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The Crusades (or Wars of the Cross) were seven Military expeditions in the Middle Ages, the first occurring in 1095 led by Godfrey of Bouillon, to the Holy Land, originally sanctioned by the Church and Pope. Their proclaimed objective was two fold - to ensure the safety of pilgrims to Jerusalem, and to recover the Holy Land for Christendom. Their reality was the plunder of the captured lands and the genocide of all Saracens before them. The last crusade occurred between 1248 and 1256 and between 1268 and 1270 and was conducted to satisfy the religious scruples of Louis IX.
Each nation had its own colour: red for France; white for England; green for Flanders; blue for Italy; red for Spain; Scotland had a St Andrew's cross; and the Knight's Templars red on white.
Captured cities were cleansed of all 'pagans', Muslims and Jews, with all men, women and children being murdered by the Christian crusaders. When Jerusalem was captured during the First Crusade, more than 30,000 of its inhabitants were killed. Almost a thousand years later the Arabs still recount the horrors inflicted upon them by the Western Europeans 'barbarians', which included - according to Christian witnesses - murdered children being spit roasted and eaten by the crusaders, and adult victims being boiled and eaten.
On returning from the Crusades, many of the soldiers were absolutely destitute and immediately availed themselves of robbery in order to obtain clothes and food.
 Research Crusade
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Abbreviations
Warfare
