Crusades:

When the Byzantine Empire called for help against the Muslims, the pope helped them by promising admittance to heaven for anyone who died in a holy war. The crusaders gathered into armies and prepared to attack the holy land.

The crusader army that was ready first was an army of peasants who had little training. Led by Peter the Hermit, the eager crusaders marched toward the holy land. But about halfway between their homeland and the holy land, Emperor Alexius I sent them to Asia Minor. There the Turks rose up against the peasants and killed them. This crusade was a big loss and a complete failure.

The next crusade was called the First Crusade. In 1096 Urban I called together a well-trained army. They marched to the holy land and captured many towns and cities, including Jerusalem. They set up the crusader states so that they could keep the land organized. Although they had started fighting to keep the Byzantine Empire safe, the First Crusade damaged parts of the Byzantine lands.

In the Second Crusade, Saint Bernard summoned an army on knights. But the knights did not cooperate well together and they could not convince the local lords to sever their relations with the Muslims. This crusade was also a great failure.

Frederic Barbosa of Germany, Richard the Lionhearted on England, and Philip Augustus of France gathered together to go on the Third Crusade. They brought armies with them, but they did not fight any major battles. Frederic drowned in a swimming accident, and then Philip left for home. Richard made a treaty and brought the rest of the armies home. The treaty said that Christians could enter Jerusalem. Still, they accomplished very little.

In the Fourth Crusade the crusaders decided to sail to the holy land. They received help from Venice and set sail from their ports. The army landed on the shore and set up a siege against Zara. The army rested in Constantinople for a while. They helped a new king to gain the throne, but not long afterwards, he insulted and provoked the crusader army. The army got extremely angry and conquered Constantinople. They did get to fight, but they never arrived at the holy land.

The crusades impacted the world by sending monarchs away from their countries and that made the countries less strong. They established trade from the treaties with the countries of Europe and Asia. Christians became used to the idea that the sword could be used on unbelievers as well as the Scriptures.

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