crusade

n. medieval military expedition by European Christians to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims; aggressive campaign for the advancement of a cause

v. go on a crusade, join a medieval military expedition to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims; champion a cause, campaign for a cause

series of wars conducted by European Christians during the 11th-14th centuries in order to free the Holy Land from Muslim rule

This article is about the medieval crusades. For other uses, see Crusade (disambiguation) and . The Crusades were a series of military conflicts of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe during 1095–1291, most of which were sanctioned by the Pope in the name of Christendom. The Crusades originally had the goal of recapturing Jerusalem and the sacred "Holy Land" from Muslim rule and were originally launched in response to a call from the Eastern Orthodox Byzantine Empire for help against the expansion of the Muslim Seljuk Turks into Anatolia.
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Noun
1. any of the more or less continuous military expeditions in the 11-13th centuries when Christian powers of Europe tried to recapture the Holy Land from the Muslims
(hypernym) expedition, military expedition, hostile expedition
(hyponym) First Crusade

Noun
1. a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end; "he supported populist campaigns"; "they worked in the cause of world peace"; "the team was ready for a drive toward the pennant"; "the movement to end slavery"; "contributed to the war effort"
(synonym) campaign, cause, drive, movement, effort
(hypernym) venture
(hyponym) advertising campaign, ad campaign, ad blitz
(derivation) fight, press, campaign, push, agitate
Verb
1. exert oneself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to gain an end or engage in a crusade for a certain cause or person; be an advocate for; "The liberal party pushed for reforms"; "She is crusading for women's rights"; "The Dean is pushing for his favorite candidate"
(synonym) fight, press, campaign, push, agitate
(hypernym) advertise, advertize, promote, push
(verb-group) advertise, advertize, promote, push
(derivation) campaign, cause, drive, movement, effort
2. go on a crusade; fight a holy war
(hypernym) campaign, take the field
(derivation) Crusade

(v. i.)
To engage in a crusade; to attack in a zealous or hot-headed manner.
  

(n.)
Any one of the military expeditions undertaken by Christian powers, in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries, for the recovery of the Holy Land from the Mohammedans.
  

(n.)
Any enterprise undertaken with zeal and enthusiasm; as, a crusade against intemperance.
  

(n.)
A Portuguese coin. See Crusado.
  

The series of holy wars launched by the Christian states against the Saracens starting in 1095 when Pope Claremont preached the First Crusade at the Council of Claremont . The object of the crusades was at first to release the Holy Land , in particular Jerusalem, from the Saracens, but in time was extended to seizing Spain from the Moors, the Slavs and Pagans from eastern Europe, and the islands of the Mediterranean. The first crusade, which lasted from 1095-1099, established the latin Kingdom of Jerusalem , providing more lands for the crusading knights , who often traveled across Europe to try their fortunes and to visit the Holy Sepulcher. The kingdom was gradually lost until the last Christian city, Acre , fell in 1291. The dream of returning to the Holy Land nonetheless proved popular; the Kings of France and England frequently made such plans, though in nearly every case the crusades were redirected or derailed by regional tensions.
The crusades also gave rise to the important knightly orders , the Templars and the Hospitallers , orders of religious knights, working from monastic rule to defend the holy land and pilgrims en route to the same lands. First Crusade