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The Roman Catholic Church’s desire to regain control from the Muslims of the Holy Land in Jerusalem was the major reason for the start of the Crusades. There were nine major crusades which attempted to regain control of Jerusalem. Besides these major crusades, there were many other smaller crusades.
The first crusade began in 1095 when the Emperor of Byzantine, Alexius I, asked for help from the Christians to fight against the Turks. Pope Urban II sent crusader troops to Jerusalem to fight with the Byzantines. This crusade was not noted for any accomplishment.
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The second crusade was sparked when the Arabs took over the town of Edessa. Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany thought they could help the crusader armies with taking back Jerusalem, but they failed. Both of their armies went back to their nation with no good news.
In 1187, Saladin of Egypt captured Jerusalem. Pope Gregory VIII decided that another crusade should take place. Many great leaders were involved with this crusade including Philip II of France, Richard I of England, and the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I. In 1191, the crusader army took over the cities ofAcre and Arsuf. These two defeats drew them closer to Jerusalem.
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