Crusades
The Christians, Muslims and Jews
claimed Jerusalem in the land of Palestine as their holy city. To
Christians, it was the place where Jesus was crucified and ascended to
heaven. To Muslims, it was the place where Muhammad met three other
prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus. To Jews, it was the site of the ancient
temple built by Solomon.
In 600 CE, Arabs conquered the city. The Arabs let Christian and Jewish pilgrims visit and live in Jerusalem.
In 1095, a different tribe of Arabs took over Jerusalem. They refused to allow Jewish and Christian pilgrims to enter the city.
The Pope heard about this and called for Christians. He asked for a volunteer army to go and take back Jerusalem. Around 30,000 knights and other fighting men took up the challenge. As a sign of their fighting for their religion, each crusader wore a red cross.
After two years of travel the Crusaders reached Palestine. After some very hard fighting and a three month siege of the city, the Crusaders won and recaptured Jerusalem. One of the unexpected results of the Crusades was that the Crusaders brought back new foods, literature, art, inventions, and ideas from the Arabs.
About 50 years later, Arabs again captured Jerusalem. The new Pope called for another crusade to retake the city. There were several more crusades none of which were successful. Europeans never gave up the idea of recapturing Jerusalem, but they stopped trying.
In 600 CE, Arabs conquered the city. The Arabs let Christian and Jewish pilgrims visit and live in Jerusalem.
In 1095, a different tribe of Arabs took over Jerusalem. They refused to allow Jewish and Christian pilgrims to enter the city.
The Pope heard about this and called for Christians. He asked for a volunteer army to go and take back Jerusalem. Around 30,000 knights and other fighting men took up the challenge. As a sign of their fighting for their religion, each crusader wore a red cross.
After two years of travel the Crusaders reached Palestine. After some very hard fighting and a three month siege of the city, the Crusaders won and recaptured Jerusalem. One of the unexpected results of the Crusades was that the Crusaders brought back new foods, literature, art, inventions, and ideas from the Arabs.
About 50 years later, Arabs again captured Jerusalem. The new Pope called for another crusade to retake the city. There were several more crusades none of which were successful. Europeans never gave up the idea of recapturing Jerusalem, but they stopped trying.