The Big Idea: From the 11th to the 15th century, popes and Christian nobles attempted, mostly unsuccessfully, to take back Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslims. The first crusades was the most successful, establishing, for a time, 4 Latin Christian kingdoms within the Holy Land.
| Crusade | Date Started | Date Ended | Key Battles | Primary Goal/Reason Started | Outcome | Key People |
| First Crusade | 1096 | 1099 | Siege of Antioch, Siege of Jerusalem | Reclaim the Holy Land from Muslim control | The Crusaders captured Jerusalem and established several Christian states in the region, including the Kingdom of Jerusalem. | Raymond of Toulouse, Godfrey of Bouillon, Bohemond of Taranto, Pope Urban II |
| Second Crusade | 1147 | 1149 | Battle of Dorylaeum, Siege of Damascus | Respond to the fall of the County of Edessa | The Crusaders failed to recapture Edessa and suffered several defeats in battles against Muslim forces. | King Louis VII of France, Holy Roman Emperor Conrad III |
| Third Crusade | 1189 | 1192 | Battle of Arsuf, Siege of Acre, Battle of Jaffa | Retake Jerusalem from Muslim control | The Crusaders failed to recapture Jerusalem but secured a truce with Muslim forces that allowed Christian access to the city. | Richard the Lionheart, King Philip II of France, Saladin |
| Fourth Crusade | 1202 | 1204 | Siege of Zara, Siege of Constantinople | Reclaim the Holy Land by conquering the city of Constantinople | The Crusaders captured Constantinople and established a Latin Empire in the region, but did not achieve their original objective of reaching the Holy Land. | Doge Enrico Dandolo of Venice, Baldwin IX of Flanders |
| Children’s Crusade | 1212 | 1212 | N/A | Children and teenagers attempted to peacefully convert Muslims to Christianity and recapture the Holy Land | The crusade failed, and most of the participants were either killed, enslaved, or returned home. | Stephen of Cloyes, Nicholas |
| Fifth Crusade | 1217 | 1221 | Battle of Damietta, Siege of Cairo | Recapture Jerusalem | The Crusaders captured Damietta but were ultimately defeated and forced to sign a treaty that allowed Christian pilgrims to visit Jerusalem. | King Andrew II of Hungary, Duke Leopold VI of Austria |
| Sixth Crusade | 1228 | 1229 | N/A | Retake Jerusalem from Muslim control through diplomacy |