Instead of fighting in the Holy Land, Crusaders sacked Constantinople, the capital of the Christian Byzantine Empire. 3. Outcomes and Consequences

Interested in territorial expansion and new power centers. 2. Key Events

Peasants were poorly armed, lacked discipline, and had no military experience. Most died before reaching Jerusalem.

The Crusades were a series of military-religious campaigns (XI–XV centuries) initiated by the Western Catholic Church to "liberate" Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim rule.