Library > History & Government > Europe > Medieval History

History of the Crusades

1998
In the legends, knights always seem to be so romantic. In reality, these knights were not as courteous and chivalrous as we've been told. On crusade in hot, desert countries, their armor turned into sweat boxes, which made it hard to be chivalrous. In spite of this, there were four different crusades to "free" the Christian holy lands from the Muslims, and in the process, make the crusaders wealthy men. This page provides a brief history of each crusade and both sides of the conflict.