The Crusaders During the late 11th century Christians in Western Europe carried out military excursions, these excursions were called the Crusades. Pope Urban II asked the Byzantine emperor for help against the Seljuk Turks in 1095. Their aim was to reconquer the city of Jerusalem which had been conquered by the Muslims. “The word crusader referred to anyone who belonged to a large volunteer force against the Muslims, as indicated by a cross on the crusaders' clothing.” (Travels in World History, page 359). Jews, Muslims, and non-Christian groups were the targets of the Crusades in Europe. The pope promised all crusaders that if they died during the battle "they could be assured that God would forgive their sins because God forgave the sins of all pilgrims." (Travels in World History, page 360). The start of the First Crusade was in 1095 and only 10,000 of the 50,000 fighters reached Jerusalem. The First Crusade became the armed wing of the Church when Pope Urban II gave it his blessing. There are two sides to every story; the history of the crusaders stor...