The starting point of the crusades was on November 18, 1095 A.D., when Pope Urban II opened the Council of Clermont. On November 27, outside the French city of Clermont-Ferrand, the Pope made an important speech. He called upon everyone to help the Christians in the east to restore peace. The crowd's response was very positive.

Garments were cut into crosses, which were attached to people's shoulders in an imitation of Christ. This symbolized God’s protection as well as protection of his possessions by the government. The original object of the First Crusade was to help Christian churches in the east. The new goal became to free the Holy Land from Muslim control, especially Jerusalem.

Pope Urban II stayed in France until September 1096 to provide leadership and guidance for the members of the First Crusade. He urged churchmen to preach Christianity in France. Urban wanted the crusading army to be mostly made up of knights and other military personnel; but s

After the First Crusade, four Levant states were established: Jerusalem, Tripoli, Antioch, and Edessa. The success of this crusade was largely due to the isolation and weakness of the Muslim powers.

Power shifted in Europe from the feudal lords to kings after the Crusades. The feudal lords sold property and political liberties to towns in order to raise money for the wars, many nobles were also killed in the wars. After the Crusades, the nobles who got out of wars alive found themselves poor and powerless. Kings imposed new taxes and raised armies to help the Crusades and were now the sole leaders of the government. They got control of trade routes and their taxes, and had won full allegiance of the people. Direct taxes were imposed for the first time during the Crusades. These taxes were first collected to support these wars, but after the Crusades ended the taxes remained. These taxes provided funds for the government they remain even now.

The starting date for the march to Jerusalem was supposed to be November 1, 1098 but was delayed by an epidemic as well as fighting to the south of Antioch. On January 13, 1099 the commander-in-chief, Count Raymond IV of Toulouse, led the crusaders' march to Jerusalem.

On July 4 Saladin defeated the Latin army at Hattin in Galilee. Jerusalem surrendered on October 2. On October 29, 1187, Pope Gregory VIII, who succeeded Pope Urban II after he died from shock of the defeat at Hattin, declared the Third Crusade. Three major European monarches joined: the holy Roman Emperor, Frederick I; the French King, Philip II; and the English King, Richard I. It was the largest force of crusaders since 1095. Frederick died in Anitoch along with many others as a result of an plague. Most of his army returned to Germany. Philip and Richard reached Palestine but couldn't get back Jerusalem. Many cities along the Mediterranean coast were freed from Saladin's control. On July 12, 1191 Acre surrendered to the Christians. Richard left the Holy Land on October 9, 1192. The Latin Kingdom had been restored.

ince the news of his speech at Clermont spread through the west, people from all social classes and occupations joined the Crusade. As a result of Urban losing control of personnel, violence was launched against the Jews of northern France. This violence was mostly instigated by bands of the urban and rural poor led by men like Peter the Hermit and Walter Sans-Avoir.

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