Britannica Educational Publishing IN ASSOCIATION WITH ROSEN EDUCATIONAL SERVICES EMPIRES IN THE MIDDLE AGES THE CRUSADES Edited by Carolyn DeCarlo
INTRODUCTION From 1095 until the end of the Middle Middle Ages Christian warriors from Europe undertook a series of military military campaigns or Crusades designed to take control of the Holy Land the region of Palestine back from the Muslims After centuries of wars of expansion Muslim powers had conquered some two-thirds of the ancient Christian world including including Palestine Syria Egypt and Anatolia Christian Crusading expeditions were also undertaken against Muslims in Spain pagans in eastern Europe and perceived enemies of the church in Christian Europe Crusading decreased rapidly during the sixteenth century with the advent of the Protestant Reformation and the decline of papal authority Many Christians thought that by participating in the Crusades they would atone fully for their sins On the breast of their tunics thousands of knights soldiers merchants and peasants wore a cross of blood-red cloth to show they were going on Crusade Those who returned wore the cross on their backs during the long voyage voyage home The Latin word for cross is crux and from this word comes the words crusade crusade and crusader 4
A Crusader possibly King Henry III of England giving homage This thirteenth-century drawing copied from the Westminster Psalter c 1200 depicts the armor typical of a Crusading knight and emphasizes the importance importance of military service to God and the church that all medieval knights would have felt 5
