{"id":2652,"date":"2019-11-26T23:00:51","date_gmt":"2019-11-26T23:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/?p=2652"},"modified":"2026-02-28T07:37:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T07:37:27","slug":"how-many-crusades-were-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/how-many-crusades-were-there\/","title":{"rendered":"How Many Crusades Were There?: A Detailed Summary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There were a total of nine major Crusades<\/a> between 1096 and 1272 CE. Each of these nine Crusades was launched by European Christians<\/a> hoping to reclaim the Holy Land<\/a> or defend Christian territories in the Middle East. In addition to the main nine, there were several smaller crusading efforts and related campaigns throughout Europe and the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WHAT WERE THE CRUSADES?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0Crusades\u00a0are one of the most significant events in the history<\/a> of Europe and the Middle East.\u00a0 They were a series of religious wars carried out by Christian crusaders from Europe during the timeframe of the\u00a0Middle Ages<\/a>.\u00a0 Beginning in 1096 CE, the Crusades saw European knights and noblemen travel to the Middle East in an attempt to capture the Holy Land away from Muslim people that had controlled the region for the previous centuries.\u00a0 The term crusade means \u2018cross\u2019.\u00a0 Therefore, the Europeans that became crusaders viewed themselves as \u2018taking up the cross\u2019.\u00a0 In fact, many of the crusaders wore crosses on their clothing and armor as they made their pilgrimage to the Holy Land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Crusades\"
Battle of Dorylaeum (1147), a battel from the Second Crusade. (Estoire d’Eracles)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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HOW MANY CRUSADES WERE THERE?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Historians disagree on the exact number of Crusades but they began with the outbreak of the First Crusade in 1096 CE.\u00a0 What followed was a series of further Crusades which altered history for people throughout both Europe and the Middle East.\u00a0 Some historians combine several of the Crusades while others do not, and most historians agree that the first four Crusades were the main ones historically.\u00a0 With that said, it is generally agreed that there were nine main Crusades which occurred over a period of two centuries. \u00a0More specifically, the First Crusade began in 1096 CE and the events of the Ninth Crusade, which was the last major event of the Crusades, occurred in 1303 CE.\u00a0 As such, historians consider the Crusades to be a significant historical event because it played such an important role in both European and Middle Eastern history for over two centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How
‘The Return of the Crusader’ by Karl Friedrich Lessing (1835)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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NINE MAIN CRUSADES<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Below is a list of each of the nine major Crusades.  Click on the links for each to read more detailed information about each individual Crusade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n