The Crusades

The Crusades were a series of religious wars in the Middle Ages, primarily from the 11th to the 13th centuries, initiated by European Christians. Motivated by a desire to reclaim the Holy Land, especially Jerusalem, from Muslim control, these campaigns involved various military expeditions. The Crusades had significant cultural, economic, and political impacts, fostering trade between Europe and the Middle East, but also leading to violence and conflict. They reflected the tensions between Christianity and Islam and influenced European society, including the rise of monarchies and the weakening of feudalism.