CRUSADES
King Richard was
the most famous Crusader.
There were 8 Crusades in all. The Crusades were a series of Holy Wars. The first Crusade was in 1095. Crusaders wore chain mail armor. A Crusaders' weapons varied.
There were many different battles. The Crusades were fought over ownership of Jerusalem. In 1095 Pope Urban 2 ordered the first Crusade at the request of Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus after hearing of the Muslim occupation of Jerusalem. Using siege weapons and brute force, the Crusaders briefly retook Jerusalem. The Muslims were also determined and soon had Jerusalem under their control. This pattern continued for the next 150 years. Finally, in 1244 Jerusalem was lost to the Muslims, and was owned by Islam until the 20th century.
A crusader varied from a high ranking knight to a peasant. Many crusaders were made noble as a result of their dealings during the crusades. The crusades took place from 1095 to 1250.
