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There is some arbitrariness to any categorization or division of the Crusades — over 200 years of almost continual fighting on multiple fronts. Where does one Crusade end and the next begin? Despite such problems, there is a traditional system that allows for a fair overview.

First Crusade: Launched by Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont in 1095, it was the most successful. Urban gave a dramatic speech urging Christians to swarm to Jerusalem and make it safe for Christian pilgrims by taking it away from Muslims.


The armies of the First Crusade left in 1096 and captured Jerusalem in 1099. Crusaders carved out small kingdoms for themselves which endured for some time, though not long enough to have a real impact on local culture. Timeline

Second Crusade: Launched in response to the Muslim capture of Edessa in 1144, it was accepted by European leaders primarily due to the tireless effort of St. Bernard of Clairvaux who travelled across France, Germany, and Italy to exhort people to take up the cross and reassert Christian domination in the Holy Land. The kings of France and Germany answered the call but the losses to their armies were devastating and they were easily defeated. Timeline

Third Crusade: Launched in 1189, it was called because of the Muslim recapture of Jerusalem in 1187 and the defeat of Palestinian knights at Hittin. It was unsuccessful. Frederick I Barbarossa of Germany drowned before he even reached the Holy Land and Philip II Augustus of France returned home after a short time. Only Richard the Lionheart of England stayed long.

He helped capture Acre and some smaller ports, only leaving after he concluded a peace treaty with Saladin. Timeline

Fourth Crusade: Launched in 1202, it was in part instigated by Venetian leaders who saw it as a means to increase their power and influence. Crusaders who arrived in Venice expecting to be taken to Egypt were instead diverted towards their allies in Constantinople. The great city was mercilessly sacked in 1204 (during Easter week, yet), leading to greater enmity between Eastern and Western Christians. Timeline

Fifth Crusade: Called in 1217, only Leopold VI of Austria and Andrew II of Hungary participated. They captured the city of Damietta, but after their devastating loss at the Battle of Al-Mansura they were forced to return it. Ironically, before their defeat they were offered control of Jerusalem and other Christian sites in Palestine in exchange for the return of Damietta, but Cardinal Pelagius refused and turned a potential victory into a stunning defeat. Timeline

Sixth Crusade: Launched in 1228, it achieved some small measure of success — though not by military might. It was led by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, King of Jerusalem through his marriage to Yolanda, daughter of John of Brienne. Frederick had promised to participate in the Fifth Crusade but failed to do so, thus he was under a great deal of pressure to do something substantive this time. This Crusade ended with a peace treaty granting Christians control of several important holy sites, including Jerusalem. Timeline

Seventh and Eighth Crusades: Led by King Louis IX of France, they were complete failures. In the Seventh Crusade Louis sailed to Egypt in 1248 and recaptured Damietta, but after he and his army were routed he had to return it as well as a massive ransom just to get free. In 1270 he set off on the Eighth Crusade, landing in North Africa to convert the sultan of Tunis to Christianity but died before he got far. Timeline

The Ninth Crusade: Led by King Edward I of England in 1271 who tried to join Louis in Tunis, it would fail. Edward arrived after Louis had died and moved against the Mamluk sultan Baibers. He didn't achieve much, though, and returned home to England after he learned that his father Henry III had died. Timeline

Reconquista: Launched against the Muslims who had taken control of the Iberian peninsula, it began in 722 with the Battle of Covadonga when the Visigoth noble Pelayo defeated a Muslim Army at Alcama and didn't end until 1492 when Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile conquered Granada, last Muslim stronghold.

Baltic Crusade: Launched in the north by Berthold, Bishop of Buxtehude (Uexküll), against local pagans. Fighting lasted until 1410 when at the Battle of Tannenberg forces from Poland and Lithuania defeated the Teutonic Knights. Over the course of the conflicts, though, the pagan population was gradually converted to Christianity. Timeline

Cathar Crusade: Launched against the Cathars (Albigenses) in southern France by Pope lnnocent III, it was the only major Crusade against other Christians. Montsegur, the largest Cathar stronghold, fell in 1244 after a nine month siege and the last Cathar stronghold — an isolated fort at Quéribus — was captured in 1255. Timeline

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