Crusades

The goal of the eight military expeditions called the Crusades was to capture the Holy Land. The Holy Land, a region sacred to Christians because Jesus lived and taught there, was under the control Seljuk Turks. Seljuk Turks no longer allowed Christian pilgrims to visit Jerusalem and the Holy Land. For this reason, the Pope Urban II called for war against the Muslim Turks to capture the Holy Land. He called for war in order to allow Christian pilgrims to travel to the Holy Land, but also did it to unite Europe against one common enemy, the Muslim Turks. 


The Crusades brought back all sorts of goods like spices, jewelry, rugs, and glass. These goods became greatly demanded and in that way, they revived trade. The Crusades also started using money, instead of the barter system.