Religious And Political Wars: The Crusades

Words: 157
Pages: 1

The Crusades were a series of religious and political wars fought between 1096 and 1291 for control of the so-called Holy Land or the Levant, an area centred around Modern Day Israel and Syria. They were initiated by Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont in November 1095 and affected large areas of Europe. As Riley-Smith puts “Crusading attracted men and women of all classes” This is a pertinent point when studying The Crusades and it is important to note that the demographic that took part in The Crusades varied from the poor up to the nobility such as Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse and Godfrey of Bouillon who were dominant leaders in the First Crusade. During the early period of the crusades between 1095 and 1199, it was the nobility that