"In 1095 an assembly of churchmen called by Pope Urban II met at Clermont, France. Messengers from the Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus had urged the pope to send help against the armies of Muslim Turks. On November 27 the pope addressed the assembly and asked the warriors of Europe to liberate the Holy Land from the Muslims. The response of the assembly was overwhelmingly favorable. Thus was launched the first and most successful of at least eight crusades against the Muslim caliphates of the Near East.

"God wills it!"

That was the battle cry of the thousands of Christians who joined crusades to free the Holy Land from the Muslims. From 1096 to 1270 there were eight major crusades and two children's crusades, both in the year 1212. Only the First and Third Crusades were successful. In the long history of the Crusades, thousands of knights, soldiers, merchants, and peasants lost their lives on the march or in battle." ( history-world.org/crusades.htm )


Crusader Knight

(Crusader knights time period is somewhere between 1095 - 1100)
The Crusader Knights have always been renowned for their foolish bravery. Using their arrogance and religious extremism to justify these brave/stupid battle tactics. Believing themselves to be invincible through god they would plunge into enemy factions full charge which led them to many devastating victories but also crushing defeat. These were the main fighting force for the First Crusade against the Muslims and are responsible for the deaths of hundreds if not thousands.
Most Knights in the 11th century wore hooded, long-sleeved, chain-mail. It was split in the front to allow the knight to ride, but with some protection to their legs. Many knights wore padded cotton under their armor, for comfort, to help with the weight of the armor, and absorb the impact of heavy strikes. Their choice of weapons were single-handed swords, single-headed axes of the "Viking style", and the occasional bronze mace. Most knights were also trained in archery, but refused the use of the bow in battle, seeing it as a weapon for commoners. Free from persecution and with the roman church behind them they slaughtered their way through the middle east.