The Crusades.

  - Seljuq Turks a Muslim people from Central Asia, gained control of Palestine-knowen among Christians as "the holy land."
-When they threatened the capital city of Constantinople, the Byzantine empire called on pope Urban ii.
-1905 he called a meeting of church leaders and feaudel lords.
-Thus began the Crusades a series of military exepeditions to regain the holy land.
-The First Crusade lasted form 1096 to 1099.
-Seeing the Crusader armies approch his city the emperor feared they might capture and plunder the capital. After much discussion the emperor allowed the crusaders to pass through Constantinople.
- The Crusaders then marchrd down the coast toward Palestine and their main target the holy city of Jerusalem.
-The capture of jersalem brought much holy land under European control.
-In 1146 the turks had united their forces.
-In 1187 the musliam leader Saladin gained control of Jerisalem.
-Pope Innocent iii. gathered of French Knights for the Fourth crusade. in 202 they left on ships provided by the italians city-state of Venice.
-In 1204 the Crusaders attackeed and looted Constantinople another christian city.
-Constantinople remained under western Eroupean control for about 60  years.
-They never regained their power again.
-In 1212 the short-lived and unfortunate Childerns Crusade took place. Young people from across Europe decided to march to the holy land and regain it for Chirstian Europe.
-All of the Crusades was to take the holy land from the turks. All the Crusades except the first failed to reach that goal.