Tenth Crusader Christian Bush 2

"THE Second Crusade (1145-1149) was the second major crusade launched from Europe, called in 1145 in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the previous year. Edessa was the first of the Crusader states to have been founded during the First Crusade (1095-1099), and was the first to fall. The Second Crusade was announced by Pope Eugene III, and was the first of the crusades to be led by European kings, namely Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany, with help from a number of other important European nobles. The armies of the two kings marched separately across Europe and were somewhat hindered by Byzantine emperor Manuel I Comnenus; after crossing Byzantine territory into Anatolia, both armies were separately defeated by the Seljuk Turks. Louis and Conrad and the remnants of their armies reached Jerusalem and, in 1148, participated in an ill-advised attack on Damascus. The crusade in the east was a failure for the crusaders and a great victory for the Muslims. It would ultimately lead to the fall of Jerusalem and the Third Crusade at the end of the 12th century." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Crusade

"The Third Crusade (1189-1192), also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin. Spurred by religious zeal, Richard I of England and Philip II of France ended their conflict with each other to lead a new Crusade. The elderly Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa responded to the call to arms, and led a massive army across Anatolia, but died from drowning before reaching the Holy Land. Many of his discouraged troops left to go home.   After some military successes, the Christian powers argued over the spoils of war; frustrated with Richard, Frederick's successor Leopold V of Austria and Philip left the Holy Land in August 1191."  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Crusade

"The Fourth Crusade (1202-1204) was originally designed to conquer Muslim Jerusalem through an invasion of Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of the West invaded and conquered the Christian (Eastern Orthodox) city of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. This is seen as one of the final acts in the Great Schism between the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church. It has been often described as one of the most profitable and disgraceful sacks of a city in history.Pope Innocent III succeeded to the papacy in 1198, and the preaching of a new crusade became the goal of his pontificate. His call was largely ignored by the European monarchs: the Germans were struggling against Papal power, and England and France were still engaged in warfare against each other. However, due to the preaching of Fulk of Neuilly, a crusading army was finally organized at a tournament held at Écry by Count Thibaut of Champagne in 1199."  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forth_Crusade

"The Fifth Crusade (1217-1221) was an attempt to take back Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering the powerful Ayyubid state in Egypt. Pope Honorius III organized crusading armies led by Leopold VI of Austria and Andrew II of Hungary, and a foray against Jerusalem ultimately left the city in Muslim hands. Later in 1218 a German army led by Oliver of Cologne and a mixed army of Dutch, Flemish and Frisian soldiers led by William I, Count of Holland arrived." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Crusade

"The Sixth Crusade started in 1228 as an attempt to re-conquer Jerusalem. It began only seven years after the failure of the Fifth Crusade. Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, had involved himself broadly in the Fifth Crusade, sending troops from Germany, but he failed to accompany the army directly, despite the encouragement of Honorius III and later Gregory IX, as he needed to consolidate his position in Germany and Italy before embarking on a crusade. However, Frederick again promised to go on a crusade after his coronation as emperor in 1220 by Pope Honorius III." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixth_Crusade

"The Seventh Crusade was a crusade led by Louis IX of France from 1248 to 1254. Pope Innocent IV and Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor continued the papal-imperial struggle. Frederick had captured and imprisoned clerics on their way to the Council of Lyons, and in 1245 he was formally deposed by Innocent IV. Pope Gregory IX had also earlier offered King Louis' brother, count Robert of Artois, the German throne, but Louis had refused. Thus, the Holy Roman Emperor was in no position to crusade. Henry III of England was still struggling with Simon de Montfort and other problems in England. Henry and Louis were not on the best of terms, being engaged in the Capetian-Plantagenet struggle, and while Louis was away on crusade the English king signed a truce promising not to attack French lands. Louis IX had also invited King Haakon IV of Norway to crusade, sending the English chronicler Matthew Paris as an ambassador, but again was unsuccessful. The only man interested in beginning another crusade therefore was Louis IX, who declared his intent to go East in 1245." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventh_Crusade

The Eighth Crusade was a crusade launched by Louis IX, King of France, in 1270. The Eighth Crusade is sometimes counted as the Seventh, if the Fifth and Sixth Crusades of Frederick II are counted as a single crusade."  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighth_Crusade

"The Ninth Crusade, which is sometimes grouped with the Eighth Crusade, is commonly considered to be the last of the medieval Crusades to the Holy Land. It took place in 1271-1272. The failure of Louis IX to capture Tunis in the Eighth Crusade led Prince Edward of England to sail to Acre in what is known as the Ninth Crusade. In addition to lagging support in Europe, it failed largely as a result of the growing power of the Mamluks in Egypt, and foreshadowed the imminent collapse of the few remaining crusader strongholds along the Mediterranean coast. The Eighth Crusade in Northern Africa and the Ninth Crusade in the Holy Land were part of a larger strategy which included actions by Spanish kings in the Reconquista, military orders against pagans and heretics." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninth_Crusade

Jafar Syed (MA,LLB) is a researcher on International Affairs based in New York