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• In the medieval era, there were several Crusades made by people from European Christian countries.
• Crusaders believed they were carrying out their God's work by taking part in military campaigns to ‘reclaim' the Holy Land for Christianity. They followed the wishes of the Pope - the head of the Catholic Church.
• People who went on the Crusades were motivated by different reasons including the prospect of wealth, freedom or power.
• Key figures involved in the Crusades included Richard the Lionheart and Salah ad-Din who was known to the Crusaders as Saladin.

In the Middle Ages, the Islamic world stretched from stretched from India, in South Asia, to Spain, in Western Europe, and included Jerusalem and the Holy Land. For Jewish people, Christians and Muslims, Jerusalem was and still is a holy city and a destination for pilgrimage.

For Christians, Jerusalem is the place where they believe Jesus died and was buried. Christian pilgrims had come to the city for centuries.

To Muslims, it is considered to be a holy site, where they believe Prophet Muhammad ascended to Heaven from Jerusalem. Arab Muslims conquered the Holy Land in 638. The Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque are sites of pilgrimage for Muslims.

For Jewish people, Jerusalem is important it is seen as the centre of the world, and is believed to be the site where Abraham, the founder of Judaism, was prepared to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as God tested his devotion to his faith.

The Crusades were not only significant for religious reasons - they were also politically significant. European rulers believed success in ‘winning back’ the Holy Land would secure their power and legacy as a successful leader. The Crusades were encouraged by the Pope, so leaders also believed they were doing God’s work by fighting for control of the Holy Land.

The Crusades were economically significant too. They opened up new opportunities for trade. Crusaders brought back new spices and textiles from the Holy Land and the wider Islamic world. New trade routes were established, meaning more goods could be bought and sold both across Europe and with the Middle East.

Around 1077, Muslim Seljuk Turks took control of the Holy Land. It became harder for Christian pilgrims to visit as various Muslim groups struggled for power.

The Seljuk Turks saw Christian presence in the Holy Land as a threat to their authority. They imposed taxes and charges on Christians wanting to visit holy sites. Rumours of mistreatment of local Christians and pilgrims spread. The Byzantine Emperor, Alexius, fearing the spread of Seljuk rule towards lands he controlled in south eastern Europe and a threat to the Christian city of Constantinople, appealed to the Pope for help.

In 1095, Pope Urban II promised the knights of Europe forgiveness of their sins if they went on a Crusade to win back Jerusalem for Christianity. He:

• wanted to reclaim land and prevent further expansion of the Islamic kingdoms
• felt that any expansion of Islamic kingdoms was a threat to the Christian countries under his guidance
• believed the Crusades would help to unite Christian countries in Europe, who were frequently in conflict with each other
• knew the Crusades would financially benefit the Church

Many people responded to the Pope's wishes by joining the Crusades - showing this by cutting out red crosses and sewing them onto their tunics.

There were several reasons why people joined the Crusades, including:

• To obey the Pope's call to free the Holy Land from people that they believed to be infidels and ensure access for pilgrims. St Bernard of Clairvaux wrote in 1140, ‘Of mighty soldier, oh man of war, you now have something to fight for. If you win it will be glorious. If you die fighting for Jerusalem, you will win a place in heaven.’
• To be forgiven for past sins. The Pope offered forgiveness for anyone who took part. This was important for knights who had killed many people in battle. Most people believed in Heaven and Hell, so the offer of forgiveness from the Pope was highly influential.
• To see the world, have an adventure and prove their bravery, which was important when chivalry  was highly valued.
• To gain land. During the First Crusade, Jerusalem was seized by Christians. Some Crusaders gained land in the newly conquered territory.
• Serfs joined the Crusades because the Pope promised them their freedom if they went.
• To gain wealth, for example through trade or selling land or property that was seized during the Crusades.
• Kings would encourage troublesome knights to go on a Crusade because it reduced their influence and potential threat when they were out of the country.

The First Crusade began after 1095. Some Christians from France, Germany and Italy, known as the Franks, set out on the long journey to the Holy Land, led by nobles and knights. Up to 30,000 Crusaders gathered at Constantinople, before taking control of the cities of Edessa and Antioch.

After a long siege, western European Crusaders, the Franks, captured Jerusalem in 1099. The attack was brutal. It is hard to know exactly how many people were killed or injured. A Christian source from the time claimed that civilians were massacred in the Crusade.

The loss of Jerusalem was a terrible blow to the Muslims. They had been in control of Jerusalem for over 400 years, and it was of great religious significance. Christians took control of significant religious sites such as the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock. The Crusaders established a kingdom around Jerusalem.

After uniting large parts of Syria, Palestine and Egypt, a powerful new Muslim leader called Saladin later conquered the now Christian-held Jerusalem in 1187. In contrast to the events of 1099, when many people were brutally killed, Saladin showed mercy to the Christians in Jerusalem, allowing them to leave in safety for a ransom. The exact amount Saladin demanded is not known, but the ransom would have helped him pay his soldiers and fund his army.

This defeat led to a Third Crusade in 1189, this time involving English Christians led by Richard I. He was known as the Lionheart, due to his reputation as a brave fighter.

Saladin and Richard are believed to have shown great respect for each other as leaders, yet they never met. Richard wrote to Saladin during the Third Crusade, expressing his ‘sincere desire for peace and an end to this conflict’. Saladin did reply to Richard, but the exact contents of his letter are not known. Some historians believe that he expressed his respect for Richard as a military leader.

Richard and the other Crusading armies did not make it as far as Jerusalem. They fought a long siege to try and capture Acre, a coastal city in modern day Israel. The Crusaders were also poorly organised, partly down to disagreements between European leaders.

On his journey back to England in 1192, Richard was captured by Leopold of Austria and held hostage. Leopold had accused Richard of being involved in the murder of his cousin. He would also have realised he could gain a high ransom for releasing Richard. He was only released in 1194, once a ransom had been raised.

• Several more Crusades were launched, lasting for a period of around 200 years in total.
• One event for many historians that signalled the end of the Crusades occurred in 1291 when the city of Acre was reclaimed by Muslim forces.
• Christian forces never regained control of Jerusalem.