Cities where the crusades began? Crusades (briefly) Number of crusades

In 1187, the Egyptian sultan and outstanding commander Saladin defeated the crusader army in Palestine. He quickly took possession of the coastal cities and eventually captured Jerusalem. This event led to the Pope's call for a Third Crusade.

Purpose of the crusade

Causes of the Third Crusade

  • the capture of Jerusalem by Saladin;
  • the desire of European monarchs to take control of the eastern (Levantine trade);
  • the desire of the Pope to unite Europe under his religious authority.

The religious goal was just a pretext for a crusade. It was based on economic reasons. Ordinary warriors dreamed of military glory and rich booty.

The Third Crusade was led by three leaders. For a 6th grade history lesson, the following table gives a visual representation of them:

Table “Participants of the Third Crusade”

Participant

Years of life

Merits

German Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa ("red-bearded")

Participated in the Second Crusade. He created the most combat-ready army in those years, in which the main role was assigned to heavy cavalry. Wrestled with the Pope. Leading the Third Crusade, he took Adrianaple. Drowned while crossing the river. Selif.

King of France Philip II Augustus the Conqueror

For the sake of the crusade, he made peace with his opponent, the English king Richard I. But the relationship was not easy. After the capture of Acre, he returned to France.

King of England Richard I the Lionheart

He became famous as a warrior-crusader. After the coronation, almost immediately went to the Third Crusade. Ten years spent in continuous wars in the East. Having been wounded during the siege of the castle, he died from blood poisoning.

Rice. 1. Monument to Richard I the Lionheart in London.

Progress of the Third Crusade

After the success of Saladin, Pope Gregory VIII issued an appeal to "return Jerusalem!". Clement III, who succeeded him, in 1188 announced the start of the Third Crusade.

The expedition was doomed to failure from the start. the following reasons :

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  • the pope was unable to keep control of the campaign;
  • the main military leaders pursued only their own interests and were at enmity with each other;
  • Saladin significantly outnumbered his opponents in the area of ​​military talent.

Rice. 2. The third crusade on the map.

Briefly, the Third Crusade can be judged by considering the actions of its leaders.

The German crusaders in 1189 were the first to start the campaign and moved towards Jerusalem by land. They plundered and devastated the Bulgarian and Byzantine lands. After the accidental death of Frederick I Barbarossa, most of them returned home altogether.

The French and English kings competed with each other and did not agree on a common plan of action. Nevertheless, in 1190 they began a campaign together, setting off from southern France by sea. The voyage lasted about ten months due to long stops.

The crusaders did not hesitate to sack the Sicilian city of Messina. After that, they split up: the French sailed on, and the British conquered Cyprus.

In 1191, the French, English and remnants of the German army united near Acre and after the siege took the city. Philip II immediately after that left for France and entered into an alliance with the opponents of the English king. General leadership passed to Richard I.

Rice. 3. Painting by Blondel.

Richard I the Lionheart was a brave fighter, but a poor military leader. He lost one battle after another. As a result, the English king was able to get only minor concessions from Saladin.

The main reason for the failure of the Third Crusade was the inconsistency of its leaders.

Results of the Third Crusade

The campaign did not justify the hopes placed on it. It lasted for three years (1189 - 1192) and led to the following results:

  • Jerusalem remained under Egyptian rule;
  • the crusaders retained in the East a narrow coastal territory from Tire to Jaffa;
  • Christian pilgrims and merchants could freely visit the holy city for three years.

What have we learned?

The third crusade was supposed to rally all the Christian states and end with the capture of Jerusalem. Instead, the Crusaders plundered along the way, and the kings feuded among themselves. The three best European commanders could not find a common language. Saladin managed to keep Jerusalem in the hands of the Muslims.

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The history of mankind is, unfortunately, not always a world of discoveries and achievements, but often a chain of a myriad of wars. These include those committed from the 11th to the 13th centuries. This article will help you understand the reasons and reasons, as well as trace the chronology. It is accompanied by a table compiled on the theme of "Crusades", containing the most important dates, names and events.

