Crusades

Introduction & Top Questions
The First Crusade and the establishment of the Latin states
- Background and context
  - The effects of religion
  - The Council of Clermont
- Preparations for the Crusade
- From Constantinople to Antioch
- The siege of Jerusalem
- The Crusader states
The era of the Second and Third Crusades
- The Second Crusade
- The Crusader states to 1187
- The institutions of the First Kingdom
  - The military orders
  - Legal practices
- The Third Crusade
- The Latin East after the Third Crusade
The Fourth Crusade and the Latin empire of Constantinople
Crusades of the 13th century
- The Albigensian Crusade
- The Children’s Crusade
- The Teutonic Knights and the Baltic Crusades
- The Fifth Crusade
- The Crusade of Frederick II
- The Crusades of St. Louis
- The final loss of the Crusader states
- The later Crusades
The results of the Crusades
Crusade as metaphor

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Painting by Emile Signol depicting Godfrey of Bouillon giving thanks after the Crusaders capture Jerusalem, with Peter the Hermit and a crowd of knights, soldiers, and citizens amid chaos.

Map of the eastern Mediterranean region during the 12th century, highlighting the crusader states: Kingdom of Jerusalem, County of Tripoli, Principality of Antioch, and County of Edessa, along with the Kingdom of Armenia (Little Armenia) and the island of Cyprus. Neighboring regions such as the Fatimid Caliphate, Emirate of Damascus, Dominion of the Atabegs, and Sultanate of Rum are also labeled. Key cities, rivers, and bodies of water like the Mediterranean Sea, Sea of Galilee, and Dead Sea are

At a Glance

Crusades summary

Quizzes

Civil War era cannon overlooks Kennesaw Mountain National Battle. (military, artillery, American history)

Pick Your Battles Quiz

Louis IX of France (St. Louis), stained glass window of Louis IX during the Crusades. (Unknown location.)

World Wars

D-Day. American soldiers fire rifles, throw grenades and wade ashore on Omaha Beach next to a German bunker during D Day landing. 1 of 5 Allied beachheads est. in Normandy, France. The Normandy Invasion of World War II launched June 6, 1944.

A History of War

Saladin, the leader of Islamic forces during the Third Crusade; undated engraving.

Crusades Quiz

Religion, Violence, and War Quiz

Related Questions

How did Crusaders raise money for the journey to the Holy Land?
How did Emperor Alexius I Comnenus influence the launch of the First Crusade?
How did some bishops respond to attacks on Jewish communities during the First Crusade?
How did the Battle of Manzikert affect the Byzantine Empire?
How did the Council of Clermont connect the Peace of God with the First Crusade?
How did the Crusaders treat Muslim peasants who remained in the Latin states?
How did the Fourth Crusade affect relations between Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians?
How did the Hospitallers become a military order?
How did the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem govern conquered lands?
How did the Ottoman Turks change the goals of later Crusades?
How did the Reconquista in Spain relate to the Crusading movement?
How did the fall of Acre in 1291 affect the Crusader states?
How did the promise of an indulgence encourage participation in the First Crusade?
How many knights and infantry may have joined the main First Crusade force?
What did Richard I’s treaty with Saladin allow Christian pilgrims to do?
What events led to the Third Crusade?
What happened at the Crusade of Varna in 1444?
What happened to the People’s Crusade at Cibotus in 1096?
What territories did the First Crusade capture before Jerusalem?
What was the Peace of God movement in medieval Europe?
What was the People’s Crusade?
What were the Hospitallers originally founded to do?
What were the Knights Templar?
What were the main purposes of the Crusades?
When did Crusaders capture Jerusalem?
When did Granada become part of Christian-ruled Spain?
When did the First Crusade begin?
Which Jewish communities were attacked during the Rhineland massacres of 1096?
Which goods became more popular in Europe after the Crusades?
Who was Peter the Hermit?
Who were the major leaders of the First Crusade?
Who were the major leaders of the Third Crusade?
Why did Christian missions to Muslim lands have limited success during the Crusades?
Why did Crusaders wear crosses on their clothing?
Why did Emperor Alexius require Crusade leaders to take an oath of loyalty?
Why did Pope Urban II call the First Crusade?
Why did many Crusaders believe that joining a Crusade could bring forgiveness for sins?
Why did the Fourth Crusade sack Constantinople instead of attacking Egypt?
Why did the Protestant Reformation contribute to the decline of Crusading?
Why did the Seljuq Turks threaten the Byzantine Empire?
Why were First Crusade participants called Franks by Muslims?
Why were military orders important to the Crusader states?
Why were the Knights Templar founded?
How many Crusades were there, and when did they take place?
What was the purpose of the Crusades?
Who were the leaders of the Crusades?
Were the Crusades successful?
Were there lasting results from the Crusades?
Who was Muhammad?
What family did Muhammad have?
What are the traditional events of Muhammad’s life?
What are the scholarly sources of Muhammad’s biography?
Why are images of Muhammad generally prohibited in Islam?

History Wars, Battles & Armed Conflicts

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External Websites

History Today - The Crusades: A Complete History
Brigham Young University - ScholarsArchive - The Crusades: A Response to Islamic Aggression
Historic UK - The Background to the Crusades
Humanities LibreTexts - The Crusades
World History Encyclopedia - Crusades
Association of Arab Universities libraries - Arab Journals Platform - Shakespeareï¿½s Revisionist Historiography of the Crusades and Crusading
Live Science - What were the Crusades?
Jewish Virtual Library - The Crusades

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Crusades - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Crusades - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Crusades

Christianity

Written by

Gary Dickson

Honorary Fellow, University of Edinburgh. Author of Religious Enthusiasm in the West: Revivals, Crusades, Saints and The Children's Crusade: Medieval History, Modern Mythistory.

Gary DicksonAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Sep. 17, 2026 •History

Crusades, military expeditions, beginning in the late 11th century, that were organized by western European Christians in response to centuries of Muslim wars of expansion. Their objectives were to check the spread of Islam, to retake control of the Holy Land in the eastern Mediterranean, to conquer pagan areas, and to recapture formerly Christian territories; they were seen by many of their participants as a means of redemption and expiation for sins. Between 1095, when...

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