The Crusades - Page 20 of 21

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Later Crusades

Moreover, Europe produced more crusader armies, which sometimes served to recover lost ground, to bolster positions, and to dismay or at least distress the Muslims. The formally numbered crusades set out in these years: Second Crusade, 1147; Third Crusade, 1189; Fourth Crusade, 1204; Fifth Crusade, 1217; Sixth Crusade, 1228; Seventh Crusade, 1249; Eighth Crusade, 1270. The last outpost of Outremer, the city of Acre, fell in 1291.

Even after the final collapse of Outremer, crusades continued to be preached. Among the more notable were an expedition against Egypt in 1334, and crusades that ended in terrible defeats at Nicopolis in 1391 and at Varna in 1444.

And these are only the more notable. All through the 12th and 13th centuries, smaller efforts were undertaken by individuals or groups. Crusades were preached against other enemies as well, including the pagan Slavs in northeastern Europe, the Muslims in Spain, heretics in southern France and in Bohemia, and even against political enemies of the popes in Italy.

But crusading had long since ceased to have the power to move all Europe to action. Crusades, even by the mid-13th century, were undertaken largely at the instigation of one or two princes. The crusades of 1249 and 1270, for example, were essentialy the crusades of King Louis IX of France. A king or great prince did most of the financing and raising of arms, and the Church merely gave its approval and support.

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History of Western Civilization
Boise State University
Last Revised 17 August 1995