Definition of the concepts of "crusade" and "crusader"

The crusade is an armed offensive of the Christian army to the Muslim East, which lasted a total of about 200 years (1096-1270) and was expressed in at least eight organized performances by troops from Western European countries. In a later period, this was the name of any military campaign with the aim of converting to Christianity and expanding the influence of the medieval Catholic Church.

The crusader is a participant in such a campaign. On the right shoulder he had a stripe in the form of the same image was applied to the helmet and flags.

Reasons, reasons, goals of campaigns

Military demonstrations were organized. The formal reason was the fight against the Muslims in order to liberate the Holy Sepulcher, located in the Holy Land (Palestine). In the modern sense, this territory includes such states as Syria, Lebanon, Israel, the Gaza Strip, Jordan and a number of others.

Nobody doubted the success. At that time, it was believed that anyone who became a crusader would receive the forgiveness of all sins. Therefore, joining these ranks was popular with both knights and urban residents, peasants. The latter, in exchange for participation in the crusade, received liberation from serfdom. In addition, for European kings, the crusade was an opportunity to get rid of powerful feudal lords, whose power grew as their holdings increased. Wealthy merchants and townspeople saw economic opportunity in military conquest. And the very highest clergy, led by the popes, considered the crusades as a way to strengthen the power of the church.

Beginning and end of the Crusader era

The 1st Crusade began on August 15, 1096, when an unorganized crowd of 50,000 peasants and urban poor set out on a campaign without supplies or training. Basically, they were engaged in looting (because they considered themselves the soldiers of God, who own everything in this world) and attacked the Jews (who were considered the descendants of the murderers of Christ). But within a year this army was destroyed by the Hungarians who met along the way, and then by the Turks. Following the crowd of the poor, well-trained knights went on a crusade. Already by 1099 they reached Jerusalem, capturing the city and killing a large number of inhabitants. These events and the formation of a territory called the Kingdom of Jerusalem ended the active period of the first campaign. Further conquests (until 1101) were aimed at strengthening the conquered borders.

The last crusade (eighth) began on June 18, 1270 with the landing of the army of the French ruler Louis IX in Tunisia. However, this performance ended unsuccessfully: even before the start of the battles, the king died of pestilence, which forced the crusaders to return home. During this period, the influence of Christianity in Palestine was minimal, and Muslims, on the contrary, strengthened their positions. As a result, they captured the city of Acre, which put an end to the era of the Crusades.

1st-4th crusades (table)

Years of the Crusades

Leaders and/or Major Events

1 crusade

Duke Gottfried of Bouillon, Duke Robert of Normandy and others.

The capture of the cities of Nicaea, Edessa, Jerusalem, etc.

Proclamation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem

2nd crusade

Louis VII, King of Germany Conrad III

The defeat of the crusaders, the surrender of Jerusalem to the army of the Egyptian ruler Salah ad-Din

3rd crusade

King of Germany and the Empire Frederick I Barbarossa, French King Philip II and English King Richard I the Lionheart

Conclusion by Richard I of an agreement with Salah ad-Din (unfavorable for Christians)

4th crusade

Division of Byzantine lands

5th-8th Crusades (table)

Years of the Crusades

Leaders and major events

5th Crusade

Duke Leopold VI of Austria, King Andras II of Hungary and others.

Campaign in Palestine and Egypt.

Failure of offensive in Egypt and talks on Jerusalem due to lack of unity in leadership

6th Crusade

German King and Emperor Frederick II Staufen

The capture of Jerusalem by agreement with the Egyptian Sultan

In 1244 the city again passed into the hands of the Muslims.

7th Crusade

French King Louis IX Saint

Campaign to Egypt

The defeat of the crusaders, the capture of the king, followed by ransom and return home

8th crusade

Louis IX Saint

Curtailment of the campaign due to the epidemic and the death of the king

Results

How successful the numerous crusades were, the table clearly demonstrates. Among historians, there is no unequivocal opinion on how these events influenced the life of Western European peoples.

