Briefly about 8 crusades Crusade 1 - The First Crusade (1095- 1099) was the first of a series of religious wars. In 1095 the ruler of the Byzantine Empire, Alexius |, called for help to defend his empire against the Seljuk Turks. Pope Urban II asked all Christians to join a war against the Turks. The Pope told Christians that fighting the war would repay God for their sins. He said that anyone who died on a crusade would go straight to heaven. They marched to Jerusalem, attacking several cities on their way. In 1099 they won the battle for Jerusalem. Crusade 2 - After about 50 years of peace, Bernard of Clairvaux called for a new crusade after the Turks attacked the town of Edessa. French and German armies marched to the Holy Land in 1147,but were defeated. However, on the way, the Crusaders helped the Portuguese capture Lisbon from AI- Andalus as part of the Reconquista. Crusade 3 - In 1187, after Saladin recaptured Jerusalem, Pope Gregory VIII called for a new crusade . The Third Crusade was partially successful. The Crusaders took back control of Arsuf and Jaffa, two important cities in the Holy Land. However, they did not have enough soldiers to try to recapture Jerusalem. Instead, they made a truce with Saladin that let Christians travel safely through Jerusalem. The Crusaders then re- established the Kingdom of Jerusalem in Acre. Crusade 4 - Pope innocent III started the Fourth Crusade in 1202. His plan was to attack the Holy Land through Egypt. To do this, he needed a fleet of ships.The Venetians agreed to build ships and train sailors for the crusade. The Venetians then changed the goal of the crusade, and went to the Christian city of Constantinople, where they tried to place a Byzantine exile on the throne. After a series of misunderstandings and outbreaks of violence, the city was sacked in 1204. Crusade 5 - During 1213, Pope Gregory IX pushed Frederick II into leading the Fifth Crusade. The Church tried another crusade to retake the Holy Land. A crusading force from Hungary, Austria, and Bavaria captured Damietta, a city in Egypt, in 1219. The crusaders had to surrender, due to losing the battle for Cairo. Crusade 6 - In 1228, Emperor Frederick Il set sail from Brindisi for Syria. He did this after the Pope excommunicated him. By talking to the Turks he had success,and Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem was given to the Crusaders for ten years without fighting. This was the first major crusade not initiated by the Papacy, a trend that was to continue for the rest of the century. This crusade only lasted for a year, from 1228 to 1229. Crusade 7- The Templars argued with Egypt in 1243. In 1244, Egypt attacked Jerusalem. Louis IX of France started a crusade against Egypt from 1248 to 1254. It was a failure and Louis spent much of the crusade living in the city of Acre. In the midst of this crusade was the first Shepherds’ Crusade in 1251. Crusade 8- The Eighth Crusade was organized by Louis IX of France in 1270, to help the Crusader states in Syria. However, the crusade got as far as Tunis, where Louis died a month later.