• The army of Christian knights crossed the Balkans and Asia Minor,
conquering Antioch in 1098 and liberating Jerusalem in 1099.
The First Crusade was far and away the most successful of all
the expeditions.
o Fortified Latin states were established in Jerusalem, Tripoli,
Antioch, and Edessa, with subsidiary fiefdoms established
in Galilee, Transjordan, Jaffa, and Ascalon. The states lasted
from 50 to 100 years.o In Jerusalem in 1099, some knights banded together to provide
hospice for pilgrims (the Knights Hospitaller), and in 1119,
others vowed to protect pilgrims on their way to the church
of the Holy Sepulchre (the Knights Templar). These knights
organized themselves along the lines of religious orders, with a
commitment to piety.The Second Crusade
• The Second Crusade was called by Pope Eugene III in 1147 because
of the shocking collapse of the Latin state of Edessa to the Saracens.
• The pope enlisted Bernard of Clairvaux, one of the most influential
figures in Christendom, to preach the Crusade, which Bernard did
through an extended tour.• This Crusade was led by King Louis VII of France and King
Conrad III of Germany. Once more, mob action was carried out
against Jews across Germany, leading Bernard and other leaders to
condemn such action.• The military effort in the East was a failure, except for the 13,000
troops who—carrying out another, more local program—managed
to free Lisbon from Muslim control.
o The great Kurdish Muslim general Saladin (1138–1192)
overran Jerusalem and eliminated the Latin state there in 1187.o The Christians were reduced to occupying the stronghold at
Tyre, a humiliating setback.