Some experts believe that the Crusades opened the way to the East, establishing new economic and cultural ties. Others point out that it could have been done more successfully peacefully. Moreover, the last crusade ended in an outright defeat.

One way or another, significant changes took place in Western Europe itself: the strengthening of the influence of the popes, as well as the power of kings; the impoverishment of the nobility and the rise of urban communities; the emergence of a class of free farmers from former serfs who gained freedom through participation in the crusades.

The First Crusade of 1096 brought tens of thousands of crusaders to Constantinople. During the campaign, the cities of Asia Minor (the territory of modern Turkey) were captured. The first city captured in the campaign was Nicaea, the next one was Edessa. Later, Antioch was captured, but here the knights met a strong rebuff in the person of Emir Kerboga. In 1099, the knights were at the gates of Jerusalem. During the capture of the city, many Muslims were slaughtered. Gottfried of Bouillon becomes king. In 1101, many crusaders came to the lands of Asia Minor, but they were exterminated by the emirs. Great support for Jerusalem was provided by the Templars and Hospitallers. The First Crusade ended with the creation of four states: the Principality of Antioch, the County of Edessa in the East, the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the County of Tripoli.

The Crusades lasted for about two centuries and became a completely unique period in world history. They originated in Europe on the wave of religious asceticism. Campaigns were preached by the Catholic Church and at first found a wide response in all segments of the population.

In which cities did the campaigns begin?

To name the cities in which the Crusades began, you should understand a little about their history. For the first time, this idea arose among the French Catholic clergy and was voiced at the Clermont Cathedral. The result was the first Crusade, which began in 1095. It was attended by knights from France, Italy, Germany and other European countries. Among the cities from where the largest number of knights departed, it is worth highlighting:

  • Paris. Many French aristocrats went on the campaign, including the son of the king;
  • Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lyon. These are large French cities, which during the Middle Ages were the centers of feudal possessions;
  • German Reims became a gathering place for German knights and townspeople, who also wanted to go to the liberation of the Holy Sepulcher;
  • in Italy the knights gathered in Rome. Many warriors arrived from Palermo, Sicily and other places.

In exchange for participation in the Crusades, the pope promised absolution to all soldiers and ordinary people. In addition to spiritual benefits, they were promised forgiveness of debts, protection of their property and families who remained in Europe.

Who went hiking

The first Crusades generated a lot of enthusiasm. Therefore, aristocrats, large feudal lords, nobles, chivalry, and ordinary warriors went to war in the East. In addition to them, peasants, townspeople and even children took an active part.

For example, at first, the army of Gauthier Golyak, consisting of unarmed pilgrims and beggars, entered the first Crusade. All of them were destroyed by the Turks as soon as they reached their possessions in Asia Minor.

Thus, the idea of ​​the Crusades was supported by all segments of the population. However, over time, the ardor dried up and the campaigns were no longer so popular. Only aristocrats and professional warriors took part in them. They were driven by political interests or greed.

What are crusades? These are military companies in which the crusaders participated, and their initiators were always the popes. However, the term "crusade" itself is interpreted by different scholars in different ways. There are 4 points of view on this historical phenomenon:

1. The traditional view, implying military operations in Palestine. Their goal was to liberate Jerusalem and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher from the Muslims. This is a long historical period from 1095 to 1291.

2. Any military company authorized by the pope. That is, if there is a sanction of the pontiff, then it means that this is a crusade. The reasons themselves and the geographical location do not matter. This includes campaigns in the Holy Land, and campaigns against heretics, as well as political and territorial disagreements between Christian countries and monarchs.

3. Any war in defense of the Christian faith associated with the Latin (Catholic) Church.

4. The narrowest concept. It includes only the beginning of religious fervor. This is the First Crusade to the Holy Land, as well as campaigns of commoners and children (Children's Crusade). All other military companies are no longer considered crusades, as they are only a continuation of the original impulse.

