The Crusades

The Crusades
In the eleventh century the Western people launched a series of armed expeditions to free the Holy land from Islamic rule. These expeditions are known as the Crusades and they encouraged growth of many towns and contributed to a stable political order in Europe. However, these expeditions could be seen as failures, draining resources and worsening relations with not only Muslims but also Eastern Christians. Motives for the crusades were mainly religious but also had other goals. The First Crusade was by far the most successful. There were minimal losses and ended up controlling most of Israel including Jerusalem. The Second and Third Crusades fell apart due to the massive amount of Muslims they were fighting. In the end, they won a small short term victory compared to the huge amount of effort put into it. But even with all the losses, the Crusades opened trade and helped expand Europe.
Although motives in the Crusades were mainly religious, there were many other intent...