The First Crusade
The first religious crusade took place in 1096 and lasted three years ending in 1099. The crusade was started by Pope Urban II in November, 1095 in response to the request of Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, who sought the help of the western volunteers to resist the invasion of the Seljuq Turks from Anatolia (RF, 2014). Soon an additional goal of recapturing the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land became the primary objective of the crusaders, who alongside also wanted to liberate the Eastern Christians from the bondage of the Muslim rulers. Though the seeds of ...