Crusades in the Holy Land

These campaigns are divided by historians into 9 separate military companies from the First Crusade (1096-1099) to the Ninth Crusade (1271-1272). However, this division is not entirely true. The fifth and sixth campaigns could be considered one military company, since the German emperor Frederick II took part in them first indirectly, and then directly. The same can be said about the Eighth and Ninth Crusades: the Ninth was a continuation of the Eighth.

Causes of the Crusades

Pilgrims have visited the Holy Sepulcher in Palestine for many centuries. The Muslims did not put any obstacles to the Christians. But on November 24, 1095, Pope Urban II in the city of Clermont (France) delivered a sermon in which he called on Christians to free the Holy Sepulcher by force. The words of the pontiff made a great impression on the people. Everyone shouted: “God wants it so” and went to the Holy Land.

First crusade (1096-1099)

This campaign consisted of two waves. At first, crowds of poorly armed commoners went to the Holy Land, and well-equipped detachments of professional knights moved behind them. The path of both the first and the second went through Constantinople to Asia Minor. The Muslims destroyed the first wave. Only a few returned to the capital of the Byzantine Empire. But the detachments under the command of dukes and counts achieved great success.

Second Crusade (1147-1149)

As time passed, the possessions of Christians in Palestine decreased markedly. In 1144, the emir of Mosul captured Edessa, as well as most of the lands of the Edessa County (one of the crusader states). This was the cause of the Second Crusade. It was headed by the French king Louis VII and the German emperor Conrad III. They again went through Constantinople and experienced many hardships from the greed of the Greeks.

Third Crusade (1189-1192)

Sultan Saladin captured Jerusalem on October 2, 1187, and the Kingdom of Jerusalem was left without a capital. After that, Pope Gregory VIII announced the Third Crusade. It was headed by King of England Richard the Lionheart, King of France Philip II and German Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa (Redbeard).

Barbarossa was the first to start the campaign. He moved with his army through Asia Minor and won several victories over the Muslims. However, while crossing a mountain river, he drowned. After his death, most of the German crusaders turned back, and the remaining soldiers of Christ continued the campaign under the command of Duke Frederick of Swabia (the son of the deceased emperor). But these forces were not enough, and they did not play any decisive role in this military company.

Fourth Crusade (1202-1204)

Fifth Crusade (1217-1221)

Jerusalem remained in Muslim hands, and Pope Honorius III proclaimed the Fifth Crusade. It was headed by the Hungarian king Andras II. Together with him, the Austrian Duke Leopold the Glorious and the Dutch Count Willem laid the cross on themselves. The Hungarian crusaders were the first to arrive in Palestine, but their military actions did not change the existing political situation in any way. Realizing the futility of his attempts, Andras II departed for his homeland.

Sixth Crusade (1228-1229)

This crusade was called a "campaign without a campaign", and the German emperor Frederick II, who led it, was called a "crusader without a cross." The emperor was a highly educated man and managed to return Jerusalem to the Christians without military action, but only through negotiations. He even proclaimed himself king of the kingdom of Jerusalem, but was not approved by either the pope or the assembly of noble feudal lords of the kingdom.

Seventh Crusade (1248-1254)

In July 1244, the Muslims recaptured Jerusalem. This time, the French king Louis IX the Saint volunteered to liberate the holy city. At the head of the crusaders, he, like his predecessors, went to Egypt in the Nile Delta. His army captured Damietta, but the attack on Cairo ended in complete failure. In April 1250, the crusaders were defeated by the Mamluks, and the French king himself was captured. However, a month later the monarch was bought out, paying a lot of money for him.

