Timeline of the First Crusade

As Christianity had spread across Europe, Islam had spread across the Middle East. At the end of the eleventh century the relationship between the Muslim leader of Jerusalem and the Christian communities and travellers to the city fractured. Along with other key relationships across Europe, the Middle East and around the Mediterranean region tensions rose leading to calls for a European Crusader force to retake Jerusalem for the Christian world. What ensues over the following years set the tone for relations across Christendom and amongst the Islamic worlds. Images, writings, and tales of the events feed into legend as well as history.

For our short course for summer 2023, the Historical Association has brought together some of the UK's leading experts on this subject. They will provide their expert insight into the period, detail the reality of what occurred, and discuss the legacy of the First Crusade, both at the time and in the following centuries. They will also explain its symbolic importance today. Find out more here.

Download our timeline of the First Crusade below (PDF).