In 1071 the Muslim Turks conquered Palestine, now Israel, and began to attack the Christians. By the year 1095, Pope Urban II called on men to go against the Muslim Turks and reclaim the holy city of Jerusalem. After hearing the call of Pope Urban II, in April of 1096, Peter the Hermit led thousands on the People's Crusade. By August of 1096 this crusade was a failure because a Turkish Muslim army attacked them. Finally, an army of knights and nobles set off on the First Crusade from Le Puy, France.

By June 1099 they finally reach Jerusalem. After a long month of warring, the Crusaders capture Jerusalem in July 1099. They set up states in the Holy Land and defended Christian pilgrims against Muslim Turk attacks. They then began setting up Krak des Chevalries which means Castle of Knights. They stored supplies just in case of a siege.

The Crusades had both a positive and negative effect on both the Christians and Muslims. The Byzanite Empire was weakened therefore negatively effecting the Christians. The pope's power was also weakened. Also the Muslims strongly distrust the Christians. Leprosy also spread to Europe by the Crusaders. This had a strong negative impact on their society. Yet, negativity was not the only thing that came out of the Crusades for Christians. When they returned to Europe, they had better hygiene and fashion because they were used to the heat in the Middle East. Many sugars and spices were sent to Europe, during the extensive trade between Europe and the Middle East. They also brought back Persian rugs, exotic fabrics, and musical instruments. Also, since Arabs created eyeglasses that were also brought back to Europe with the Europeans. Also, the Arabic numerical system was now used in Europe.

From 1189 through 1192 the Third Crusade was led. It was led by King Philip II of France and Richard I, also known as the Lionheart, of England. Although they halted Saladin's advance they failed to recapture Jerusalem. Inst

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Approximate Word count = 752
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)