The Crusaders struggled, and a new dynasty, Mamluks, descended. An army of Mongols, led by Genghis Khan, were sent to invade, but the Mamluk army in Palestine managed to stop them in 1260. Under their ruthless leader, Sultan Baybars, Mamluks destroyed Antioch which prompted King Louis IX to start another Crusade. He died during this battle. By the end of 1281, Mamluks had defeated the Mongols. They then continued to deal with the Crusaders and captured Tripoli in 1289. The rest of the Crusaders tried to defend what was left of the Crusader States in the last Crusade. Al-Ashraf Khalil led an army into the coastal port of Acre. After seven weeks, he successfully took Acre to the ground. The fall of Acre ended the Crusades after two centuries of battles between