Eighth Crusade (1270)

This campaign was again led by Louis IX, eager for revenge. But with his army he went not to Egypt or Palestine, but to Tunisia. On the African coast, the crusaders landed near the ancient ruins of Carthage and set up a military camp. The soldiers of Christ fortified it well and began to wait for the allies. But it was a hot summer, and an epidemic of dysentery broke out in the camp. The French monarch fell ill and died on August 25, 1270.

Ninth Crusade (1271-1272)

As for the Ninth Crusade, it is considered the last. It was organized and headed by the English Crown Prince Edward. He did not prove himself in the lands of Tunisia, and therefore decided to glorify his name in Palestine. No one gave him help and support, but the prince decided to rely more on diplomacy than military force.

Crusades against heretics

In addition to military campaigns against the Gentiles, similar campaigns were organized against Christians who fell into the category of heretics. The fault of these people was that their religious views did not coincide with the official dogmas of the Catholic Church. Here, the Crusaders did not need to make difficult, full of hardship campaigns in distant Asian lands. Heretics lived side by side in Europe, and therefore it remained only to ruthlessly destroy them, without wasting strength and energy on long transitions. The popes also initiated crusades against heretics with the full support of their flock.

Albigensian Crusade (1209-1229)

In the 11th century, in the south of France in Languedoc, a dualistic doctrine, known as Catharism, began to enjoy great authority. Its carriers of the Cathars preached concepts that were radically at odds with traditional Christian ones. Very soon, these people were labeled heretics, and in 1209, Pope Innocent III declared the Albigensian Crusade against them, since the Cathars were also called Albigenses. The name comes from the city of Albi, which was considered the center of Catharism.

Crusades against the Hussites (1420-1434)

In the Czech Republic in 1419, unrest began, which was provoked by the followers of Jan Hus - the Hussites. They declared the Pope the Antichrist and began to advocate new religious rites. The pontiff, the German emperor Sigismund and all the Germans declared that this was a terrible heresy. 5 crusades were organized against the Hussites, with the death of half the population of the Czech Republic.

In opposition to the crusaders, the Hussites created a people's army. It was headed by the ruined knight and experienced warrior Jan Zizka. He showed real military talent and did not suffer a single defeat. The soldiers of Christ were forced to call on the fight against the Czech heretics exactly the same Czechs, but adhering to more moderate views. They were bought with promises and promises, and an internecine war broke out in the Czech Republic, the result of which was the defeat of the Hussite movement.

CRUSASES, military colonization movements of the Western European chivalry, townspeople, part of the peasantry, carried out in the form of religious wars under the slogan of the struggle for the liberation of Christian shrines in the Holy Land from the rule of Muslims. The initiator and inspirer of the Crusades was the Roman Catholic Church. The participants of the crusades, who called themselves pilgrims, sewed the sign of the cross on their clothes, hence their name - the crusaders.

The prerequisites for the crusades were a combination of socio-economic, demographic, political and religious factors: the development of cities and commodity-money relations, population growth in Western Europe, which accelerated the processes of stratification in society, the widespread mystical sentiments, the intensification of the struggle between feudal lords for land, a sharp change in the military-strategic situation in the Middle East. The main driving force behind the Crusades is chivalry. Seized by the religious impulse that inspired the participants in the first crusades and skillfully used by the papacy, the crusaders were also guided by purely practical goals. Small chivalry sought to acquire estates in the East, to get rich. Large seniors sought to create their own states and possessions. The peasants hoped to gain freedom from feudal obligations and material prosperity overseas. Merchants and a significant mass of the population of the Mediterranean cities and urban republics - Pisa, Venice, Genoa, Marseille, Barcelona intended to seize advantageous positions in trade in the Middle East. The Roman Catholic Church, giving the crusades an ideological justification as holy wars for the liberation of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem from the "infidels" and for the sake of helping Christians in the East, taking the crusaders under special protection, wanted to both strengthen its influence in the West and establish it in the conquered lands.

