In the 11th century AD, thousands of knights set out from Western Europe to free the Holy Land from Muslim rule and restore Christianity following a plea of Pope Urban II. After arriving in Jerusalem, the crusaders launched an assault on the city and captured it in 1099, massacring many of the so-called “infidels”. This crusade triggered a series of blood-shedding lasting almost three centuries. “Moments of History” reveals why so many were willing to take part in the very first “holy war”.
