the Crusades were Holy Wars launched by the Christians against the Saracens. The cause of the Crusades was the Muslims having complete control over Jerusalem and other Holy lands. The word "crusade" literally means "going to the Cross” which is what the crusaders were doing in trying to get back the Holy Lands. The first Crusade lasted from 1095-1099 and was a grand success for the Christian armies; Jerusalem and other cities fell to the knights. The second Crusade, however, ended in humiliation in 1148, when the armies of France and Germany failed to take Damascus. The third ended in 1192 in a compromise between two great generals in King Richard 1 of England and the Muslim leader Saladin, who granted access to the Christians of the holy
