A proof of faith but also an excellent occasion to gain a new social position

With his call to all the Christians to free Jerusalem, in 1095 Urban II proclaimed the first crusade. Everybody, sovereigns, noblemen, soldiers and common people had to fight together under the cross banner, and just for having a cross painted on their uniforms they were called crusaders. The volunteers were countless, however it was not only their faith that drove them, but also economical reasons. There were landless noblemen and knights hoping to conquer feuds and lands, merchants aiming at new trades, adventurers looking for riches, farmers and servants longing for a less poor life.

This first crusade, led by Godfrey of Bouillon, culminated into the conquer of Jerusalem (1099) and of the whole coast, from Palestine to Lebanon. Here many Christian kingdoms were founded, given to the most important commanders and organized as feudal reigns which lasted about a century and then fell, and the same Jerusalem was regained by the Turks. The following crusades were unsuccessful: Jerusalem remained in the hand of Muslims apart from a short time and by virtue of a diplomatic agreement signed by emperor Frederick II (1194-1250).
One of the most important crusades, among the seven organized ones, was the third, in which three sovereigns took part: emperor Frederick Redbeard, who died on the battlefield, French king Philip Augustus and British king Richard the Lionheart.

Chronology of the crusades

1st Crusade
1097 - 1099 : the crusaders conquer Jerusalem and found the East Crusaders States.

2^nd Crusade
                                      1147 - 1149 : the attempt to regain the County of Edessa fails and the crusaders are defeated in Damascus by the Turkish army.

3^rd Crusade.
       1189 - 1192 : Turkish Sultan Saladin regains Jerusalem and the crusaders only manage to found the kingdom of Cyprus.

4^th Crusade

          1202 - 1204 : the crusaders do not reach Jerusalem but limit themselves to besiege and sack Constantinople, and a weak Eastern Latin Empire is founded.

5^th Crusade

     1217 - 1221 : no result is obtained
6^th Crusade
          1228 - 1229 : thanks to an agreement with the sultan of Egypt, Frederick II obtains the liberation of the holy places for a decade.
7^th Crusade

                                         1248 - 1254 : King Louis IX  “the Saint” is defeated and captured by the Turks.

 8^th Crusade
                                          1270 : Louis IX, immediately after reaching northern Africa, dies of plague