The reason for the start of the Crusades was the conquest of Syria and Palestine by the Seljuk Turks in the 1070-1080s, their capture, after the defeat of the Byzantine troops at the Battle of Manzikert (1071), most of Asia Minor and the appeal of the Byzantine emperor Alexei I Komnenos to a number of Western European sovereigns asking for help.

First crusade (1096-99). On November 27, 1095, Pope Urban II preached the crusades at a church council in Clermont, promising the pilgrims many privileges and remission of sins. The monks, among whom the preacher Peter of Amiens (the Hermit) gained particular popularity, widely disseminated this idea among the people. In the spring of 1096, the “holy pilgrimage” of the almost unarmed peasant poor to the East began. After a long and difficult transition, the demoralized peasant army was exterminated by the Seljuks in September 1096 near Nicaea. In the summer of 1096, French and South Italian knights set out on a campaign, marching in separate detachments led by the Duke of Lorraine Gottfried of Bouillon and his brother Baldwin (Baudouin), the Norman prince Bohemond of Tarentum, Count Raymond of Toulouse (Raymond de Saint-Gilles). Having concluded an alliance agreement with the Byzantine Emperor Alexei I, they crossed over to Asia Minor and inflicted a number of defeats on the Seljuks. On June 19, 1097, Nicaea capitulated (withdrew to Byzantium), in 1098 Edessa was taken and, after a long siege and heavy defense from the approaching troops of Emir Kerboga, Antioch, which became the capitals of the first crusader states - the county and principality of the same name. In 1099, Jerusalem was taken by storm, since 1100 the capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, in vassal dependence on which were the rest of the crusader states. Gottfried of Bouillon became its ruler, and after his death in 1100, the knights elected his brother Baldwin (Baudouin), Count of Edessa, as the first king. In 1101-24, the crusaders continued to seize the lands of Syria and Palestine. In 1109, the County of Tripoli was formed.

Second crusade (1147-49) was undertaken in response to the capture of Edessa by the Seljuks in 1144. It was led by the French king Louis VII and the German king Conrad III; ended with the defeat of the German crusaders and the failure of the French, who unsuccessfully tried to take Damascus.

Third Crusade (1189-92) was caused by the complete defeat of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the capture of its capital by the Egyptian Sultan Salah ad-Din in 1187. The leaders of the campaign were the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, the French king Philip II Augustus and the English king Richard the Lionheart, who were at enmity with each other. Taking Iconium (now Konya), Frederick I died in 1190 in Cilicia while crossing a mountain river, his army disintegrated. The English and French took the port of Acre in 1191, after which Philip II departed for his homeland. Richard the Lionheart in 1191 conquered Cyprus, which had fallen away from Byzantium earlier, which later became an independent kingdom (1192-1489), and in 1192 signed a peace with Salah ad-Din, under the terms of which the coast from Tire to Jaffa was preserved behind the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was not recaptured.

Fourth Crusade (1202-04) was planned by Pope Innocent III against Egypt. Its participants were Venice, French, German and Flemish knights, and the leader of the Marquis of Montferrat Boniface. Arriving in Venice, the Western European knights could not pay the Venetians the money for equipping the fleet, provided for by the original contract. For the sake of postponing the debt, the leaders of the campaign agreed to capture the city of Zadar along the route, the possession of which Venice claimed, but in those years it belonged to the Hungarian king. In 1202, Zadar was taken by the Crusaders and handed over to Venice.

