Crusades

Reconquista

The period during which Christians gradually regained control of the Iberian Peninsula, starting with Catalonia and culminating in the recapture of Lisbon and Spain.

Holy War

A war initiated by Pope Urban II in 1095, calling Christians to fight in the name of God against Muslims, uniting Christians from Byzantine Empire and Western Europe.

Crusaders

Christian fighters who participated in the Crusades, a series of religious wars sanctioned by the Latin Church in the medieval period.

Saladin

A Kurdish Muslim leader who became Sultan in Egypt, known for his compassion, unification of Muslims, and allowing Christians back into the Holy Land after capturing it.

Kerak Castle

A stronghold of the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem, strategically important during the Crusades.

Leprosy

A disease affecting skin and nerves, prevalent during the Crusade times and often associated with Crusaders.

Pogroms

Systematic attacks on Jews, leading to the first instances of mass killings of Jewish people, sparking anti-Semitism in German and Polish lands.

Effects of the Crusades

The Crusades had both negative and positive impacts, including the destruction of relationships between Christians and Muslims, and the exchange of knowledge and goods between Europe and the Middle East.