Title: Crusades: History, Causes, and Impact | Lessons from History
Headings: Why Were The Crusades Fought?
Why Were The Crusades Fought?
Eight holy wars that killed more than one million people.
Importance of Jerusalem
A Little Background
What Caused the Crusades?
The Outcome of the Crusades
Final Thoughts
References

Content: The Christian merchants wanted a crusade because the trading centers were under Muslim rule. The Middle East particularly held great economic value, and having control over it would benefit the merchants immensely. The knights promoted the Crusades because they wanted the rewards that came with it. For instance, honor, prestige material wealth, and forgiveness. It seemed like everyone had their own personal agenda. The Outcome of the Crusades
A number of Crusades were fought with the first one, called by Pope Urban II, being the most successful. The Crusaders managed to take back important territories such as Nicaea, Antioch, and even Jerusalem. However, the success did not last long since the Muslim leader, Imad ad-Din Zangi, recaptured the cities. In response, the Second Crusade was fought in which the Christians were defeated by Saladin. The Third Crusade was slightly more successful as the Christians were allowed to negotiate some level of access with Jerusalem.