Wars

Crusades

Medieval, the papacy and Western Christendom against Muslim rulers of the Holy Land

Citation Formats

General Reference

War and Military Atlas. "Crusades." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://military.interactiveatlas.org/wars/crusades.

APA Style

War and Military Atlas. (n.d.). Crusades. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://military.interactiveatlas.org/wars/crusades

BibTeX

@misc{warandmilitaryatlas-crusades,
  author = {War and Military Atlas},
  title = {Crusades},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://military.interactiveatlas.org/wars/crusades},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

The Crusades were a series of military campaigns launched by the papacy between 1095 and 1291 against Muslim rulers for the recovery and defence of the Holy Land, part of a wider crusading movement. Western Christian forces established and defended Crusader states in the Levant for two centuries, but these states could not withstand the advance of the Mamluk Sultanate, which reunited Egypt and Muslim Syria by 1260 and went on to capture the Crusaders' last mainland strongholds in 1291.

Facts

Start Year

1095 1

End Year

1291 1

Combatants

The papacy and Western Christian crusaders against Muslim rulers of the Holy Land, later the Mamluk Sultanate 1

Outcome

Crusader states in the Levant ultimately fell; the Mamluk Sultanate captured the Crusaders' last mainland strongholds in 1291 1

Cross-Tradition Connections

Battles and Campaigns

Battle of Hattin

Additional Source Wikipedia: Battle of HattinInfobox: Part of

First Crusade

Additional Source Wikipedia: First CrusadeInfobox: Part of

Second Crusade

Additional Source Wikipedia: Second CrusadeInfobox: Part of

Third Crusade

Additional Source Wikipedia: Third CrusadeInfobox: Part of

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Crusades

Lead section, para 1

Quote, Lead section, para 1

military campaigns launched by the papacy ... against Muslim rulers for the recovery and defence of the Holy Land

View the Source

1. Wikipedia: Crusades

Body: outcome

Quote, Body: outcome

The Crusader states, however, were unable to withstand the advance of the Mamluks. Having reunited Egypt and Muslim Syria by 1260, they went on to attack the Crusader states, capturing the Crusaders' last mainland strongholds in 1291.

View the Source

Wikipedia: First Crusade

Battles and Campaigns: First Crusade, Infobox: Part of

Quote, Battles and Campaigns: First Crusade, Infobox: Part of