The crusades were wars undertaken by the people of Europe to rescue the holy places in Palestine from the Saracens.
The first crusade, in the years 1095-1099 ended by Jerusalem being taken by assault in 1099, and Godfrey de Bouillon made king.
The second crusade was preached by St. Bernard in 1146 and was headed by Emperor Conrad the Second and King Louis the Seventh of France. The crusaders were defeated and Jerusalem was lost in 1187.
Emperor Barbarosa conducted the third in 1188, joined by Philip II of France and Richard I, of England, in 1190. It was fruitless.
The fourth was led by the Emperor Henry VI and was successful until his death in 1197.
The fifth was proclaimed by Pope Innocent III in 1198, and was led by Baldwin, Count of Flanders, who took Constantinople in 1203.
The sixth took place in 1216. In 1229 the Emperor Frederick II obtained possession of Jerusalem on a truce of ten years. In 1240 Richard, Earl of Cornwall, arrived in Palestine, but soon left.
St. Louis of France, who was defeated and taken prisoner in April 1250, conducted the seventh; he was released by ransom and a truce of ten years followed.
The eighth and last was conducted by the same prince in 1270 and he died at Carthage, in Africa. Edward I of England was at Acre in 1272. In 1291 the Sultan took Acre and the Christians were driven out of Syria.
These crusades caused an enormous loss of life and suffering.