By agreeing to a request for help in restoring to the throne the Byzantine prince Alexios IV Angelos, whose father Isaac II Angelos was deposed and blinded in 1195, in exchange for a promise of 200,000 marks in silver and participation in a campaign in the Holy Land, Boniface of Montferrat, with the assistance of the Doge of Venice Enrico Dandolo sent a campaign to Constantinople. Having landed in Galata, in July 1203, the crusaders broke into the set fire to Constantinople and restored Isaac II and his son Alexei IV to the throne. The latter failed to fulfill the terms of the treaty and lost power as a result of the coup of Alexei V Duka. The crusaders decided to seize Byzantium and divide it among themselves. On April 12, 1204, Constantinople was stormed and plundered. Many of his monuments were destroyed, churches desecrated, treasures and relics were exported to the West. The crusaders failed to conquer the entire territory of Byzantium. They formed the Latin Empire with its center in Constantinople (1204-61), the Flanders Count Baudouin (Baldwin I) was elected emperor, the Kingdom of Thessaloniki (1204-24) headed by Boniface of Montferrat, the Principality of Morea in the Peloponnese (1205-1432), Athens duchy (1205-1456), etc. A number of quarters in Constantinople, many territories in the Aegean Sea, including the cities of Coron and Modon, the islands of Euboea and Crete, went to the Venetians. The Greek Church in the conquered lands was placed under the control of the papacy, the Catholic Venetian prelate Tommaso Morosini was elected Patriarch of Constantinople. The 4th crusade, directed against Christians, marked a deep crisis in the crusading movement, led to a deepening of the schism of the churches, intensifying the rejection of the union by the Greek clergy and population.

Fifth Crusade (1217-21) against Egypt, which was organized by the Hungarian king Endre II, the Austrian Duke Leopold VI, the king of Cyprus Hugo I Lusignan and the rulers of the crusader states, ended in vain. The crusaders failed to keep the captured city of Damietta and, surrounded by the Ayyubid army, they had to capitulate.

During the sixth crusade (1228-29) the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Frederick II Staufen, who headed it, managed to return Jerusalem for a short time (1229-44) through peaceful negotiations.

Seventh Crusade (1248-54) against Egypt and eighth crusade (1270) against Tunisia, prepared by the French king Louis IX the Saint, ended in the defeat of the armies of the crusaders. In 1291, the last possessions of the crusaders in Syria and Palestine were conquered by the Sultan of Egypt.

Attempts to organize crusades to the East were also made in the 14th-15th centuries. These are the so-called late crusades, mainly against the Ottoman Turks. The crusader army led by the Hungarian king Zsigmond I of Luxembourg (Sigismund I) was defeated by the Ottomans in the Battle of Nikopol (1396). The army led by the King of Poland and Hungary, Vladislav III, and the Transylvanian governor Janos Hunyadi, after a series of successes, was exterminated by the Ottomans in the Battle of Varna (1444).

During the crusades, spiritual and knightly orders were formed: at the beginning of the 12th century - the Joannites (Hospitallers), about 1118 - the Templars (templars), in 1198 - the Teutonic Order of the Virgin Mary (moved to the Baltic states at the beginning of the 13th century). The crusades only for a short time achieved their direct goal - the liberation of the Holy Sepulcher (Holy Land) from the power of the Muslims. They led to great human and material losses, to the establishment on the territory of Syria, Palestine, the former Byzantium - Latin Romania - a more severe seigneurial regime than before. The Crusades intensified migration processes, contributed to the formation of trading posts of Western European cities in the Middle East and the growth of trade between Europe and the Levant. As a result of the crusades, thanks to the outflow of the most "rebellious" element to the East, the centralization of a number of Western European states was strengthened. The campaigns contributed to the progress of military affairs in Europe, stimulated the construction of military and transport ships, including high-speed and much larger displacement, and the introduction of new types of weapons.

In the form of crusades, the Reconquista in the Pyrenees, the conquest and colonization of Slavic lands in the 12th-13th centuries, the Albigensian Wars in France in 1209-1229, the struggle against the Hussite movement in the Czech Republic in the 15th century, etc.

Lit.: A history of the Crusades / Ed. K. M. Setton. 2nd ed. Madison, 1969-1989. Vol. 1-6; Fences M.A. Crusaders in the East. M., 1980; History of the Crusades / Edited by J. Riley-Smith. M., 1998; Balard M. Croisades et Orient Latin XI - XIV siècle. R., 2001; Michaud JF History of the Crusades. M., 2005; Uspensky F. I. History of the Crusades. M., 2005.