Crusaders
By Alexis Wilkins
Crusades
Considered to be a medieval military expedition made by Europeans to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries.
The First Crusade 1096-1099
Four nobles led the first crusade, Close to 30,000 crusaders fought their way through Anatolia and headed south toward Palestine. In June 1908, the crusaders laid the siege to the city of Antioch in Syria. Nine months later a traitor let them opening city walls. Antioch fell to the Christians. Next June the crusaders surrounded Jerusalem and scaled city walls July 1099, the city surrendered
The second crusade 1146-1148
The crusaders owed their early victories in part to lack of unity among Muslims. While Crusades began, The Seljuk empire was already crumbling into a number of smaller states.
Muslims fought more effectively In 1144 they captured Endosa the northernmost crusader kingdom. Christians answered by mounting the Second crusade.
Their crusade ended in failure, while and army in Germany was badly beaten in Anatolia.
50,000 crusaders marched to the city of Damascus which was the way to Endessa, Muslims from Endessa came to the city's aid and beat back the crusaders, Soon after the french army went home ending the second crusade.
The Third Crusade
Over the next few decades, Muslims in the Middle East became under common leadership. The great sultan Salah al Din formed the largest Muslim empire since the Seljuks and united Egypt and Syria and lands east and renewed the fight against the Crusaders in the Holy land.
Sal ah al Din took back most of Palestine. In 1187, his armies captured Jerusalem he didn't kill his prisoners as crusaders had done he either freed them or sold them for ransom. While others are sold for slavery. In 1911 King Richards army forced the surrender of Palestine he fought his way back to Jerusalem but his army wasn't strong enough. In September of 1912 the two leaders signed a peace treaty, The crusaders kept the chain of cities among the coast of Palestine And Muslims agreed to let christian pilgrims enter Jerusalem.